Comments on: Why Are My Worms Trying To Escape??

By: Bentley

Bentley — Wed, 01 Sep 2021 13:39:32 +0000

Hi Davis
There are various factors that can lead to these roaming/escaping worm situations. In your case I would wonder about temperatures and also about the coir. If this is sitting in an outdoor location, high temps might end up playing a role since the worms can really only handle up to about 94 F for any length of time. Even if ambient temps are lower than this, temps can easily be elevated inside of an enclosed bin – especially plastic systems, and even more so when exposed to sunlight. As far as the coir goes, this material can commonly have elevated salt levels. Worms are extremely sensitive to salts so this could lead to them trying to escape.

By: Davis

Davis — Fri, 02 Jul 2021 16:37:49 +0000

Weirdest thing. My bin has been going for a couple months and was going perfectly. Started with only about 250 large reds and I have just been adding small amounts of food for a while as there is more than enough room. I added some food the other day and I decided to also add a layer of bedding (finely shredded cardboard and coco coir) as well and this is when the exodus began. Just a couple dozen or so but they were not leaving the bin, just hanging around on top (except for one poor suxker who escaped through the bottom. I used the light method to push them down, and got rid of the new bedding, since it was the only new variable. The problem went a way for a couple days. Today again a dozen or so babies just hanging around up top. I noticed it was damp so I whiped all the moisture off the bin.

By: Bentley

Bentley — Tue, 08 Oct 2019 13:09:54 +0000

Hi Mary – there are a variety of options. Unfortunately it is very challenging to keep a typical small-scale worm bin outside during winter (sub-freezing) weather. I highly recommend in-ground systems. Even a basic pit or trench with a lot of cover bedding can keep Red Worms alive in many locations (I am in Canada and have no trouble keeping them safe). Worse case scenario, a basic “insurance” bin (you can search for the topic here on the blog and learn all about it) is a great low-hassle way to keep worms alive during challenging times outside.

By: mary albarado

mary albarado — Mon, 09 Sep 2019 13:34:09 +0000

how do I keep my worms when it real cold

By: Bentley

Bentley — Sat, 13 Jan 2018 18:29:37 +0000

Jellis – I think that could work (although I have never tried it myself). I’m sure the worms would retreat long before they ended up with enough salt etc to actually kill them.
But as always, my recommendation is to put most of your focus on providing the worms with an ideal habitat and living conditions in general (although certain types of worms are just natural roamers).

By: jellis

jellis — Sat, 13 Jan 2018 05:24:21 +0000

I read on somewhere someone tried vasoline treated with salt on the edge of the bin. Said it discouraged them from trying to get out. Would that kill them or would they have to be more exposed to the salt?

By: Nicknick

Nicknick — Wed, 04 Nov 2015 04:01:16 +0000

My worms are trying to get out of a new bin… Peat moss and paper where as other 2 I have are more rabbit manure and straw… Anyone have issues with peatmoss?? Seems to be dry?!?!

By: Ellen Reeves

Ellen Reeves — Sat, 30 May 2015 19:21:03 +0000

I am having trouble with finding worms and soil on my collection tray. When I set up my first tray, I only put about 2 sheets of newspaper on the bottom. Could the worms be escaping through that? Should I set up another tray with more sheets on the bottom and transfer them over?

By: Kevin J. Timothy

Kevin J. Timothy — Fri, 24 Apr 2015 15:15:08 +0000

I did not do what you suggested by establishing the ecosystem prior to adding worms. My family and I went fishing, so instead of discarding the surplus of Euro Night Crawlers I unveiled a vermi-compost bin I made years prior….yes, a durable Rubbermaid bin.

Here’s what I observed over the days after our fishing trip.

I monitored them during the day (with Rubbermaid lid off) and none were trying to escape. It’s in the mornings that I have the issue.

It seems that they’re not trying to escape in broad daylight (with lid left off). Overnight, however, I think they are making their way to the top of the bin. In the morning their would be about 5-7 of them on our tiled floor (almost dried out).

It did help a bit when I layered the top with moist corrugated cardboard. They just rise to the top and hang out just under the cardboard.

And TC….yes, it’s okay to put your used coffee grounds in there. In fact, it’s recommend considering that the gritty texture helps the worms digest the scraps.

I’ll be checking back…my kinda community here. Take care, ladies and gents.

By: tc

tc — Sat, 07 Mar 2015 18:16:45 +0000

Is it okay to put used coffee grounds in my worm bin?