Quick Facts About Worm Composting
New to worm composting? Looking for some quick and dirty info before jumping in head-first? Well this is will be a great place to get started.
- Worm composting (also known as vermicomposting) involves the breakdown of organic wastes via the joint action of worms and microorganisms (although there are often other critters that lend a hand)
- Regular (soil and garden) earthworms cannot be used for worm composting. They will die if added to an indoor worm bin.
- Soil worms will however congregate in the lower regions of outdoor bins (if open to surrounding soil)
- Composting worms are specialized surface dwellers (not burrowers), typically living in very rich organic matter such as manure, compost heaps or leaf litter
- Most common variety used is Eisenia fetida (also spelled ‘foetida‘), although it’s larger cousin, Eisenia hortensis (a.k.a. the ‘European Nightcrawler’) is commonly used as well (more commonly to be sold as bait worms)
- Common names for E. fetida include: red worm, red wiggler, brandling worm, manure worm, tiger worm
- You won’t likely find this species on your property (unless you live on a farm, or happen to introduce them into your compost heap).
- Lumbricus rubellus is another species (and also a small reddish worm) sometimes used for vermicomposting, but is not as effective as E. fetida
- It is widely believed that a composting worm can process the equivalent of it’s own weight in waste each day. Under highly optimum conditions (not likely to be attained with a small home system) red worms have been found to process multiple times their own weight! This is very much dependent on the foodstock and how well managed the system is.
- A reasonable guideline to follow is 1/4-1/2 total worm weight in waste per day. So if you have a pound of worms, they should be able to process roughly 1/4-1/2 lb of food waste per day. Keep in mind however that you may need to feed them less during the first couple months since they usually require a period of acclimation when added to a new system.
- Red worms technically graze on the microbial community that colonizes waste materials – not really the waste itself (although they certainly ingest some of the rotting waste in the process). Some research has indicated that protozoans are the primary food source, while there is also evidence that fungi and other microbes are consumed as well.
- There have been a number of research studies indicating that vermicomposting can significantly reduce levels of pathogens in waste materials, such as biosolids.
- Red worms love (and can tolerate) very high levels of moisture content (80-90%), but they also require oxygen so it’s important to find the right balance
- One lb of composting worms is estimated to consist of approximately 1000 individuals, and can cost anywhere from $15 to $40 USD
- Surface area far more important than depth when it comes to worm bins (ie tubs work much better than buckets)
- Regular light is harmful to worms but red light is not
- Red worm eggs look like tiny straw-coloured lemons
- Baby worms look like very small versions of the adults (but have less red pigment)
- Adding crushed egg shells (or other calcium sources) can help stimulate worm reproduction
Stay tuned for more Worm composting ‘Quick Facts’!
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Hi Julie – I am pretty sure we corresponded via email, but for the benefit of others, a rough guideline for adding worms is 1/2 to 1 lb of worms per square ft of bin surface space.
DeAnander – how cool is it down in the basement? Some types of composting worms can’t handle cool temps. I have heard quite a few stories from people about ordering ‘red worms’ but ending up with worms that seem to die when temps go below 50. To me this definitely seems to suggest that they received Blue Worms (Perionyx excavatus) since red worms are very cold-hardy.
Hi Bentley — the basement gets down to about 10C — a lot warmer than the outside, which is why they’re in theb cellar rather than an outdoor bin!
I think maybe they were underfed — they didn’t consume all their food scraps and so I didn’t re-feed, but on closer examination I find that the scraps they did not consume were veggies that were still fighting for life — carrots and onions that were sprouting, celery that was still trying to grow, etc. I’m guessing the worms can eat only what is truly dead and starting to rot, as they graze on the byproducts of bacterial growth rather than on the food itself?
I found about 10 big fat slow — but definitely red — worms in each bin when I hand-picked them over. That seems enough to re-start with. I gave them fresh litter and a big feed, and will see how they feel now. one bin (the old one) had definitely been a success: good heavy wet black worm compost came out, and I’m using it this week to bed new bare-root stock in the garden!
Thanks for the reality check 🙂 I think this was newbie error (I have not kept them indoors before or in such small tubs).
