A dumb question about earth worms, in two parts.

Factual Questions
1

Where do earth worms go in the winter?

Do they:

a) dig down to below the frost line
b) die, but lay eggs that hatch in the warmer weather
c) a combination of a and b except earth worms don’t lay eggs.

Secondly, when it rains really heavily all the earth worms wind up on the sidewalk where they get squished. I would assume during a particularly rainy period, you’d pretty much run out of earth worms, but that never seems to be the case. So, is this because:

a) more earth worm eggs wait in the soil and then hatch when it’s dryer
b) some of the worms manage to get back into the soil
c) a combination of a and b except earth worms don’t lay eggs.

2

Earthworms in two parts rarely go anywhere.

3

Okay, okay, sorry.

Here is what appears to be an extremely cute 2-paragraph book report about earthworm hibernation.

4

Here is a past thread about earth worms and here is this from Cecil’s mailbag that might help you somewhat.

5

Maybe each part of the question will regenerate into a separate question?