DEAR SUN SPOTS:  The Maine Department of Conservation and Forestry will hold a webinar on Asian jumping worms June 17 and 18 from 1-4 p.m. To register, contact [email protected].

Gardening enthusiasts look forward to plant sales sponsored by local organizations. Having learned “the hard way,” I’d like to warn shoppers about an invasive worm that made it into my perennial beds from such a sale.

The Asian jumping worm eats everything in the soil, leaving it devoid of nutrients and microbes. This worm can be recognized by its behavior of thrashing about when disturbed, the pale ring completely encircling its body, and a distinct mouth. The topsoil looks like coffee grounds.

The European earthworm aerates the soil and enriches it with its own “castings,” has a “saddle” that only goes halfway around the body, no clearly recognizable mouth, and simply crawls away when disturbed.

After making your plant purchases, set them aside in a place where they won’t come in contact with any soil. Add one-third cup ground mustard seed to one gallon of water and mix well.

Water your new plants until the water drains out the bottom of the pots. Irritated worms will come up out of the soil where they can be identified and, if they are jumping worms, destroyed.

I have a jar of kerosene for this and other garden pests. Continue to isolate the plants with the mustard water until any worm eggs have had time to hatch as well.

Alternatively, remove the plants from their pots, loosen all soil from the roots, rinse the roots clean, and repot in heat-treated soil mix. If you find jumping worms, do not dump, compost, or reuse this soil; it must be thoroughly heat-treated above 140 degrees to be safe.

ANSWER: Thank you for sharing this information. Have any of our readers had to deal with these jumping worms yet? Please share your thoughts.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: In 1976 I lived in Lewiston and ran for the state Legislature at the tender age of 23. I was a member of “The Way,” a religious sect, and had come to Maine because a state senator was also a member.

I worked on the campaign of Lewiston Mayor Lil Caron. She appointed me to the zoning board of appeals. I left Maine in 1977 and returned to the Midwest.

There was an article in the Lewiston paper when I announced my candidacy. I believe the title was, “Member of the Way Seeks Legislative Post,” Does the paper have that in an electronic file? — Keith, no town

ANSWER: This is the article you’re looking for: https://sunjournal.newspapers.com/image/830262811/?match=1&terms=Keith%20Byler It appeared in the Lewiston Daily Sun on March 15, 1976, on pages 1 and 10.

If you are a subscriber, you can access the archives by going to https://www.sunjournal.com/archive-access/ . You’ll also find a handful of other editions where you are mentioned.

You can also go to https://www.newspapers.com/ and take advantage of the seven-day free trial to read and print your articles.

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