Comments on: Worms Are Trying to Escape

By: Bruce

Bruce — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 11:22:31 +0000

I find when I move then inside or outside, they go to the top and try to get out. Doesn’t seem to matter if its from warm to cooler or cooler to warm, they seem to want to get out. Then after a day or two, they seem to adjust and no longer try to get out.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 19:31:18 +0000

Another consideration is that different worm species react differently to the various environmental factors. E. fetida and E. hortensis don’t mind bedding disturbances as much as E. eugeniae and P. excavatus. If a rookie vermicomposter happens to get a mix of EF & PE, things can get very confusing.

By: Jim

Jim — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 14:17:38 +0000

I checked the bins last night. One of the bins has settled down. No worms were trying to get out. The other bin still has a few trying to get out. The moisture on the lids has dropped off a little, I don’t know if that is part of the reason they are staying down in the bin now. I dug around in there a bit and the worms in the bins look good. We will have to see.
Thanks for the ideas.

By: Jim

Jim — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 19:32:25 +0000

I left the lids off the two bins and turn a light on over them. The worms went right back down into the bins. I thought we were in good shape. I put the lids back on and waited a couple of days and went back down and some of the worms were up at the top on the bins again. I left the lids ajar for a day and the worms once again went back down into the bedding.
I am going to check on them again today when I get home. If they are trying to escape again, I thing I am going to move those that are escaping into a composter that is outside. I was worried they would freeze. I checked the composter last night, and even though it had some snow on it, it was still warm inside. Maybe they will survive, if not they were trying to get away anyway.
Thanks for the comments. I have tried putting some more food in there as well.
One of the guys at work feeds his worms corn meal during the winter to keep the bugs down.

By: Ar-Pharazon

Ar-Pharazon — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 08:08:55 +0000

A couple more thoughts:

Jim says he pulled most of the compost out of the bins. I’m getting from this that the new habitat for the worms was mostly fresh bedding and unprocessed material. Maybe the worms now find that the bin contents are too fresh and un-rotted. And then, worms often dislike a major disruption like having the whole bin turned over — wandering is a typical response, I think? I suggest harvesting only half of the compost at a time.

When my worms start increasingly wandering, I often find that adding finely crushed eggshells increases their satisfaction with the bin. They usually stop wandering and hang out around the compost surface.

By: Joe

Joe — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 11:35:55 +0000

You put a bag of worms in the fridge?? And some escaped!?!

You are lucky to still have a wife, my friend. 🙂

By: Cynthia Gilbreth

Cynthia Gilbreth — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 04:47:27 +0000

I have had worms trying to get out of the bin, by congregating on the perimeter of the bin. (I use Rubbermaid bins). When this happens I figure there is something in the middle that they don’t like, so I scoop it out, mix in some vegetable scraps with shredded cardboard, and mix the worms into it. I don’t like to expose them to the open air too much as then I’ll get beetles laying their eggs in the bin. I also don’t like to use shredded paper as it clumps and the worms don’t seem to like it much. The really like shredded cardboard. I run pieces of cardboard through my shredder, then mist it with water before adding to the worm bit. Sometimes I do get beetle grubs but I just pick them out and put them in a clay saucer for the lizards and birds to eat. I’m in So California so I don’t have to worry about the cold. I never put dry grass into the worm bin, as it can get hot and I don’t want to cook them. Other times when they are all trying to get out I just start a new bin.

By: Mark from Kansas

Mark from Kansas — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 23:27:05 +0000

JIm
I just moved a 28 gallon bin in the house for the winter.
One thing I do, and never have a problem, is leave the lid off and/or place some burlap on top.
My other thought is: I worked hard to make a nice home for them and if they don’t like it and want to dry up on the floror, then that’s what they get!