The sperm is stored in special chambers in front of the worms' egg-producing organs. After mating, worms produce an egg case called a "cocoon" that contains between one and 10 fertilized eggs. Worms produce between 20 and 30 of these cocoons per year on average.
How many eggs does an earthworm lay?
Cocoons are most likely to hatch in warmer weather. A cocoon starts with up to 10 eggs, but only 2 to 6 worms will eventually emerge. Hatchlings are tiny, less than an inch long.
How often do earthworms lay eggs?
In good conditions worms breed every 7-10 days, eggs take about 21 days to hatch, and in 2-3 months the new worms are ready to breed. The population will double every 2-3 months and will eat all your scraps and organic material.
How quickly do worms multiply?
Worms are ready to breed once they mature from 50 to 90 days. Earthworms are hermaphrodites; they can be male or female (a great advantage!). They can perform both male and female functions and mate every 7 to 10 days. The mating process takes around 24 hours.
Do worms lay cocoons?
Worms don't lay eggs, they produce cocoons which contain multiple fertilized eggs. Earthworms are hermaphroditic, having both male and female reproductive organs.
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