Glow worms can sense sounds and screaming and shouting is unnecessary. The human noise in the tunnel was high despite the signs asking people to keep quiet. During our visit, there were heavily modified 4WD’s driving at high speed and raising a lot of dust, so watch out for these drivers. If you are not using a 4WD, driving on these roads must be done with care. Both access routes are unsealed roads with sections of corrugations. The walk from the Wolgan Road entrance is 4Km return compared to the 2km return from the Glow Worm Tunnel Road entrance. The tunnel can be accessed via the Glow Worm Tunnel Road that starts from Lithgow town or via the Wolgan Road. We visited over the Easter weekend and there were cars parked for nearly 1km from the tunnel - so many people. This light lures prey closer, tricking them into becoming entangled in the larvae’s silken threads.This is a great place to visit. A chemical reaction between an enzyme and pigment in the larvae’s body with the oxygen in the air causes them to emit a blue-green light – visible through the transparent skin in their abdomen. However, it is another predatory tactic that has caught the world’s (and their preys’) attention. Similar to spiders, they produce long, sticky threads to catch passing invertebrates such as mosquitoes and midges. Adult gnats lack working mouthparts and are unable to eat, so during this time, the larvae must consume enough energy to metamorphose and survive the next breeding season. Once the eggs hatch, the larvae emerge to embark on the longest stage of their life cycle – around nine months.
(Photo credit: Shannon Verhagen) Bioluminescence – a predatory lightĪdult fungus gnats have a short lifespan of just two to three days, during which time they mate and lay eggs before perishing. During the day they are inconspicuous, but in the darkness these luminescent larvae sparkle, dotting caves, tunnels and walkways with blue-green light.
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