Moisture Issue Worms will drown if things get too wet. This would be more likely if your bin has a plastic bottom and they could not escape. If things are too wet or too dry they will leave. Good chance they'd come back once conditions become ideal for them.
The compost doesn't have enough air
Worms breathe through their skin, and if there is not enough air they will either leave the compost heap or die. Consider aerating your compost heap. If it's wet, you could add a dry brown material like shredded paper, and cover the compost to stop more rain from getting in.
Coffee grounds, as an organic material, can be added to your compost pile. Worms like coffee grounds, so you may want to put a layer of coffee on the bottom of your pile to attract worms.
First things first, you can't do worm composting without some worms! But don't go out and dig out night crawlers that live in the soil by your home to populate your compost bin. Night crawlers need to tunnel through dirt to eat and survive and they can't live on vegetable waste.
Worms work FAST: Worms can convert most kitchen scraps to finished compost in less than two weeks. Worms work ALL WINTER LONG: Keep a worm bin in your basement, garage or pantry (above 55 degrees and below 80 degrees F) and your worms will keep making compost right through the winter months.
You can successfully add red wigglers to outdoor compost bins which have open bottoms for drainage. So long as the worms have food they usually thrive inside the compost pile. Red wigglers can also be put in a closed compost bin such as a composting tumbler, or a specially designed wormery.
Let's just start out by saying: putting egg shells in your compost is okay; they are a rich source of calcium and other essential nutrients that plants need.
The new worm will continue to grow and in about two to three months will develop a CLITELLUM. It is now an adult and able to mate. The composting Tiger Worm can mate and lay an egg every 7-10 days. Many other species of earthworms only mate once or twice a year.
Provide food. A year-round food supply is essential for a healthy worm population. Leaving stubble on the surface and chopping straw are relatively simple ways of providing surface material for worms to incorporate. Fungi often colonise straw on the surface, which in turn attracts worms.
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.
No worms at all? It means that the conditions must be poor - no moisture, toxic substances, sandy soil, or no organic matter for them to eat will all prevent them from setting up shop in your yard.
Three factors are usually to blame: poor aeration, too much moisture, or not enough nitrogen-rich material in the pile. A compost pile overburdened with materials that mat down when wet—grass clippings, spoiled hay, heaps of unshredded tree leaves—can become so dense that the pile's center receives no air.
If too many Greens have been added to the bin and the material is too wet and air cannot circulate freely as a consequence it may have turned anaerobic the worms may migrate to the top of the bin in order gain access to oxygen so that they can breathe.
Banana peels are a great ingredient for your compost or worm farm, adding lots of nutrients to the organic recycling process.
Composting tea bags is an environmentally-friendly practice that all tea drinkers should consider incorporating in their daily routines. Tea is a natural, organic material that's rich in nutrients, and it's easy to add to a compost pile.
You can add clippings to the backyard compost pile. Composting involves mixing grass clippings and other plant materials with a small amount of soil containing microorganisms that decompose organic matter. Grass clippings are excellent additions to a compost pile because of their high nitrogen content.
Mistake #3: Too Wet or Too Dry Composting Bedding
Too wet, the worms dehydrate, cannot breathe, and can't tunnel. If they are too dry, they will suffocate. The easiest way to check worm bin moisture levels is by picking up a handful.
– Most people shudder when they see maggots in their bin composter or compost pile. They may be startling in their appearance and movement, but they won't hurt you or the compost. In fact, they play a role in breaking down plant and animal tissues.
For most average sized domestic worm bins, we would suggest you start with 1 lb. (approximately 800 - 1000) mixed sized worms. If the worm bin is larger, or you are composting food scraps for four or more adult persons, we would recommend 2 lbs. of worms.
Compost is ready or finished when it looks, feels and smells like rich, dark earth rather than rotting vegetables. In other words, it should be dark brown, crumbly and smell like earth.
Your compost smells (very) bad.
Stinky smells are a good indicator that your compost pile is too wet and has gone anaerobic. A number of factors can cause this condition: lack of aeration, too much water, or an imbalance of carbon to nitrogen. Without air, the material becomes stagnant and rancid.
Once every week, pour about five litres of fresh water into the Top Working Tray, which will flood down through the lower trays, ensuring the entire worm farm remains very moist. The sudden 'flood' will not harm the worms. Adding water is especially important in the hotter months of the year.
Rule #3: Target watering 1-2 times per week. Watering daily or multiple times per week is not normally required. In many cases you can water every week or so - it depends on temperature, humidity, and other factors so monitor the bin and if you see it getting dry give it a good misting or spray.