Hi! I started a tiered worm system on 3/12/09. Just over 2 weeks later I am seeing very few worms! I do, however have tons of tiny red mites! Are they killing my worms? There isn’t any smell and the kitchen scraps seem to be disappearing. I do think the bin got a little too wet and I’ve been trying to dry it out some. Also, I was afraid I had made the bin too acidic with coffee grounds so I sprinkled some lime (not slaked) over in. Now I see even less worms! Any help would be appreciated.
Well, it’s been a couple of days since my posting and I am seeing tiny white worms in my kitchen scrap bin, but very few full size worms (I’m talking maybe 10) when I started with 1 lb. Still lots of red mites and now fruitflies, even though I have left the lid off of the plastic (Gusanito) bin and covered with dry shredded cardboard (as I’m trying to dry the bin out). Are these baby red worms or some other worm. Again, I’m afraid I maybe killed all of my worms! Still no real bad smell and the kitchen scraps appear to be decomposing. At the same time I started this bin, I started a bin strictly for dog poo which I though was doing great, but now I’m seeing hardly any worms in this either. Also has lots of red mites!! No bad smell in this bin either and it appears to be much drier than the kitchen scrap bin! Dare I buy more worms for these two bins or will I kill them off as well??? Again, any help from more experienced worm farmers would be greatly apprecdiated!
Hi Everyone –
I am wondering when I can add redworms to my outside compost pile. The temp is now in the mid-30’s at night but I haven’t seen very much composting going on in my ‘hot bin’ so wonder if the temperature is too cold. I have a 4 bin system along with a rotating drum – moving stuff from one bin to another until it’s finished. I was planning to add only to the last bin and the rotating drum. Thanks for the reply!
Jean
Hi!
I was thinking of building my own wooden worm bin, do you have any suggestions as to the type of wood that would be best suited for this purpose?
Thanks!
Jan
i have looked everywhere but i cant find the infor any where i wonder if you could help me i have a 100 litter womary from original organincs i need some tiger worms but i dont know how many do you know
thanks
rowan
I have lost and am losing worms to over heating plastic bins…the stacking type….what is my best bet to use as bedding for them…I am using wet straw but this seems to heat up in two days.
CLARICE – when you say `red`mites, how red are you talking about? There is apparently a species of red mites that is parasitic on worms, but I don`t think they are very common. There is a species that is reddish-brown that`s much more common, and is nothing to worry about.
Where was your bin sitting (and at what average temperature)?
The little white worms are likely Pot Worms (also known simply as `White Worms`), not baby red worms – the latter tend to be larger than white worms and contain some pigmentation
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JEAN – I suspect that it`s even warmer there by now, so there is certainly no issue adding the worms. Even with night time temps around the freezing mark there should be no issues whatsoever, especially with a fairly large compost pile or bin. They are very cold-hardy worms. I`ve literally found them encased in partially frozen material and they were still wiggling (slowly, but surely – haha)
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JAN – I`m not a building expert by any means, so I`d say that most woods are fine. Stay away from cedar (or similar woods) though – it contains potent oils that can kill your worms
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ROWAN – generally, starting a worm bin with 1 lb of worms is not a bad way to go. They reproduce quite quickly and can grow in numbers to fill any system. 100 liters is pretty big though, so you could likely get away with 2 or 3 lb – I`m not familiar with the exact appearance of the bin in question, so these are just loose guidelines
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DIANNE – you might try shredded cardboard or shredded newspaper – these should have less potential for overheating.
Hi Bentley…thanks for your response. The mites were most definitely red and I finally dumped the bin with not more than 2 or 3 worms. Bin is in the garage and I’m in No. CA for the temps were 60s-70s. I have since restarted the bin with more worms initially and much drier bedding. So far so good. The only question I have left is how sould I feed. Books say to bury in one section, but the guy who sold me the new worms said to feed thinly over the top and cover with newspaper to ward off flies and (hopefully) mites. That has been working, but the worms seem to prefer the newspaper to the actual food. Not that I really mind as long as they are healthy and happy! Thanks again for the help!
i have a 30 gallon container how many worms should i put in it please help i was wondering if 1000 was enough or too much
My worm bin gets absolutely filled with fruit flies. I have a can of old wine with a drop of dish detergent and get a lot drowning in that , but they get all over the house when the bin is inside, as it has been during cold weather. What to do? I hate to use House and Garden spray.
