Just How Do Earthworms Breed?

Thursday, February 2, 2012, 10:16
Education
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You may wonder how earthworms breed. You may even wonder how you can tell a male from a female. Fortunately, an earthworm has both male and female reproductive organs. This can produce egg and sperm cells. Click here to know more.

In order to breed, an earthworm will still need a mate. During the process of mating, the earthworms would exchange sperm cells. The sperms from each earthworm shall pass to another in order to fertilize each other’s eggs. The female reproductive organ carries the egg cells. The help of muscle movements, the egg cells are moved towards a storage area where the sperm cells from another earthworm are placed. The fluid band, with the sperm cells and the egg cells inside, would move towards the head of the earthworm and would detach itself from the body of the earthworm. This will turn into a cocoon where the eggs are fertilized. Each cocoon would contain more than five egg cells which would hatch white colored earthworms.

In order to encourage earthworm breeding, certain conditions need to be followed. First, enough amounts of organic food should be given. Ideal temperature should also be achieved. In order to stay active, their environment should remain moist and cool. Earthworms would breed more quickly when they are placed in conducive environments. Yet, though the ideal conditions are achieved, the worms would have a certain capacity. This means that they would stop breeding when a certain population is achieved. With this, they will not overpopulate their bin or container. If in case overpopulation occurs, you would have to transfer the worms into a bigger container.

We hope this blog about earthworms was of any help for you. Learn more about different varieties of earthworms, taking care of them and their need at our very own site.