# Grindal Worms



## Guest (Mar 14, 2006)

Alright, just found I have Grindal worms in my breeding leucs' viv. I did a search and learned they are good for the viv, but are they harmful to eggs? 

There are at least a half dozen of them on the last clutch of eggs we pulled. The eggs were pulled with the leaf on which they were laid.

Thanks!


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

I doubt these are grindle worms, more likely they are some kind of soil nematode. There are literally hundreds of species of these and some people have reported them killing and eat the eggs. 

Ed


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## Guest (Mar 15, 2006)

Ed--

That's a bummer. I'm keeping an eye on the eggs. I managed to squish all the worms I saw in/on the egg mass. 3 of the 8 went bad. Could have been unfertilized (looked like they weren't) or could have been the worms.

Jill


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

Some people don't have any problems with them even when they get into the egg clutches other people have had them cause losses.... I suspect that this maybe species dependent as it varies over different regions. 
Keep an eye and see if they do cause problems.. 

Ed


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## Guest (Mar 19, 2006)

Update - I had an egg hatch today and while the tad was working his way out, at least 4 worms that had been hanging on to the egg sac found their way in and quickly did their thing and the tad perished. 

Unfortunately I've done a thorough search and have found at least a dozen more clinging to other tad cups in my rearing system.

Thus I have two more questions. First, are they only potentially harmful to eggs/newly hatched tads with yolk sacs or older tads too? Second, can I get rid of them in water with meth blue?


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## sports_doc (Nov 15, 2004)

*nematodes*

My observation is that they seem to collect around unfertilized or poorly developing eggs in a clutch...and I doubt they are the cause for alarm. 

When say 10 eggs are laid and 2 are bad, those 2 have worms around them and the others do not....On clutches of all good eggs I rarely see the nematodes...

I think they are simply around for the free meal and likely are a beneficial soil bugger, and nothing to worry about.

When I pull eggs, I rinse them off, suck out any bad eggs with a syringe and keep the good eggs 'under glass', nematodes or not...I have however been using a dilute soln of meth blue/tad tea.

S


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