Thanks for all the help. Started a worm bin on april 8 with 2 lbs. and they are declining g in numbers quickly. Maybe too warm or not enough food. I am changing my tactics this week. I do have a nice bit of casings in the bottom layer now. What do you reccommend for bedding?
thanks for all the info.
You printed my fruit fly concern, but to date, no answers or solutions. No help found where it was said help may be available. deanne
Hi,
Enjoyed reading most all of the post in this thread, only speed reading through parts of post where I had no interest.
I saw some inquiries about how to keep a worm bed from drying out when someone went on vacation (I think they were in Arizonia or Wyoming it might have been.
This reminded me of the way my mom kept her house plants from drying out when we went on vacation (55 years ago). She would lay the ends of strips of cloth on top of the soil with the other end going over the side and resting in a bucket of water. The natural wicking of the cloth kept the plants from drying out and would do so until the bucket ran dry.
I think something like this would work great for a worm bed. You could soak an old towell in water and cover the bed with a layer or two then cut wide strips that would lay under this towell then run over the edge and into a bucket of water. As the towell dried out more would wick in to keep it wet.
Of course drying out would not be too much of a problem if they were in plastic beds. I think this person had wooden beds. This would work if they kept the wooden beds.
Typed a lot, I guess, to just pass on a tip to use a wicking method 🙁
Hi,
I have had my can o worm farm for about 8 months now and so far so good, i avoid acidic scraps, add a worm fattener recipe that came with the instruction and also add some dolomate lime stuff every couple of weeks to avoid high acidic levels. a couple of weeks ago i started putting my food scraps through a food processer before adding them to the bin and i found it worked wonders, by doing this it has attracted heaps of the fully mature worms up the tier, then today i had a look at my bin and there are hundreds of ‘baby” worms EVERWHERE!!, i read your responce to clarice and am thinking they maybe “white worms” but mine are not white if you look close up they are more transparent, i have also read that baby worms can be transparent looking so i’m a little confused to what they are. if they are white worm, should i try to get rid of them and how?
I’m learning a ton from your site.
Couple questions: I realize I probably have been overfeeding our worms — problem is, we got the worm bin as part of a fundraiser and so I don’t know how long the worms have been in this home or how many were put in to start with. I am wondering, since I have been feeding them every 3 days in the 2 weeks since we have had them, should I just let them chill for a week or so?
Also, before I saw on your site about the worms not liking noise and vibration, my son was having a ball beating the top of the bin like a drum. Oooops. We stopped him each time he started, but he got in a couple good whacks! Do you think he killed off a ton of the poor guys?
Lastly, give me a tip on how you store your scraps that you might potentially give the worms at feeding time. I was just putting them in a produce bag in the fridge, but maybe they are too dry that way.
Thanks for everything!
I have read through this and no one seems to have problems with a smelly bin. I’ve had my bin for 2 months now and keep food scraps in a plastic tub under my sink. They stay in there for a long time, so they are pretty smelly when I put them in the bin. I feed the worms about once a week and it seems to work well for them (I think I put too much in at a time but we have a lot of scraps! And I want to cover the entire surface). Should I feed them less but more often? I think the smell is just from the food but it lasts for a few days even though it is covered with bedding. I also sorted through my bin today and noticed that some of the cardboard (and leaves that I started the bin with) are not breaking down. Should they be in smaller pieces? I still have a good number of worms (I started with 2 lbs) but I think I have less than I started with although they are larger. I know my bin (kept inside) has plenty of moisture and I try to drain it every couple of weeks. Any tips/suggestions? Since my bin is inside my husband complains of the smell but we thought it was better to let the food sit a little bit before putting it in the bin. Thanks!!!
Greetings,
We have been composting with worms for more than 10 years and had thousands of red wigglers throughout our bin until today when we noticed that there was a complete die-off of worms – from gazillions to none in the space of a week or so. Anyone got any ideas on what may have happened? The soil is very moist and it seems that the breakdown of material continued until very recently. We use only kitchen produce, coffee grinds, egg-shells and some plant material from pruning potted plants. There does not appear to be any other insects or fungus – a complete mystery. None of our family has altered what we put in the bin so we don’t have a clue as to what happened. As we live in Vancouver, BC, the temperatures have been moderate – nothing above 25 or so. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks.
