|
|
Warnings over New Zealand flatworm
20.02.12
by Caoimhinn Barr, Inishowen Independent
A RARE New Zealand flatworm has been discovered in
the Malin Head area this week.
The southern-hemisphere flatworm kills ordinary
earthworms and can have devastating effects for the
soil in local farmers’ fields as a result.
The nuisance creature was spotted by local retired
man Denis Glackin, who immediately contacted the
Teagasc office in Carn.
“I saw it and realised straight away that it wasn’t
an ordinary earthworm so I put it in a jar and
brought it to Teagasc. They confirmed that it was a
flatworm and said they would carry out tests on it
this week. I didn’t think they were this far north,”
he said.
Former Inishowen Wildlife Ranger Dermot McLaughlin
said New Zealand flatworms are a significant threat.
“They stay above ground and kill ordinary
earthworms. The only way to deal with them is to
burn them out with some kind of strong disinfectant
because they often have eggs which need to be
eradicated too,” he said.
“They often come in here in the soil of foreign
plants, which have been imported from other
countries. Unfortunately they have been in Buncrana
for some time now but I didn’t know until now that
they had reached as far north as Malin Head,” Dermot
added. |
 |
|
The New Zealand flatworm. |
Dermot said there is no
way to prevent the New Zealand flatworm from getting
onto your property but that there are some measures,
which can help.
“They are found under pots and big stones so people
can clear those away so they have no place to
shelter or breed,” he said.
“These worms are no threat to humans as such but
they can certainly kill the soil and people need to
dispose of them. There are no natural predators here
because flatworms are not native to Ireland and
that’s a huge problem,” he added. |
|
