50 Cocoon Challenge – Update #2
Decomposition continues in the 50 cocoon challenge bin
Here we are, another couple of weeks since my last 50 Cocoon Challenge update, so I figured I had better sneak a peek in the bin (actually did so yesterday) to see what’s going on.
It certainly looks as though the contents of the bin have continued to decompose nicely, with fungi still playing a pretty major role in the process.
What was once paper towel is now home to bizarre fungi
While I wasn’t greeted by a thick cloud of gnats when I opened the bin (like last time), they are certainly still there. As you can see in the next picture, the tiny mites are still there as well
Loads of tiny mites still coat the lid of the 50 Cocoon bin
Of course, the big question on everyone’s mind is whether or not there are worms yet. I’m happy to report that I did in fact find quite a few baby worms! Interestingly enough, I wasn’t actually able to locate ANY cocoons – this is not to say they’ve all hatched, but my guess is that a fair number have.
The biggest worm I found was probably about 1 inch in length, and there seemed to be a fairly wide range of sizes between this and the ‘newborn’ stage. The really small ones are still quite difficult to spot, so I suspect it will take some time before I can get a better idea of how many worms are now in the system.
Baby worms! Whoohoo!
I’m really excited that we now have worms, and can’t wait to see how quickly they develop into adults. On that note, I suspect I’ll need to monitor the bin a lot more frequently now just to make sure I know when the first worm matures.
Stay tuned!
Previous 50 Cocoon Challenge Posts
The 50 Cocoon Challenge
50 Cocoon Challenge – Update #1
Written by Bentley on June 25th, 2009 with
3 comments.
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Bentley
#1. June 26th, 2009, at 2:02 AM.
Hey Bentley,
It looks like another successful experiment. I have a question though. I see many baby worms in my bins too, many around an inch in length and those are obviously juvenile reds. My question is, do you have any close up pics of the REALLY small ones? I see some tiny (12 mm or half inch) ones but I’m still not sure if they’re reds or not. Some sites say they are born pink, but these look like white beard hairs. Since I don’t see any longer white worms, I’m hoping that they’re newborns that just haven’t got any thickness yet to show color. I have plenty of mites and they don’t hurt anything, but what is your take?