Love the site. The quick facts gave me enough information to start vermicomposting now I have 1 homemade and a Worm Factory going.
We use red cedar bedding in our chicken coop. We want to start composting the chicken poop which is mixed with the bedding. Is this okay to do in a worm composter? Or will it harm the worms? Should we stick to a regular composter?
Thanks.
Kim
Wow – looks like I’m WAY behind on comments for this page!
WILL B. – 30 gallons is a BIG worm bin and you could easily get away with adding more than 1000 worms (which is typically about 1 lb). That being said, it never hurts to start out modestly and let your worms grow in numbers to fill the system.
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DEANNE – fruit flies are a major problem, that’s for sure. I use a multi-pronged approach when dealing with them. Apart from the traps (I use apple cider vinegar, but they do love wine as well), I often use a vacuum to suck up adults. I make sure to bury food materials well, and if the problem is really bad, you might think about stopping feeding altogether. Just added moistened bedding for a week or two and see what happens. You certainly won’t starve the worms. When it comes to fruit flies, prevention is really the key to success.
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VINCE – that is a great tip. Thanks for sharing that!
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FAYE – baby red worms are generally larger than white worms, and while more translucent, should have some pink or reddish pigment visible. If you DO have white worms I wouldn’t worry TOO much about them. It’s odd that they would spring up in your system given the fact that you are adding lime though – they generally prefer acidic conditions.
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ALEX – Letting your worms ‘chill’ every now and again is never a bad idea. Especially if there is plenty of food in the system. In all honesty, it is very hard to starve these worms. You are far more likely to kill them via overfeeding. Banging on the bin won’t make the worms happy and healthy (haha), but I think you’d have to do it a LOT more than that to actually kill off worms – they are pretty tough little guys. As for storing worm food – what I usually do is gradually collect it in a biodegradable bag (with shredded cardboard in bottom) under my sink. When the bag is full I often will let it sit out in the sun and/or let it freeze before feeding it to my worms. This way it will be much more easily broken down by microbes and worms.
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JENNIFER – Smelly food waste and bins are always caused by a lack of air circulation (usually augmented by excess moisture). When storing the wastes, make sure you have a ‘false bottom’ of absorbent, bulky bedding materials such as shredded cardboard. It doesn’t hurt to add more as you fill up the bag over time as well. This will keep moisture in check and will encourage air flow. Same goes for the bin itself – if it stinks it means that there isn’t enough airflow – add lots of dry, absorbent bedding materials like shredded cardboard and/or strips of newsprint. One other thing to mention is that you MAY be adding too much food waste at once – if food accumulates too much it can form anaerobic zones that will give off bad odours. As for the materials not breaking down, again oxygen is really important – also keep in mind the fact that some materials are a LOT more resistant than others. Those wastes with really high C:N ratio (such as cardboard) will definitely take a lot longer than other materials such as soft food wastes. Cutting into smaller pieces does increase surface area, which will definitely speed up the process since there will be more zones for microbes to feed.
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BARRY – that is definitely very odd, given your level of experience and the fact that you’ve kept everything so consistent. I’d be curious to know how old the system is. Sometimes you can reach a threshold point, where there is simply too much worm waste and not enough good habitat. The only other thing I can think of is that perhaps something toxic was added accidentally with one of the food materials shortly before the die-off started.
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Element – thanks! Glad to help
🙂
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KIM – Both cedar and poultry waste can actually be really harmful to worms, especially when fresh. If the mix was hot composted and/or aged (outside for a long time) you may be able to use it, but I would first try in a larger outdoor system (and do so very carefully). Poultry wastes have been used for vermicomposting, but they always need to be washed/composted/aged in order to remove excess ammonia and inorganic salts.
