Worm charming

The activity is usually performed to collect bait for fishing but can also take the form of a competitive sport in areas such as the UK and East Texas.

As a skill and profession worm charming is now very rare, with the art being passed through generations to ensure that it survives.

In 2008, researchers from Vanderbilt University claimed that the worms surface because the vibrations are similar to those produced by digging moles, which prey on earthworms.

[1] Techniques vary from sprinkling the turf with water, tea and beer, to music or just "twanging" with a garden fork.

The event claims to have originated when in 1980 a local Willaston farmer's son Tom Shufflebotham charmed 511 worms in half an hour.

[14] Also known as the International Festival of Worm Charming, this event takes place in the small village of Blackawton, South Devon, during the early May Bank Holiday.

The genesis of the event occurred in 1983, when Dave Kelland after returning home from drinking at The Normandy Arms relieved himself in a field and was surprised to see worms come to the surface giving him inspiration for the competition.

[16] A new world charming championship was established in 2021 by local artist Georgia Gendall with the inaugural competition held in Penryn.