Things to Know when Raising your Worms

It can be fun to maintain a worm farm and it is far better if you know the basic and important things to know about your wormery.

Here are some common questions that can help you make the most out of your worm farm.

With all the leftover food and kitchen scraps I feed my worms, how can I prevent ants from getting into the farm trays?

If a farm tray is too dry or acidic, ants will surely make their way into the farm and invade worm space, which could kill the worms.

If the tray is too dry, just make sure to add water to raise moisture levels and add some garden lime to neutralize acidity, especially where ants are gathering.

To prevent ants from getting into the system, try placing the legs of the system in a container of water or rub Vaseline around it.

Will flies be attracted to the worm farm and will they be of any harm to the worms? Occasionally, small vinegar flies get into the worm trays, however, they will not do any harm. Should there be the presence of larger flies, just make sure to slow down the pace of feeding, that way food does not stay long in the worm tray and decompose long enough to attract larger flies.

If I should see maggots in my worm farm, how can I get rid of them? Maggots proliferate in the presence of decomposing meat in the worm farm, thus, it is important to avoid meat in your worm farm.

To remove the maggots, place several pieces of bread soaked in milk on the surface, since it will attract maggots toward it and you may be able to remove them after a couple of days after you see the maggots transferring to the milk-soaked bread.

How do I get rid of foul smell omitting from the worm farm? Worm farms smell only if there is a lot of uneaten food built up in the worm farm.

If smelling should happen, stop feeding the worms temporarily and add some garden lime and stir the top tray lightly to allow aeration.

This will also allow the worms to move through it more easily and you can resume feeding when the smell dissipates.

Here are some other helpful hints you may need to know.

Always keep your worm farm damp but not wet, so water every so often or as required to maintain suitable conditions for the worms to propagate.
 
If the worm farm smells, the worms may be fed too much, or giving them too much water.

You may try to feed the worms small amounts at first and when they almost run out of food, gradually build it up to larger portions, but make sure to cut or shred food to smaller portions for easy digestion. 

If ants and cockroaches invade your worm farm, keep a lid on the farm or cover it with something secure yet breathable.

If your farm sits on legs, you can place the legs inside a bowl or container of water to keep ants out. 

If your worms do not breed you may need to keep the farm in a shadier or cooler area, preferably around 18-25 degrees centigrade or keep it moist but not too wet.
 
Lastly, acidic conditions can be caused by too much sugary food such as grains and fruites. You may try to neutralize the acidity by sprinkling wood ash, dolomite, or lime on the farm.

So make the most out of your wormery and be acquainted with the things you need to know about your worm farm.

Worm Farming with Red Worms

Worm farming is gaining popularity. If you want to get into the business, you have to learn how to take care of red worms which happen to be the best producers of fertilizer for the soil.

To do that, you have to build your own worm bins. This consists of several boxes, shredded newspaper, and a strip of insect screen as well as the red worms. You can probably find the first two in your garage or shed, the third from the hardware store and the last in a nursery.

When you have all the materials, put a few holes in the top and bottom of the bins then place the shredded newspaper inside the containers to serve as the bedding. You can also use potting mix or both at the same time. Once the red worms are inside, cover the top with a lid because red worms do not like sunlight.

Unlike cats, dogs or fish you buy from a pet store, you don’t have to feed red worms right away. You can wait about 3 to 4 days before giving them food, and since you don’t know how much they can consume, add a small amount first, then gauge how much more should be added to their diet.

If there are big and small red worms, put some food along the edges as well as the center of the containers since the adult red worms prefer to stay toward the outside while the younger ones prefer to get food from the center.

The food that is given to red worms is much different then what you would find in a pet store. This is because they only eat things that will naturally compost. A few examples of these include coffee grounds, grass clippings, manure, rabbit pellets, vacuum dust and vegetable matter. Never give your red worms dairy products, meats and certain vegetables like onion.

Just like other household pets, red worms also need some water, so water them from time to time but make sure that it is not too soggy. Although they like water, too much could drown your little red wigglers.

Red worms are sold by the pound and one pound is approximately 1,000 red worms. That population will double in 2 to 3 months and while some say that they have a way of regulating their population, it wouldn’t hurt to transfer some to another container.

If there is no more space to relocate your red worms, you can try what other people have done and that is to sell red worms. After all, the waste or vermicast they produce is great for the soil so you can also help others save money by trying out this home made fertilizer instead of buying it from the store.

The other option to control the red worm population is to use them as fish bait. Although some people will argue that another variety of worm known as the European Night Crawler is better for catching fish, you will surely be able to catch a few with your homemade variety.

Raising red worms requires a lot of attention, so watch them regularly. Make sure there is a sufficient amount of food available and their bedding is just right and you can be on your way to have a successful wormery.

Starting a worm farm with a kiddie pool?

Starting a worm farm with a kiddie pool?
I live in an area where you have to drive 22 miles in all directions to buy worms for fishing. So I decided to meet the demanding need of our small community by supplying them with fishing worms and make a little extra cash on the side. I have done the research and know the basics. But I have two kiddie pools and was wondering if one of them could be used for their home.


Best Answer - Chosen by Voters

Yes, kiddie pools would be an excellent area for worms. Put a few small drainage holes in and you have a nice worm farm. Just raise it up off the ground so if the worms can't crawl out of the drainage holes and into the ground.

Building a worm farm