I just started vermicomposting about a month ago. pretty sure after reading this that I have been WAY overfeeding them. It is summer and we have so much produce waste. I am not sure the worms can keep up with us! I bought 2000 reg wrigglers to start. also, it seems I have not been covering the waste with enough shredded paper – i was using just a thin layer of newpaper for on top. So the problem is I have lots of white spider mites, and I also have house fly larvae. I am pretty sure of this: I have house flies buzzing around and there are long white larvae which i compared to a picture i found on google of house fly larvae and it looks exactly the same. Doesn’t look like any of the other kinds of fly larvae or white worms. Also there is a sour smell (slight) to the composter. It’s a stack bin system by the way. so we put it outside in shade for now. So I guess I should stop feeding them for a month or so? I just put a bunch more food in right before I read this 🙁
there seem to be a lot of worms going to the bottom where the liquid is and they seem to be drowning in it… are they trying to escape all the pests?
btw we had fruit flies too (although no citrus fruits were used) but we put an extra bin on top full of dry shredded paper and that stopped them.
is there anything else I can do to help this? How much food is too much food? i was feeding them every few days a few handfuls when it looked like half of what was already there was compost. also, is lavender ok for composting? I have a lavender plant.. and I was thinking since house flies hate lavender, maybe by putting the dead leaves in there it might help somewhat. how can I get rid of the house flies?? I’m afraid I have totally messed this up. HELP!! so many questions, thank you for responding!!
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Hi
Like Rebekah above, I have some concerns about composting dog waste. I’ve found a lot of resources online but they often contradict one another.
My plan was to create a separate worm bin using red wigglers to compost the dog waste. What I am wondering is could the resultant castings then be added to a regular hot compost pile and would that eliminate the pathogens associated with dog waste?
I’m assuming parasites in the dog waste would be digested by the worms, any truth to this?
Thanks in advance for your answers
Bill
RACHEL – Really sorry for missing your comment. E-mail is definitely a better way to reach me. I’ll still respond here for the benefit of others (and perhaps you too). Keeping a vermicomposting system outdoors pretty much guarantees that you will get more critters than you would indoors. Right of the bat, it is important to remember that this is an ecosystem – not just worms and waste – so don’t sweat it too much when other ‘pests’ appear. Don’t get me wrong, I consider fruit flies a pest because they really ANNOY me (and my wife – haha), but they don’t harm the worms in any way – nor do most of the other creatures you generally encounter in a worm bin (white mites are an example). It DOES sound like you are overfeeding – houseflies are generally only attracted to worm bins when there are some stinky, wet zones. I have plenty of outdoor systems myself, but don’t get fly larvae – unless I somehow manage to create a stinky anaerobic mess.
The white mites are very common in worm bins and are usually a sign of excess moisture and/or overfeeding, when found in really high numbers (basically there to take advantage of a resource that the worms can’t consume by themselves).
More bedding, and reduced feeding will almost always improve conditions in a worm bin. Not sure leaving the bin for a month without feeding is necessary, but it wouldn’t hurt to leave it for a little while anyway – just keep an eye on it and see how long it takes for the worms to consume the remaining wastes.
Stacking systems with reservoirs are almost always going to end up with worms in the reservoir. Worms just naturally tend to roam – particularly to places that are dark, warm and wet. As you continue to move up in the stacking system I suspect that you will eventually see fewer and fewer worms down below. Others have made recommendations such as putting a layer of landscape fabric in between the bottom tray and the reservoir – so this might be worth testing out.
As for lavender, I would probably stay away from it personally. Maybe put a bunch around the bin, but I don’t think it would be ideal inside. It has a very aromatic oil that would likely irritate the worms, and it is also a somewhat bushy plant so it would also take awhile to break down.
Anyway – hope this helps some
Sorry again for the delay!
BILL – It never hurts to play it safe with these sorts of materials. While I don’t have a dog, I do have cats (now using compostable cat litter) so I vermicompost my cat waste. I think it’s always important to do it in a separate system, and certainly one that is a good distance from any water body.
You talk about vermicomposting then hot composting – I’d actually suggest doing it the other way around. Simply compost the dog doo, mixed with straw or some other bulky bedding material – letting it ‘cook’ for a good week or two. Then start gradually adding it to a worm composting bed.
Vermicomposting is reported to be effective for pathogen destruction, but it never hurts to be sure (by including the hot phase).
Not sure I’d be putting the finished material on food crops or anything like that – even WITH the hot composting – but it would be great for trees/shrubs/ornamentals by the time the worms are finished with it.
Hope this helps
Hi! I’m glad I found your site; lots of good info.
