CHARLOTTE, N.C. — So first off, what are hammerhead worms? According to Dr. Sydney Crawley, an assistant professor of Urban Entomology at NC state, they are a type of flatworm. The distinct part is of course the hammerhead.
"They're more common in like tropical areas like Asia, Australia, Africa, and South America. The way that they invaded the U.S. would have been through plants and other things brought in from those continents and countries within those continents," Crawley said. "So they've been here a really long time.”
Now let’s get to these claims we saw on social media.
OUR SOURCES
THE QUESTION
Do hammerhead worms kill plants?
THE ANSWER
No, hammerhead worms do not kill plants.
WHAT WE FOUND
Bertone says no.
"They are not plant feeders at all. In fact, they are predators. So they are active predators on small soft-bodied organisms, typically, worms, slugs, snails, but also may feed on small arthropods, like insects and spiders and whatnot," Bertone said.
Flynn agreed, saying they don’t kill plants directly, but indirectly. She said they feed on earthworms, which means there could be less in the soil. Plants need those earthworms in the soil to grow better.
THE QUESTION
If you cut the worm in half will it grow into two worms?
THE ANSWER
Yes, if you cut the worm in half it will grow into two worms.
WHAT WE FOUND
The claim online even said if you cut the worms up into 10 pieces, they will just grow into 10 worms.
This sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie, but our experts say it’s true.
“It is true that they can regenerate from cut fragments. So that is absolutely true," Crawley said, adding "You don't want to cut them up. You don't want to you know, use a shovel to remove the head or something because they will grow back from those fragments.”
THE QUESTION
Do you have to dissolve the worms in salt or vinegar to kill them?
THE ANSWER
Yes, to kill them you have to dissolve them in salt or vinegar.
WHAT WE FOUND
"It's not that hard to kill them," Crawley said. "You can just put salt on them, you could put them in a bag of rubbing alcohol, you could drop them in a pan of soapy water. A lot of the things that work for like slugs or snails would work on a hammerhead worm.”
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THE QUESTION
Will you get sick if you touch them with your bare hands?
THE ANSWER
No, you will not get sick if you touch them with your bare hands.
WHAT WE FOUND
Crawley said they do produce the same type of toxin that jellyfish produce, but as long as you’re not eating them, you should be fine. “I think you would have to handle or ingest a lot of worms for it to cause a really big problem for a human. However, management recommendations I've seen do recommend you wash your hands after you handle them.”
"You should wash your hands probably if you touch them, but it's nothing super dangerous as it sounds like the person is alluding to," Bertone agreed. "This is not something you should be rushing to the emergency room if you touched one or anything like that.”
But what about if your pets eat one while out in the yard? Flynn said if a pet swallows one, it could get sick, but it will not be deadly. But you should contact your vet.
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