How do earthworms end up on gutter roofs?

Cleaning your gutters can be a dirty job and if you’ve been cleaning them recently, you may have seen some things you didn’t expect. A gutter filled with wet rotting leaves and dirt creates a warm, moist, and dirty environment that can be a very attractive habitat for a number of different creatures. Such creatures can cause clogging issues in your gutter systems, so you need to remove them.

It’s not uncommon to find mice, rats, opossums, mosquitoes, roaches, or birds safely and securely hiding in your gutters. Since all of these creatures are climbers or flyers, it might not surprise you that they wound up there, but if you find earthworms there, you may wonder how they got there.

Earthworms in gutters are a fairly common occurrence, but there are conflicting theories about how they got there:

• They climbed up-earthworms live a fairly dull life by our standards, and they never stray very far from where they live, but they will sometimes climb up your walls or downspouts looking for the organic matter they live on.
• They were dropped there-that earthworm in your gutter might have been picked up by a bird, but while the bird was transporting the worm, it was accidentally dropped and landed on your roof or in your gutters.
• It might have been placed there as an egg-some suggest that the eggs may have hitched a ride on a bird’s wings, feet, or back, and was fell off into the gutter or onto a leaf that ends up in the gutter. The worm then hatches out and finds a nice layer of composting leaves where they can hang out. Since worms reproduce asexually, that worm will start to lay eggs and start a colony there in your gutter.
• It may have been dropped in bird excrement-a bird might eat a pregnant earthworm, and the eggs make it safely through the birds digestive system, only to be left in the gutters.

If you want to keep pests out of your gutters, then you need to keep the gutters clean. In some cases, dealing with these pests can be dangerous, and this is especially true if you are trying to do it at the top of a ladder. Scheduling regular gutter cleaning service is one of the most effective measures for keeping pests out of your gutters.

At Gutter Queen, our goal is to meet all your gutter needs. We provide comprehensive gutter services to the Metrowest area and greater Boston residents so that you can get everything you need from one business. In addition to installing and repairing seamless gutters, we install gutter guards, rain barrels, and rain chains. Our team of professionals strives to make your gutter system as flawless as it can be. For more information about the products and services we offer, please visit our website or contact us at 978-293-3771. We look forward to meeting you!