When a detectorist digs up a grub or a worm

[kamogawa]

One of my previous thread questions took an unexpected involving an issue that I just had to bring as a separate entity....grubs and worms. :shocked04: How do you deal with grubs or worms when you come across them? :dontknow: Yes, I may be strange, but I always feel like I have disturbed them in their own natural environment. :-\ I try and dig around them and then try not to squish them when replacing the soil. If the grub or worm is in the way of said treasure, I will set them aside and then return them to the hole and gently replace the soil and grass. :cheesysmile:

[Tony Two-Cent]

I'm an animal lover, but I can't say that I pay much attention to the grubs and worms when I dig them up. I did find a hybernating tree frog at the bottom of a hole one time though, and I did feel kind of bad for disturbing its slumber. I retrieved the coin which was in the plug and tried to put the frog back the way I found it.

p.s. I didn't stomp on the plug. lol

[coinnut]

I try not to kill anything except mosquitos, ticks and flies lol

[dave in iowa]

I even put worms back in the hole , if im in a yard and i know the owner well ,he sometimes will ask about grubs , great fishing bait and moles really like them . Land owner wouldnt mind seeing them gone sometimes if they have a mole

[jkress]

lol And here I thought I was the only one that did this. Any hole I have to tamp down with the worm or grub back in is done gently.
I'm not a big fan of when I cut a worm in half either. crying01

[z118]

I have renamed my Lesche Wormcrist due to the number of worms I have inadvertently cut in half. That's a Tolkien reference for those of you wondering what I'm talking about... google &quot:daydream:rcrist. lol I always put the unslaughtered worms and bugs back in the hole. It's pretty amazing how many insects can be found sometimes in one scoop of dirt - worms, ants, grubs, cicadas, etc. and those are just the ones I can see. The soil really is alive.

[cdv]

Try to take advantage of the protein. Detecting for long hours makes you hungry and its hard to pass up free protein.

LOL

[tanacat]

Try to take advantage of the protein. Detecting for long hours makes you hungry and its hard to pass up free protein.

LOL

lol I was gonna say something similiar... I also make extra effort to put worms back in the hole and not stomp the plug too hard. It's nice to hear so many people on here have compassion for the critters :)

My college degree is Environmental Education and I spent years leading nature hikes w/ kiddos. We did a lot of exploration, turning over rocks and logs looking for and learning about the critters. My major goal was to try to instill sense of wonder and respect for all living creatures. It was cute when the kids would put the roof back on their homes.

...but I'm with George- I do kill pesky mosquitoes and ticks!

[tanacat]

I did find a hybernating tree frog at the bottom of a hole one time though, and I did feel kind of bad for disturbing its slumber.

You captured that on video- didn't you?

[Tony Two-Cent]

You captured that on video- didn't you?


Unfortunately, no. It was about 28 years ago.

[tanacat]

oh lol I remember- it was Toadman aka Rick. I think that's how he got his name.

[JTGOLD]

I look at them as good fish bait.I find a lot of them at tot lots with wood chips.

[tanacat]

If I were starving and lost in the wilderness I think I'd prefer to eat 'cleaned' and fried earthworms rather than grubworm or grasshopper... :thinkingabout:

[aloldstuff]

Earthworms are gently put back into the hole, grubs are crushed.

[russellt]

im not in the killing business anymore so i try to put them back.. ive also dug up a few hibernating frogs ..

[Jason in Enid]

Earthworms are gently put back into the hole, grubs are crushed.


Worms are beneficial, so they go back into the soil. Grubs are destructive to plants and grasses so they get tossed out of the hole for the next bird to enjoy.