The Bait-O-Matic 6000

The ‘Bait-O-Matic 6000’ (total success system – haha), in a nutshell, is my goofball attempt to draw attention to a new style of worm bin I’ve been working with.

I actually first created (about a year and a half ago ) a much smaller version, referred to as the “Mini”, and sold it to local customers here in Canada (for those of you that don’t know already, all worms shipped to U.S. customers – i.e. all those sold on this site – are shipped via my U.S. based supplier). I eventually decided to discontinue making and selling these bins in favor of taking a more ‘DIY’ stance – I wanted to encourage people to save their money and make their own bins (but of course, they were/are still welcome to buy worms from me – haha!).

I toyed with the idea of making a video about the ‘Mini’ system awhile back, but ended up shelving the notion until recently when I was hit with the inspiration to ‘invent’ my goofy Bait-O-Matic 6000. Just so you know, I will also be creating a video showing how to make the smaller bin as well. (UPDATE: I have now included a How-To video for the Mini down below)

One thing to mention (also written in the guide) – you’ll notice I used the term ‘invent’ in quotes. I definitely DON’T want to give people the impression that I have some sort of ego about this! I have little doubt there are already plenty of people making bins like this (using air vents). If you spend any length of time reading my blog posts etc you will realize that I am constantly poking fun at myself and being a big goofball in general – and thus, should never be taken TOO seriously!
🙂

I just wanted to share this information for all those of you thinking about making a ‘regular’ plastic worm bin, since I firmly believe that the vents offer a huge improvement over the typical ‘drill holes’ – and they look pretty spiffy too! I want to thank Jeff “The Friendly Worm Guy” for originally telling where to buy the vents up here in Canada. I hadn’t had any luck tracking them down myself.

Anyway – I don’t need to write too much here since it’s all in the free guide. Feel free to click on the image above or on the link below to access the PDF. From there you simply save the document onto your computer (look for the disk icon up in the top left) – assuming you chose to do so.

As always, if you have any questions or comments, or just want to say “hey”, don’t hesitate to drop me a line (including ‘bait-o-matic’ in your email subject will likely help as well).


Access the Bait-O-Matic 6000 Manual >>HERE<<




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Comments

    • Ben
    • November 28, 2009

    Looks great Bentley!

    I’m downloading the guide now! I’m sure I’ll be back with questions!

    PS My 1st ever batch of worms from your US supplier appear to be doing well!

    –Ben

    • Ben
    • November 28, 2009

    One thing I noticed, in your parts list you state that the bin is:
    24″x16″x12.5″ about 21 gallons. Looking at the Rubbermaid website:

    http://www.rubbermaid.com/Category/Pages/ProductDetail.aspx?CatName=Storage&SubcatId=Roughneck&Prod_ID=RP091418

    Those dimensions correspond more closely to the 14 gallon bin.

    • Bentley
    • November 28, 2009

    Great catch, Ben!
    That was a silly mistake – I did a straight conversion based on the dimensions, forgetting of course that these tubs are not just regularly shaped boxes.
    Will fix that in my next update to guide.
    Thanks!!!
    8)

    • Ben
    • November 28, 2009

    No sweat! The only reason I noticed is because I used a 10 gallon for your “Deluxe Worm Bin” and they are impossible to find in my neck of the woods. The 14 gallon seems to be stocked regularly at Walmart.

    Should I be able to use some of my 10 gallons for this project? I’m wondering if I might need small vents in that case? Would the 3″ dry out a smaller bin?

    I’ll admit I only skimmed the new guide so you nay have covered that!

    And thanks for the great site!!

    • Bentley
    • November 28, 2009

    Hi Ben,
    I don’t actually write all that much specifically about the BOM in the guide (funny to say, but true), but one of the things I DO try to emphasize is the fact that people don’t need to get hung up on specifics. The 10 gallon tubs will be totally fine. I just thought I would try out a bit of a bigger and deeper bin than I normally use, so I can put these vents to the test. Speaking of which – same goes for the vents – nothing is set in stone. You can use the same size, or bigger or smaller! haha
    I guess you wouldn’t want them all over the bin or anything (haha). We DO want to try and keep things a bit dark for the worms.
    8)

    • Sara P.
    • April 19, 2010

    Hi Bentley, I had a question about the container size as well. I know I shouldn’t get too into specifics, but I read elsewhere that height is less important than width, that the worms need more room to go across. The bin I have is a 21 gallon, but it is more narrow at the bottom compared to the top. The bottom actually measures about 16 3/4 inches by 14 1/2 inches, it widens at the top measuring 23.3 by 18.4. So, I guess my question is, should I try to get a container that is longer and wider than 16 3/4 by 14.5? Also, for this dimension is one pound of worms still okay?

    • Jolene
    • January 22, 2012

    I love this site! I was glued to it all day yesterday, lol. I decided to take the plunge and make a “Bait-O-Matic 6000”. Of course I couldn’t find the vents you used, but I did find some PVC 4 inch drop in drain covers. I figured since they were getting covered from the inside it really didn’t matter how big the holes on the outside were. Tomorrow I’ll be adding some bedding and food scraps to the bin, I already have some on the back porch freezing. Thanks so much for all the info, I’ll be placing an order next week!

    • Mia
    • June 19, 2012

    Great presentation on the BOM-6000. I wasn’t expecting to laugh through directions on how to make a worm bin. Unexpected bonus! Thanks. I just ordered the 3″ vents online and will hopefully get them in a couple of days. Thanks for generously sharing your knowledge with strangers.

    • Torene
    • July 15, 2012

    Great site! Your information is thorough and easy to follow. I’m looking forward to starting my worm bin.

    • Shaun
    • October 2, 2012

    How many worms would you recommend starting with on a 30 gallon bin?

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