[UPDATE: Unfortunately the video mentioned is no longer available]
Recently, when I was getting some different orders together for my local Canadian worm business (which by the way is completely separate from my U.S. worm business based here on the RWC site), I thought it might be fun to shoot a video showing what these various quantities looked like. Interestingly enough, the 1/4 lb amount was actually added to my lint worm bin, written about in my last pot.
Please keep in mind that I’m only trying to give you a rough idea of what these quantities look like (and the video is pretty low quality as well), since many people really have no clue. As I mention in the video, there are various factors that can contribute to the overall ‘look’ of your worm order. If they are larger worms obviously there won’t be nearly as many. If they’ve been shipped there is a decent chance they will have lost some water weight, and they might not be this vigorous etc etc etc.
Based on this, you should at least be able to tell if you are being ripped off. I can still vividly remember a time (during my early vermicomposting days) when I drove about an hour to go pick up “1 pound” of red worms from a supplier. The quantity I ended up with MIGHT have been as much as 1/4 lb, but I doubt it. I can’t say I was too surprised to discover, a number of years later, that the supplier was no longer in the worm business.
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Anyway – hope you enjoy the video.
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Thanks for the video Bentley. My shipment from your U.S. supplier is due this week…. I had not quite expected one pound to look quite so .. dramatic. That’s a lot of worms !
A question. We get those large plastic coffee tubs with a handle (they hold 1 gal. +/-). Online, I see people setting up individual worm farms for school kids with Cool Whip containers and thought these coffee “cans” would work even better. I would like to give a few worms to the grandkids. My question is… would these actually work as a “mini” worm bin if I had proper bedding, air hole and used only small amount of food? I am thinking 20-30 worms or so in each of these. Do you think the worms would actually survive and reproduce? I know, I know, try it and see, right? But have you had experience with any mini containers?
Hehe – yeah, quite a few. Based on my experience receiving worms from my suppliers, and on the rave reviews people seem to keep sending in, I think you’ll be happy with your gob.
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They may look different (wouldn’t be surprised if they are a tad bigger, and thus fewer of them), and they have of course been shipped so they might not be jumping right out of your bin or anything. haha
As for your question – you can certainly make a vermicomposting system out of a small container. I’d stay away from the translucent ones (like margarine and cool whip containers) since these let in more light than the worms would appreciate. The plastic coffee can sounds good, although it might be a pain to try and harvest anything from them. The open surface area is relatively small (kinda like using a bucket), but some air holes in the side would certainly help.
And yes, my bottom-line recommendation is ‘TRY IT’ – haha
You know me too well!
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Well I can’t leave this one alone!
Bentley, I purchased 4000 reds from you 12 weeks ago. I followed all the tips and research from your web site. Now, I have about 12,000 reds! Thanks a lot. Nobody said your worms would reproduce that fast. I have so many worms, I had to go to a friend’s farm and scoop up dried cow manure from his pasture to the sound of my wife saying “are you done yet?”. THEN I had to build 2 more bins!
I was looking at my 18 gallon tub full of beautiful black vermicompost thinking “that use to garbage”. I was also looking at our sunflowers planted with vermicompost that are 6″ taller than the other the untreated sunflowers, and alll I can say is thank you for excellant worms and a fun hobby.
Duff, good luck with your worms. You won’t be sorry.
Thank you so much….I got 100 for 12.So I wen out a found your website and pick up a pound for $24 more with shipping… some how ome of the worms got out.But, there wasn’t and holes in the bag.The mail lady won ever hand it to me i had o pick it up..She asked, so I told her. The look on her face was priceless…..
Thanks for the video. It was very eye opening, and now I know that I definitely got shorted when I got worms recently from a local supplier (it was more like a pound of bedding and about 50-100 worms, instead of a mass of worms). Though, hopefully with a lot of pumpkin, they will quickly reproduce until there are that many.
I’ve found your website to be very informative and helpful in setting up my own worm bin. Though, I do have a question: How often should/can you check up on the worms? Maybe it’s just because I’m new to this, since I want to make sure that I’m not killing them off, but I’ve also read that shifting the bin contents and exposing the worms to light stresses them. I’m not sure what the happy medium is.
MARK – One word – WOW! Sounds like you are a worm-master. Did you literally sit and count them out, or is this an estimate? haha
I definitely know what you mean re: the magic of the ‘garbage to gold’ realization – very cool when you witness this firsthand.
Anyway – glad everything is going so well for you! Thanks again for the order.
8)
CURTIS – that is hilarious! I remember receiving a large shipment of worms last summer and literally as the postal delivery lady was handing me the box there was a worm crawling out. I did everything I could to distract her so she didn’t notice. haha
DAVE – that is a good question. Red Worms are pretty hardy and can certainly handle a fair amount of attention (and handling). It’s not a bad idea to check on them once a day or every other day. Early on you may need to do so more often just to make sure they are settling in ok.
BTW – back to the ‘checking on worms’ issue. Eventually you will reach the point where you feel comfortable leaving them almost completely to their own devices. I don’t mean to suggest that you NEED to check on the worms every day (although again, not a bad idea early on) – but if you do, the worms can certainly handle it.
Hi Bentley,
I bought a pound of reds and a pound of euros from you in February and tried my best to keep them separated, but they managed to intermingle in the bin. I’m happy to say, it hasn’t seemed to matter to them, they eat like pigs and keep reproducing. At first I wondered if they’d do battle, but they seem fine in any case. What do you think? Is is any problem? I went ahead and adde dmy “dirty dozen” huge (10″ or longer when they stretch) nightcrawlers from my experimental bin and they all get along well. Now I’m up to six bins and just ordered four more pounds of reds. I use old woodedn ammo boxes and they work well.
Thank for the video it raised a couple questions plus I broke a bone in my foot and have time to much time to kill… I recently ordered 2000 reds from Garden Worms.com growned and shipped from Uncle Jims Worm Farm in Pa. they may be the same. They made all the right promises, like weighting only the worms, and had a great price. When delievered the box and containts was barley a pound. The 2000 would easily fit in one hand and appeared to be on the edge of death and very small. There was a note attach that they do something to cause them to loose up to 70 percent of body mass. Do you know of such a procdure or did I just get taken.
It has been over 3 weeks I check them lightly (just the top layer) every day or so and I see very few worms, now I am begining to see some very small ones along with some healthy larger ones.
I once watch a video instructing that when using bins you should completly mix up the whole contends every week to provide them with more fresh air.
In the supplier defense the the worms have made a lot of castings plus it has been cold. The biggest supprise is how moist they seem to enjoy their home. I grade the bins of doing well if they do not smell and worms are not crawing out. Is this way good enough
I’m going to mix up one bin I have to see if I were taken or they staying in the center and bottom.
Sorry I did not order from you I found the other site first. However I will for sure do all my future ordering from you. Thanks, Michael, Ky
neat, thanks for the vids. they’re really informative
Hi Bentley,
Thanks so much for this video. I ordered from another supplier cause I found them first. They were also close to where I live and I figured the worms would be in better shape if I bought locally. Well, I guess it doesn’t matter how close they are to you if they don’t send you what you ordered.I ordered 1lb. I actually sat down and counted mine, yeah, I’m kinda OC, and only got 500 worms. They were mostly young juvies and not many adults. I’m definitely ordering from you next time! Also, I’ve got a problem with ants in my bin. I tried what you suggested with the honey and borax. I didn’t know what kind of ratio to use but made it pretty thick and lumpy. Then I put it on cotton balls and placed them all around the bin. I did this yesterday and today it seems like there are less ants. I hope so anyway. So thanks for that advice also. Selene