For worm composting, conditions are generally ideal with a carbon-to-nitrogen (C:N) ratio of between 20:1 and 35:1. Always remember, you can never add too much worm bedding on top.
Always keep the worms and food covered with 2 to 3 inches of damp bedding.
The worms' job is to eat the food before it gets super-rotten and stinky. If you add too much food at a time, they cannot keep up. Too much food can also push the air out of the bin, leading to foul-smelling anaerobic decomposition.
After worms are added, bedding should be kept moist but not soggy and the top 6 to 8 inches turned every 7 to 10 days to keep it loose. About every 6 to 9 months the old bedding should be replaced with properly prepared new bedding. To change bedding, remove the top 5 or 6 inches (where most of the worms are).
2- Prepare the bedding. Instead of soil, composting red worms live in moist newspaper bedding. Like soil, newspaper strips provide air, water, and food for the worms.
❖ Change and wash underwear, nightwear (and bed linen if possible) each day. Avoid shaking clothes and linen as any eggs on them may be wafted into the air and be swallowed.
Change bed linen, towels and underwear daily for several days after treatment. Bedlinen and clothing should be machine-washed in hot water to ensure that all the eggs are killed.
Worms love an environment with a moisture content of 70% or more. Food wastes usually contain about 80 per cent water and this will be released as the worms break down the food scraps. However, it will remain in the bedding for a long time before eventually draining out, so it's important to add water as well.
Take a handful of the compost in your worm farm and give it a good squeeze (remove any worms before you squeeze!). You should be able to just extract a few drops of water. If you can't, then your worm farm may be too dry. Another telltale sign is a reduction in the number of worms in your farm.
Whatever you choose to use, be sure to keep your worm blanket damp, but not soaking wet. The worm blanket should be the same length and width as your worm farm and as time goes on, it will break down.
After about three to six months of being fed, compost worms will have created enough compost to harvest. In this two bin system, when your bin is getting full you are ready to add the next layer of bin, nesting it on top. This works because you will stop feeding in the lower bin, and add food to the top bin.
Worms can eat half their weight in food every day! Their poop is called “castings,” and it is very good for soil and plants. If the worms are happy and healthy, we will have lots of castings to help seeds get a good start in the spring.
Feed them a small handful of food waste at a time, and check them every day or two; when you see them writhing in the last batch of food you fed them, it's time to feed them another handful. It's completely natural that worms avoid the food waste you've just added.
Under normal conditions worm will make around 50 capsules a year, hatching around 200 earthworms, and these worms will become breeders within 3 - 4 months. However worms will limit their breeding to available space and food. Pretty smart creatures aren't they!
The rolled oats, cornmeal, and alfalfa work together to plump up your worms quickly. The finer this mix is powdered, the quicker your worms will eat it up and fatten up. Moisten your worm bedding and then sprinkle it over the bedding surface.
One method is to take a handful of the compost and squeeze it. If a few drops of water come out, the moisture level is about right. If water drips out, the bin is too wet. If no water comes out, the bin is too dry.
Unlike other pets, you can leave worm farms unattended for weeks at a time. Worms will happily eat wet shredded paper for up to 6 weeks!
Oftentimes, when temperature conditions are not ideal (optimal is 55-75 degrees Fahrenheit), the worms will make an attempt to escape the situation. This thwarted escape plan (if your lid is on tight) ends up with many worms in your bottom collection tray or on the sides and lid of your bin.
Moisture levels are critical for your composting worms' health. If it's too wet inside, your worms can get sick. They can even drown.
Yes! You can add dry grass clippings and deciduous leaves to your worm farm, as long as you keep food scraps and dry waste balanced. Avoid adding fresh lawn clippings, evergreen or native leaves, and sticks or woody stems.
Yes, but be mindful of the chlorine and other chemicals often present in tap water that can be harmful to your worms. If you're using tap water, it's a good idea to let it sit out for 24 hours before adding it to your bin. This will allow the chlorine to dissipate, making the water safe for your worms.
Eggs may be inhaled from the air or deposited onto food and swallowed. Pinworms can survive up to two weeks on clothing, bedding or other objects, if kept at room temperature.
Launder in hot water. Wash bedsheets, pajamas, underwear, washcloths and towels in hot water to help kill pinworm eggs. Dry on high heat. Don't scratch.
Bed sheets and undergarments: Eggs can spread through contact with contaminated sheets, towels or underwear of infected people. Inhalation: Because the eggs are so tiny, they can travel through the air and inhaled. Once inhaled, they travel through the digestive tract, hatch and lay their own eggs.