Red Wiggler Farmers?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
I was just thinking about doing this in the car today on the way to work. Now I get home and see a thread on it..... Great thread, great info!!

Burt :popcorn:
 
I raise some, but on a small scale. I have a plastic clear container thats 12x8x6 and I poked holes on top and on the sides near the top. I placed damp shredded newspaper as their bedding. I give them veggie and fruit scraps. I keep them in a dark place and thats it. Periodically check their bedding to see if theres enough moisture. It should feel like a wrung out sponge. Also periodically flip their bedding, and dont over feed, start small and see what they eat and how fast etc. Over feeding can lead to problems. Its not hard at all. I got enough worms to feed my fish and plenty to spare. Ina few months I might sell some.
 
bob965;3837026; said:
You might encounter little tiny white spheres the size of a pinhead after your bin has been set up awhile. I first thought these were worm eggs, but it turns out they are mites. Actual worm cocoons look like brown popcorn kernels. The mites are a nuisance, but they don't harm the worms directly, although they can start to outcompete them for food if you let them get out of control. The mites are a sign that you are keeping your bin too moist. They seem to like sugary foods, like apples and banana peels. The way I combat them is to sprinkle a layer of really dry bedding on top of the food if I add alot of really moist sugary stuff. The worms can still get to the food from below, but it seems to make it harder for the mites. Then I place a slice of apple or something similar out in the open in the top tray, and let the mites collect on it, and just throw them away. You'll never completely eliminate them once you have them, but they're not a big deal to keep under control.
Click to expand...


I was wondering what these were. I have these in my worm bin too. They dont seem to be bothering the worms at all but I was curious what they were. Thanks for letting me know. The ones I have are more elongated though, not spheric. And they look to have tiny antennas. They are white in color, are these the same thing?
 
Pyramid_Party;3837833; said:
I was wondering what these were. I have these in my worm bin too. They dont seem to be bothering the worms at all but I was curious what they were. Thanks for letting me know. The ones I have are more elongated though, not spheric. And they look to have tiny antennas. They are white in color, are these the same thing?
Click to expand...

I would assume they are also some kind of mite. Mine are round, but I haven't looked closely enough to see if they have antennae, it's possible they do. I usually only find them in the top tray swarming on a wet piece of food. I would only worry if you start finding them chowing on dead worms frequently.
 
jonclark96;3838209; said:
Does temperature matter? Could I keep the bin in the garage during the winter where temps will get pretty low?
Click to expand...

They do best at indoor room temperatures. Outdoor winter temps would be too cold. Even if they survive, they would slow way down and won't be very effective at composting, and probably won't reproduce.
 
I leave mine in the garage till early winter when lows start getting in the 30's. I wait till it hits 30's because it does not seem to kill the worms, but it is cold enough to kill any flies/gnats/etc that have made a home with them. Never really had any signifigant problem with flies, but like to make sure any that are there are dead before I take inside. I leave quite a bit of compost in each 30 gallon bin though so with them in there it stays pretty warm. If they did not have much soil to keep warm i would bring them in sooner.
 
Some have mentioned above, and I read on google that small holes should be drilled in to bottom of the bin for drainage.

How do you keep the worms from escaping through these holes?

The answer to this question is very important; if I start a colony and a bunch escape, that will be the end of it (wife) lol...

Burt :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom