How to Catch Nightcrawlers
- 1). They aren't called nightcrawlers for nothing. Nightcrawlers only come out on to the open ground at night. During the daytime they can sometimes be found under logs, rocks, or very moist leaves. However it is much more practical to seek them once the sun has gone down. You will need a flashlight and a container to put them in once you have caught them. Nightcrawlers begin to come out at twilight, first appearing in the darkest parts of your yard, under shady trees, for example.
- 2). For nightcrawlers to come out in enough numbers to make it worth your while to go looking for them, the ground has to be somewhat wet. They first begin to appear in the spring when the ground has thawed and the nights have lost their crispness temperature-wise. Spring rains bring nightcrawlers out of the ground to mate and they will continue coming out on damp or rainy nights until the weather turns cold. During dry spells you can try turning the sprinkler on in the yard toward sunset. This may make the ground moist enough for nightcrawlers to appear.
- 3). Once you have established that it is damp and dark enough, grab your flashlight and container and go into your yard. Shine the light about on the ground while you are in a stooped-over posture. You will see nightcrawlers coming out of the holes they have made. As soon as you spot one, do not shine the light on it again until you are ready to catch it. Nightcrawlers are very photo-sensitive and 90 percent of them will rapidly go back into their holes when a bright light is shining on them.
- 4). Bend over where you spotted the nightcrawler and then shine the light back on it. If you can clearly discern the end that is not in the hole from the end that is you will have an advantage. If this is the case then tightly pinch the nightcrawler's end closest to the hole using your second and third fingers. Pull up slowly and the nightcrawler should come right out with no difficulty. Realize that once you touch it the nightcrawler will attempt to go back down the hole. Once the nightcrawler is free and clear of its hole, place it in the container and continue on.
- 5). You will often spot more than one nightcrawler at once. You will find it impossible to catch all that you see; in fact a good night would be between 35 and 40 percent. They are simply too fast once the light hits them to catch them all. Do not waste time trying to figure out which end is in the hole when the grass or leaves in the yard obscure this. Pinch it tightly and you will soon see which is which. Some nightcrawlers will get almost all the way down their hole. For those, if you slowly and steadily pull them up they will come. However, trying to quickly pull them right out will result in the nightcrawler breaking in two.
- 6). Keep count of how many nightcrawlers you catch, knowing that you have saved about $3 for every dozen you do get. Proceed around the yard. After a couple times out you will know which parts of the yard have lots of nightcrawlers and which do not. You will find that they are often in areas under bushes and shrubs and under certain trees. They also will frequent areas where the soil is somewhat loose and bare of grass. On nights when they are plentiful try to catch as many as you can, or as many as your back allows. Nightcrawlers can be kept in loose soil or leaves in your coffee container in the refrigerator for weeks.
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