New Zealand flatworms ‘a widespread issue’

New Zealand flatworms are large land flatworms that are native to that country.

In Europe the worms are considered invasive and can range in size from 5mm to 20cm. They target and eat local earthworms.

Jamie Hooper from Environment Guernsey said that the flatworms were first seen in Guernsey a few years ago and were now a widespread issue across the island.

‘If I go out on a damp evening, I can see dozens on the road,’ said Mr Hooper.

‘They eat the native earth worms so this is bad news.

‘What we don’t know is how much of a problem this will be.’

Multiple flatworms have been found in the community service patch at the Edible Guernsey Greenhouse.

‘The supervisor from the community service patch was the first one to find one, so she brought a sample to me,' said Sarah Breton from Edible Guernsey.

'Once I had identified it, I did some research and found that it eats the good earth worms and attacks fruit and veg.’

She said that the flatworms had likely been in imported soil and compost or on plants.

So far, they have only been found in the one bed at the greenhouse, but Ms Breton said that the flatworms do move around.

‘If stuff gets moved there is a chance of them spreading and they do move to damp conditions if they find somewhere that is better for them,’ she said.

Having researched the species Ms Breton said as well as harming earthworms and plants, New Zealand flatworms can also carry parasites that can be harmful to humans.

‘They have parasites that are harmful so shouldn’t be touched as they can cause skin irritation,’ she said.

The only way to get rid of the flatworms is to kill them.

‘To get rid of them you need to put them in a salt water solution,’ she said.

Ms Breton said it is important that people were on the lookout for the worms and that they were dealt with when found.