We started a vermicomposter bin for pet (dog) waste at the beginning of the summer with about 1000 red wigglers. They are doing well, reproducing, and handling probably half the pet waste in our yard. However, we’re about to head into fall and it suddenly occurred to me that I’m not sure what to do with the little guys in the winter. I’m in Northern Indiana, near the lake, and we do get below freezing for a good portion of the winter. I’m not a super-serious composter to the extent that I want to spend a lot of money and build elaborate systems to keep the bin outdoors, but I also don’t want to lose my happy little colony. Any thoughts? I was wondering whether I could bring the bin in for the winter and feed kitchen scraps, and then switch the back to outdoors/pet waste in the spring. Or, is it feasible to bury the bin and keep it underground for the winter? Obviously our native worms do something to keep themselves alive during the cold months. Thank you!
I have a bucket of worms that I keep, for my fish tank, on the porch. Well, it got a little cold last night and when I came out to get a handful, most, not all, had crawled out and had formed 3 hugh worm balls, the size of a golf ball or bigger, and were laying on my porch floor. I believe they are red worms, they were in my compost. Is this normal? Where should I keep them? Everytime I try the refrigerator, they freeze, which still works, cause I can feed frozen worms, but I would rather feed live worms. I like your page and will check back, especially in the spring, so I can do a worm farm right, Thanks.
MELISSA (sorry – must have missed your comment!!) – I recently wrote about what to do with your worms when it gets cold:
https://www.redwormcomposting.com/worm-composting/fall-worm-bed-maintenance/
An in-ground system would be pretty easy to make and would definitely help to keep a lot of worms safe over the winter. Keeping at least one or two indoor bins is always a good idea as well!
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BETTY – that is very strange and makes me wonder if you actually have another type of worm. My red worms have never done that, and seem to do just fine when it starts getting cold out. I’m also not sure why they would “freeze” in your refrigerator, unless of course you just happen to keep the temp setting really low (and other stuff freezes in there as well).
If you can manage, I highly recommend you keep a system indoors (maybe down in your basement) – this will ensure that you have an ongoing population of worms regardless of outdoor conditions.
Fantastic site! Certainly not recommended for the general public – I doubt you will take too many readers away from CNN.com
I think it’s amazing how well you answer all the questions. Especially the same question about mites over and over… All my worms are doing fine, but I just checked the temp since they were out in my shed and it was 40 F. After reading quite a bit on your site I moved them inside and there is little if any smell. I have a compost pit with more worms outside and have been putting all the stinky food in there. Things like onions, broccoli, cauliflower, etc. I am also going to make sure they have plenty of oxygen – which will require me re-reading a bunch again.
Thank you again for all your help.
Hi,
I want to know what is the maximum number of redworms per cubic ft (or cubic meter) one can have in a tank or a pit?
I read that one pound of worms can process 1/2 pound of organic waste. How many pounds of redworms will be needed to process one cubic ft. of horse manure (or cow dung) per day?
Thanks
BRUCE – thanks for the kind words. As you can probably tell (assuming you ever read this), it DOES take me awhile sometimes to respond to comments, but I do make an effort to get to those ones in need of a response. Anyway – glad you found some useful info here!
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PRASHANT – I really don’t have any good numbers for you – sorry. I have heard of densities as high as 4-6 lb per ‘sq foot’, but have always wondered what that implies in terms of depth.
The problem with coming up with any of these sorts of numbers is that there are SO MANY different variables. Sure, in some systems 1 lb of worms can process 1/2 lb of some sort of waste material daily – but that is definitely not applicable to ALL types of waste or at ALL temperatures etc etc etc. Ground up vegetable waste will obviously be processed much more quickly than straw for example. I hate to keep harping on this, but unfortunately your best bet is simply to experiment and find out how the worms respond.
