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Worm charming

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An earthworm in damp soil.

Worm charming, worm grunting, and worm fiddling are methods of attracting earthworms from the ground. The activity is usually performed to collect bait for fishing but can also take the form of a competitive sport. As a skill and profession worm charming is now very rare, with the art being passed through generations to ensure that it survives.[1][2]

Methods

Most worm charming methods involve vibrating the soil, which encourages the worms to the surface. In 2008 researchers from Vanderbilt University demonstrated that the worms surface because the vibrations are similar to those produced by digging moles, which prey on earthworms.[3][4] The same technique is used by many species of bird, which devour the worms as they appear above ground.[1]

The activity is known by several different names and the apparatus and techniques vary significantly.[1][2] "Worm grunting" generally refers to the use of a "stob", a wooden stake that is driven into the ground, and a "rooping iron" which is used to rub the stob.[5] "Worm fiddling" also uses a wooden stake but utilises a dulled saw which is dragged along its top.[1]

Techniques vary from sprinkling the turf with water, tea and beer to acupuncture, music or just "twanging" with a garden fork.[6] In some organized competitions, detergents and mechanical diggers have been banned.[6]

Animal behavior

Worm charming is a behavior also observed in the animal kingdom, especially among birds. The methods used vary, however tapping earth with feet to generate vibrations is widespread. One common example is the "Seagull dance".

Soil conditions

Worms are most commonly found in damp or wet conditions and tend to move away from dry soil. The success of worm charming can often depend on these soil conditions, with charmers choosing damp locations or using water to attract the worms.[1][2][5]

Worm charming as a profession

Worms are sold as a live bait for fishermen and many sellers use worm charming techniques to gather their stock. In some locations professional worm grunters need to obtain a permit in order to ply their trade.[5]

Competitive worm charming

In most competitions the fiddlers with the collector (or collectors) of the most worms in a set time being declared as the winners. They usually have a zone in which to perform their charming, measuring three yards square.

One of the first worm charming events took place in a school fête at Willaston County Primary School in Willaston, Cheshire. The World Worm Charming Championships started in 1980 and is now an annual event that celebrates the sport. It was organised by then-headmaster John Bailey, who wrote the original rules for the competition.

The current world record was established on June 29, 2009 by 10-year-old Sophie Smith of Willaston, England who raised 567 worms during Britain's World Worm Charming Championship.[7]

Rules of The British and European Federation of Wormcharmers include a plot no greater than 3 metres by 3 metres, a five-minute warm up period, a three-person team of charmer, catcher and counter and that all worms must be returned to the ground after the contest according to the British Association of Worm Length Supporters (BAWLS).

Devon Worm Charming Festival

There is also the International Festival of Worm Charming which takes place in South Devon in South West England during the early May Bank Holiday. Although the event does not rival the World Worm Charming Championships, it is fundamentally different in that it has a much more vibrant and colourful passage as the event is aimed at primarily attracting youngsters to get close up and personal with the creatures. It has been running since 1984 and thus far has enjoyed world-wide patronage. The Festival is also accompanied by a Real Ale Beer Festival and other quintessentially English activities.

Canadian Worm Charming Championship and Festival

The Great Canadian Worm Charming Championship and Festival Canadian Competition was held at the Shelburne Fiddle Park in Shelburne, Ontario on June the 5th, 2010

American Worm Gruntin' Festival

In 2000 the "Worm Gruntin' Festival" began in Sopchoppy, Florida, which claims to be the "Worm Gruntin' Capital of the World". The event includes a ball and the crowning of a "Worm Gruntin' King and Queen".

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Sutton, Keith. ESPN. 20 March 2007. "Fiddling For Worms". Accessed 7 June 2007.
  2. ^ a b c Phillips, John E. MotherEarthNews.com. 1 May 1980. "Fiddling for fish bait". Accessed 7 June 2007.
  3. ^ Catania KC (2008) "Worm Grunting, Fiddling, and Charming—Humans Unknowingly Mimic a Predator to Harvest Bait." PLoS ONE 3(10): e3472. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0003472
  4. ^ Fountain, Henry. The New York Times. 17 October 2008. "Worm Grunting: A Mystery Solved"
  5. ^ a b c Tobin, Thomas C. St. Petersburg Times. 14 April 2002. "Gruntin' and gathering". Accessed 7 June 2007.
  6. ^ a b Sunday Mirror, "The war of the worms" article by Lucy Berrington, April 28, 1996
  7. ^ "Worm charmer, 10, sets new record". UPI. Retrieved 2009-07-01.
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