Comments on: Worms Leaving Bin – Help!

By: Adrian

Adrian — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 05:34:47 +0000

Hair will decompose, but I never tried putting a lot of it so I don’t know how long it will take. I would mostly worry about introducing pet critters into the bin.

By: Rich Carleton

Rich Carleton — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 20:46:49 +0000

Will the worms process pet hair?? I have 3 dogs and 3 cats, which results in lots of “dust buffalo” piles of fur.. Can that go into the worm bin??

By: Adrian

Adrian — Sat, 22 Dec 2012 00:45:31 +0000

I don’t remove pot worms since they are fragile and more easily live and die by the conditions in the bin. You can never get rid of them entirely. (I also kind of like them. :)) Because reds and whites enjoy different conditions, when you make it more suitable for the reds then the whites shouldn’t be around so much. Pot worms tend to like it when the environment is more acidic and anerobic. Newspaper and some finely crushed eggshells can help make it better. The newspaper will soak up excess moisture and allow room for air while the lime in the eggshell will decrease acidity. Also, I don’t puree the food and instead let nature and my wormies break it down at a more manageable pace.

By: Rich Carleton

Rich Carleton — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 14:50:20 +0000

Thanks Bentley and Adrian! By your description, I may have white or pot worms crawling out; they are white, not pink at all. Suggestions for dealing with this outbreak? I noticed the food was covered with tiny white dots, not the sac-like shape I was looking for as described in the literature that red wigglers come from, and now all these super skinny white worms covering the walls… Do I try to remove them?

By: Adrian

Adrian — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 05:26:36 +0000

Try removing some of the pureed veggies or mix in some dry newspaper strips to balance it out. The newspaper will absorb some of the liquid and gas. The lime in finely crushed egshells also help with pH balance. Good luck! BTW, baby red wigglers are pink and slightly transparent but still long for their skinniness while pot worms are smaller and white and also transparent.I find when the bin is really wet but also acidic, with too much food and not enough oxygen or paper, pot worms will crawl on the wall since the environment and atmosphere is right for them.

By: Bentley

Bentley — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 03:13:49 +0000

Hi Rich,
Are you sure those “tiny babies” are in fact composting worms? It’s not uncommon to end up with outbreaks of white worms from time to time (especially if there is a bit too much food in the system). Only having a few adults on the sides is very normal – that’s why I’m asking.

The one thing about pureed materials is that it becomes much easier to add a LOT of food all at once without really realizing it – plus, because they are so well broken down (physically) the entire process is accelerated so there may be noxious gases etc forming more quickly (and in higher concentrations) than normally.

Also – perhaps it just has something to do with the particular mix of materials you added. Maybe there was something in there that didn’t sit right with them (containing salt? etc)

By: Rich Carleton

Rich Carleton — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 01:30:44 +0000

My bin has been set up for over a month, everybody happy. Now, all the tiny babies, and a few adults are crawling up the walls; I pureed my vegies in the blender, covered it with shredded newspaper, now they are trying to escape; too much food? Up til now I have left the vegies whole…

By: Selina

Selina — Mon, 09 May 2011 23:31:56 +0000

There is not really a mention of location, but my lil bitty time messing with vermiculture, I have come to notice that they don’t like to be on the floor. Speaking strictly indoor, of course. Garage floor, kitchen floor, dining floor. But all are quite a bit colder to the touch. Try (if you can) to raise your container off the floor a few feet. I have unpacked boxes in the garage and my worms instantly stopped trying to flee.

By: Adrian

Adrian — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 20:33:03 +0000

I bought red wigglers at a composting class. Some are eating the food I’ve put in, but I think most are at the bottom. They are not trying to escape anymore. I am still concerned about their health since they were sluggish. But the ones I see eathing seem to be healthier.

By: Adrian

Adrian — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 20:31:52 +0000

I bought red wigglers at a composting class. Some are eating the food I’ve put in, but I think most are at the bottom. They are not trying to escape anymore.