8)
I have got a couple of questions. I started a bin off in my basement on the first of Nov. 2009. I made a 30x30x30 bin (approx.) and put a grate int he bottom with little doors on all four sides. Moved a bunch of my red worms into it. Put a bunch of newspaper in the bottom (shredded) and started feeding them my composted leaves mixed withcow manure. I started pulling some material from the bottom and am still filling the top. After approx.70 days I am taking out of the bottom. (It’s a home made flow through design). I am finding some material that is not finished eaten. Am I taking out too soon? Also I made a trommel screen out of 5gallon buckets and 1/8 inch screen. The problem with that is if I put the castings right into that there are a zillon baby worms locked into the screen and you lose them,other wise I spend a few hours hand sorting all of the eggs and babies out before hand. There is a lot of time in this. I hate to lose all of the little ones,besides I am using them to start off another bin. Any suggestions for a better way to do this of is it just a fact of life that you are gonna lose a lot of little ones?
I think, yes, pulling material too soon. On separating out egg cocoons, yes, you do lose some babies – therefore it is best to not do this too often. When you want to start another bin you can simply divide all of the contents of your current bin in half and use that to start another bin combining with new bedding and adding new bedding to your original bin to make up the difference. This will disturb them the least and kill few if any babies.
Hi Harry – 70 days sounds like a fair amount of time to me, but really, it comes down to simply seeing what the material looks/smells like. If it is dark, rich, earthy smelling stuff you are probably in business! Losing baby worms is definitely part of harvesting – no doubt about it. You might want to check out the harvesting articles linked to on the “Hot Topics” page (upper navigation buttons) to see some of the various approaches you can take as far as harvesting goes. If you REALLY want to save a lot of babies, simply let the material sit for awhile with some food materials up top – the babies should congregate in this zone, and if you wait long enough a lot of the cocoons should hatch out as well.
Hope this helps
8)
Thank you for your generous site.
I wonder which “condo” bin would you recommend between the plastic and the pine?
Thank you
Hi Autumn – I’m not a huge fan of stacking bins, but if I HAD to choose I would definitely go with the plastic. I have a pine stacking bin and I found that it dried out too easily. If the trays were deeper, a wooden system would likely be my choice, based on the improve breathability.
First off, like many people have said – great job on this site! It is so helpful and has been my biggest resource for starting my worm bin. I live in Colorado and have a bin (15 gallon – but only filled half way) in my basement. I wanted to start off slow and let them multiply so I only got a half pound of beautiful reds. I added a ton of shredded moist newspaper, cardboard, dirt, and leaves and let that chill for a few days before adding my worms, and a few more days before adding any kitchen scraps. However, they are not eating – anything. They are all alive so they must be doing something. I have had them now for about a month and haven’t added any scraps other than the 1/2 pound I started with. I know it takes time for them to get use to their new home, but how long do I wait before I should start to worry?
Also I have read that some people add some kind of compound to their bins. I believe it is calcium. What benefit does this provide to the worms and where can I find it?
Thanks!
thankyou for the good information because this is the only good website about composting that i could get a good idea from for my homework
JENNIFER – what temperature is the system at right now? (ie is it in a fairly warm indoor location?). What sort of kitchen scraps did you add?
If the worms seem totally fine, I would not worry at all – it may not seem like they are eating anything, but they are almost certainly consuming SOMETHING in the system if they’ve been content to stay there for a month.
Some people add lime (Calcium carbonate / chalk) to their bins to help prevent acidity. Not sure if this is what you are referring to. I personally prefer not to do this. I don’t like the idea of potentially causing major swings in pH – plus the fact is, composting worms actually prefer a somewhat acidic pH anyway (what they are used to in the type of habitats they tend to live in).
I add egg shells to my systems though – this can help to buffer pH somewhat and provide calcium as well.
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CAITLIN – thanks for the kind words. I’m glad you were able to find the info you were looking for!
8)
Hello,
This is going to be my second attemp to raise these little rascals. I had a bin Last summer that lasted about 3 months before going sour. I had alot of cocoons but no worms. I think I overfed and not enough airation. I have some questions for anyone willing to help.
Our family eats about 24 eggs in a week and a half. I have been drying them out before crushing them almost into a powder for some time now and storing them in a plastic bag What would be a good amount to add to the worms food? Will to much kill them?
I was told to start a bed with sphagum Peat Moss, cardboard, and paper. In a plastic bin. To my understanding Peat Moss retains moisture and it was suggessted that once a week I needed to add calcium carbonate (agricultural grade Limestone powder not hydrated). I don’t want to add this to the bin because I was told by someone else that it would harm the worm if it got on them there for I would think I have enough egg shells to suffice. Does anyone know about that?
