Euro Cocoons Galore!

Bentley
#2. January 18th, 2008, at 3:05 PM.

Hi Kami!
That’s a good question.
A big part of successful vermicomposting involves creating a well-balanced ‘habitat’ for the worms – I can’t emphasize that enough. This is why I strongly recommend setting up a worm bin well before actually adding worms. In the case of this bin, there is a lot of quality habitat down below, plus good air-flow, so the worms have plenty of options when it comes to avoiding an unfavourable conditions (assuming they develop).
Also, one thing I didn’t mention in my post is that I added quite a bit of absorbent, shredded cardboard along with the waste materials.

As for protein poisoning or acidic bins, I haven’t had serious problems with a worm bin for a very long time. Sure I get the odd fruitfly or fungus gnat infestation due to lazy habits, but nothing that makes the worms want to leave the bin (or die).

B.

Bentley
#4. January 18th, 2008, at 8:54 PM.

Hi Steve,
I really try to steer clear of “rules of thumb” when it comes to vermicomposting, since pretty well every situation is different. There are so many factors that come into play – temperature, moisture, type of worms used, number of worms present, health of worms, overall balance of system, types of wastes being used, level of decay of wastes, the size of waste particles (ie whole or shredded?) etc etc etc.

I know how beneficial it can be for newcomers to have a set of rules to follow, but unfortunately when you are dealing with a complex ecosystem like that found in a worm bin/bed, all the various pieces of advice offered (even my own – haha) are ‘rough guidelines’ at best. Once you work with your system for awhile you should get a ‘feel’ for its potential level of performance.

If the materials were quite decayed already and temperatures quite warm (above 20C / 68F) I would think it possible for a pound of worms to consume 3 lbs of (food) waste in 3 days. In the case of my bin, I’ll be surprised if these wastes are consumed within a week. The bin is in my basement (where temperatures are cooler), there was already a decent amount of food in the bin, and the wastes I added weren’t very rotten, nor were they chopped up at all. I have quite a few different options as far as where to put my wastes (multiple bins etc), so I tend not to put too much effort into optimizing the materials for rapid breakdown, other than letting them sit for a period of time before adding them.

Keeping your scraps in a separate pail (as you described) should help encourage a lot of microbial growth (ie rot), and thus will help increase the speed of breakdown once added to your bins.

Not sure if I’ve helped at all here, but thanks for the good question!

Bentley
#6. February 11th, 2008, at 4:36 PM.

That’s great, Brody! Congratulations.
I’m really glad to hear that the site has helped as well!

Bentley
#8. February 17th, 2008, at 6:00 PM.

Ahah!
Those would be mites, Brody. There are a variety of different mite species that can spring up in a worm bin from time to time – seemingly out of nowhere.
In actuality they can easily get transported to your bin via soil (if you add any) or even the shipment of worms themselves.
For the most part you don’t need to worry too much about them, although large numbers of mite may be an indication that you are overfeeding your bin. The shiny, round, white ones seem to love lots of water-rich foods like melon, cucumbers etc.

B

Bentley
#10. February 19th, 2008, at 1:18 PM.

“Horton hears a Who!!”

I didn’t grow up with Dr. Seuss, but am now well versed in it – we have been reading his stories to our baby daughter before bed several times a week.
My favourite is “Oh the Places You’ll Go” (which isn’t just for kids, in my mind).

Anyway, good luck with the worms – keep me posted on your worm herd!

Bentley
#12. February 24th, 2008, at 3:25 AM.

Hi Kris
Apologies for the delay getting back to you! Sounds like you have a serious situation on your hands there!

Seems rather odd that the worms would arrive BEFORE to bins! If I was a worm dealer I would send the bin a week or so before the worms so the customer could get it ready for the worms arrival and let it age a little.
As for what to do – you are definitely on the right track. Getting them into some sort of bin is a good start. I would have soaked a bunch of shredded cardboard (corrugated carboard is great) and/or shredded newspaper and/or peat moss (any of those, or combination would be fine). The ideal ‘food’ to add is something thats already starting to decompose – obviously in your situation you don’t have the luxury of being able to age the wastes. I would either freeze or cook some vegetable/fruit wastes (if none available I’d just harvest some older produce from my fridge – haha) to help start the breakdown process then add them to the bin.
First and foremost they need a habitat, so the more moist bedding you can add the better.

Anyway – hope your actual bins arrive soon (although your home bin will potentially be a better habitat for them by that point).
Let me know if you have any other questions

B