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Red worms ?

25 10:02:33

Question
I overwinterize water hyacinths and I notice there are some red worms wiggling in plastic basket. I check the website and it indicates that they're not harmful. What are they? mostly are red colored, less than one inch and wiggle in water. I cleaned out the debris that matted on the roots. (mostly from pine needles). What should I do with them? How should I winterize the water hyacinth? They're very small. I use them in two feet water container which form waterfall on the hill.
Thanks for info.  

Answer
Hi Eleanor,
Thanx for your question.  I apologize for being tardy in my response.  The red worms sound like blood worms which are the larvae of the midgefly.  They are harmless and fish will eat them.  I've seen them a lot in fresh water ponds and slow moving streams.  There's not much you can do to get rid of them.  They will occur naturally but are of no harm to you or your fish.
I hope this helps.
Tom