Am I to understand correctly that You mix new bedding into the old material weekly? By weekly? Monthly? and harvest in 3 to six months? I have seen beautiful vermicompost on online videos with worms in it and no bedding how does that come about? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Sincerely
Leah
Thanks Bentley – they are in the basement, I would say the temp in the basement is in the low – mid 50 during the day and mid 40s at night. I may be a little wrong on my temps, but they are no where near freezing. I also have a large piece of cardboard covering the bedding / food mix because I was told this would help with the smell and in keeping heat in. I have been the first feeding was – a banana peel, apple core, avacado rind, some squash, an orange rind, egg shells (dried and crumbled) and some lettuce. What I could safely blend in the blender I did, the rest I made sure was cut up as much as possible. I check them often (every other day / every day) to see what they are liking / not liking and there are almost always a few that are crawling up the side of the bin. I have several air holes but am now wondering if since it is in the basement maybe air isn’t flowing through? Basements aren’t well ventilated. Sorry for bothering you so much – I just really want my new “pets” to be happy.
I have a worm bin and have tons of little spiders mites crawling all over the worms, lid, just every where. Can you point me in a direction on what these may be and how to get rid of them. Is there a spray or something tI can use that wont hurt the worms? Please help…
Thank you,
Patrick King
TXLEAH – here are my responses
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“What would be a good amount to add to the worms food? Will to much kill them?”
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I wouldn’t dump all your shells in at once since all the jagged edges might cut the worms, but if you add a sprinkle of them every time you fed the system (and spread them around) you should be totally fine
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“I don’t want to add this to the bin because I was told by someone else that it would harm the worm if it got on them”
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Make sure you are using the right type of “lime” – it needs to be calcium carbonate, not “builders lime” or one of the other caustic types. Adding a bit (of the good stuff) every so often should be fine, just don’t overdo it (don’t want major swings in pH).
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“Am I to understand correctly that You mix new bedding into the old material weekly? By weekly? Monthly? and harvest in 3 to six months?”
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As easy way to make sure you have enough is to always keep a thick layer on top. As you add new food it will gradually be incorporated into the composting zone down below, and you can continue to top up as the level goes down. Harvest when the system looks like it contains mostly worm compost – stop feeding for maybe a week or so, then remove unprocessed stuff from the top.
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“I have seen beautiful vermicompost on online videos with worms in it and no bedding how does that come about? ”
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It’s hard to say for sure what’s going on there, but what I DO know is that once all the bedding is gone (especially in the case of a plastic enclosed system) if you simply keep feeding it, you will eventually encounter what I’ve referred to as “mature worm bin syndrome” and your worms won’t be happy campers. If you simply leave the worms alone entirely though, they seem to be able to live in the material for quite some time.
In open and/or flow-through systems this doesn’t seem to be quite as serious a problem (if at all). I think moisture content can play an important role.
JENNIFER – Those temps definitely explain what’s going on. While worms will certainly tolerate those temps, the speed of composting will slow down a LOT. Microbes become inactive and the worms become sluggish. Just as putting fruit in your fridge will slow down the decay process, so too does putting your worm composting system someplace cool.
PATRICK – There are no sprays (that I know of) that will get rid of mites and not harm the worms. Generally, I consider mites to be a normal participant in the worm composting ecosystem (important to remember it’s not just worms working there). A huge abundance of mites can indicate that conditions have become too wet and/or that you are overfeeding.
I have been sorting the worms out of my compost when I take out of the bottom and have been adding them with new feed to the top. Is it possible to get too many worms in the bin. I don’t see any problems yet ,but can it get to being a problem
Harry
Although not directly related to the daily travails of worm composting, I’ve been wondering about whether E. foetida are native to North America?
I’m also curious about differences in worm colors in my bins. I got my worms from a local charity that composts lots of produce and brewery waste. I’m suspicious that they are E. foetida, but some of them are much darker than others, with an almost purplish hue. Are such color variations likely within a species or do you think I have several different types? At least some of these worms are very cold hearty, as I found them alive (yet slow) at the bottom of a very cold bucket of harvested VC that had been sitting in my near-freezing garage for a month.