my worms appear to be arriving before my worm farm, I have 2 5 gallon pails, coir, peat moss newspaper, and cardboard how can I keep worms alive if th
1338755
Hi John, I would recommend watching Larry Hall's video on easy cheap way to raise worms, with just a bucket. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VET7nzkuy8U
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That sounds fine you have to keep them covered and keep the lights on or they will try to escape. They take some time to get situated. Don't feed them too much.
1338757
Mine arrived a few days ahead of my farm as well. Just put the worms in a bucket with some damp coir at the bottom and shredded newspaper on top. Not sure about the peat moss and it's acidity. You can throw salad and fruit scraps just under the paper to give some extra nutrients. Put a board or something on it as a lid. To contain the worm shine a light on the top of the lid and they won't escape.
1420537
The bottom of the container they are shipped in is full of food that will last far longer than the worms lifespan. It is a hard mixture that they slowly eat away. I have not seen them finish it by then time I've fed all 15 yet
251581
Idk. Save your money. Invest in a composting site and worms. It will work better last longer.
125111
I, too, kept mine inside. I do know that the worms don't do well with prolonged very high (90+) temperatures. I would definitely keep them in a the shade, or perhaps in a garage, during the hottest part of the summer. Good luck.
1136946
Put some oatmeal in a plastic tub with a lid (cut holes for air) place a cut up potato in for moisture then dump the worms in. They will live for weeks.
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No, these worms will not survive winters where temps fall below 40F and they won't survive temps above 85F for extended periods of time. These are special composting worms so please do not consider buying these for garden soil either. These are are not burrowing, soil eating worms, these worms live only in the top 8-10 inches of the soil and their diet consists of leaf litter, mulch and manure so unless you have a lot of this for them to eat they will starve to death.
35752
I have this worm factory and started with 400-500 worms which seemed to be plenty. Don't forget they reproduce rapidly if kept healthy so you can theoretically start with even fewer. You're not going to get a ton of castings from a farm this size anyway but it's fun watching them move up through the levels leaving their castings behind. Enjoy!
1912442
not a problem, the worms never come out on mine, they really seem to like the environment and the only place they could conceivably escape from is the drain, and you should keep a pail or bucket under that to retrieve the "tea".
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This answer is not given with the authority of much worm experience. According to my readings, the number of worms does not remain the same but increases, perhaps doubling in three months with care. Five hundred or less would seem reasonable to me in your circumstances. Happy trial and error.
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While you technically can, I've always been told that the tumbling action will kill them before they have a chance to do anything. This type of composer is best for rotting and not worm based. A standard compost pile would be better for worms.
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Hi Earl, this is from our care sheets on our website:Add a 1" layer of chicken mash, wheat bran, corn meal, oatmeal or a combination.Supply moisture with raw carrots, potatoes, or celery (this is essential)Sift bedding when bedding appears `sandy' Worms kept at room temperature will pupate very soon!Never let worms sit in direct sunlight or in temperatures 85° or higher
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The spigot is just for the excess moisture in the worm casing/food scraps. Ideally you shouldn't see anything come out of the spigot. The worm casings should be what you find in your first tray, the bottom one, it should look like really dark soil and there should be no visible food scraps left. If you started in Jan. I would say you are probably looking at April before you have some nice worm casings in your first tray. I was a solid 5 months before I collected my first tray of worm casings, but I probably could have collected a month earlier, but I forgot about my worms. Adding water will just dilute your worm casings and make a habitat that your worms are not going to enjoy. The spigot is just for the excess moisture in the worm casing/food scraps. Ideally you shouldn't see anything come out of the spigot. The worm casings should be what you find in your first tray, the bottom one, it should look like really dark soil and there should be no visible food scraps left. If you started in Jan. I would say you are probably looking at April before you have some nice worm casings in your first tray. I was a solid 5 months before I collected my first tray of worm casings, but I probably could have collected a month earlier, but I forgot about my worms. Adding water will... » Read More The spigot is just for the excess moisture in the worm casing/food scraps. Ideally you shouldn't see anything come out of the spigot. The worm casings should be what you find in your first tray, the bottom one, it should look like really dark soil and there should be no visible food scraps left. If you started in Jan. I would say you are probably looking at April before you have some nice worm casings in your first tray. I was a solid 5 months before I collected my first tray of worm casings, but I probably could have collected a month earlier, but I forgot about my worms. Adding water will just dilute your worm casings and make a habitat that your worms are not going to enjoy. « Show Less
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I use shredded newspaper. They love corrugated cardboard. Use money to buy more worms.
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I definitely get some heat from the compost in mine.It seems to help on my unheated back porch down to the forties and we will find out soon about the thirties.I think zero would really be pushing it and in your situation would build a cabinet for the worm farm. I would include a provision for a small electric heater in case the compost needs a bit of help to keep the worms from freezing.
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I'm know nothing about worms, but I found this article for you. http://www.redwormcomposting.com/worms/do-euros-and-red-worms-get-along/Without reading it, basically they'll live together fine since they are in the same species of worm. Only con with mixing is if you're a worm farmer wanting to sell one select specie. Reds better at composting, night crawlers at aerating soil.
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I have red worms growing in mine without any issues, but I'm not sure. Might be worth asking the manufacturer? Walmart sells it too but I never found any locally which is why I ordered it from Amazon.
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Hi, Amy. Good luck with the dried meal worms. We can't keep enough in he feeder during the cold months into early spring. We have noticed a slow down, but they still disappear in a couple of days. If you are a little more adventerous, try LIVE meal worms. The birds go nuts for these. The drawback is that they have to be kept in the fridge but if you're OK with that...a tupperware container with strips of news paper and some holes in the lid works just great. Bluebirds are our biggest consumers but other birds frequently stop by for a snack. Best wishes and good luck!!! alan in MA