They are unhappy. Toss some of the bedding from the old bin in your new container, and see if that solves the problem. Worms don't adapt well to new environments. I think they are complaining about the fresh bedding. They don't like fresh, especially if your old bin was bedded with something different.

When harvesting, there is always unfinished matter (bedding, food etc). I usually place that in the centre of the bin and drop the worms there. It is what they were used to and that will reduce the stress

Robyn...what were your harvesting? Some people harvest for worm castings, some for worms, and others even collect worm egg capsules. If you are harvesting for worm castings, I'm curious as to why you would completely start over.

As abryce and otiss11 have explained worms may not like a complete change of venue, and bunches of worms hiding in corners of your bin, or handles, as you mention are a definite sign of 'not happy'!

I am a firm believer in using my 'spent media' from my vermicompost bins for all sorts of gardening projects, but mainly seed starting and in potting mixes. I don't refer to this material as worm castings, however I can't tell much difference in commercial worm castings, which are very expensive, and my spent media.

My media preference is soaked and drained (with a nylon aquarium net) peat moss. Since I routinely remove about half an inch of dried material from the tops of each bin prior to trench feeding, and replace it with some new peat moss, I do not like to call the material which was removed castings. But once grated through a quarter inch screen this dried spent media is excellent for garden purposes.

morgan_3 do you use the peat moss to condition the water for aquarium fish?

equinoxequinox, my fish are a mixture of native as well as tropicals. Conditioning water with a bag of peat moss fines was what I did when keeping freshwater sculpins. I haven't raised any sculpins since moving to a stare which does not allow collecting or transporting native fishes.

When I soak and drain my peat moss before using it as a vermicompost medium, I take the acid water once removed and apply it to my two blue spruce trees. I plan to do some dwarf blue berries in pots next season, and I think this water would be helpful there as well.

Double use out of the peat moss is good.