When I started my flow-thru, I read that I needed 2-3 inches of finished VC in the bottom on top of the 6 layers of newspaper. Then I added the contents of an 18 gallon Rubbermaid tote that was up and running (about 2 months active). This worked and the worms have never seen the harvest/storage area in the bottom. I think the finished VC tells them to go back up and eat.

This makes some sense, though I have never read it before. I think it is worth a try. At the very worst, I'll be harvesting the VC out of the bottom of the bin eventually.

So I removed all of the bedding. I found a lot of worms in the bottom 1/2 inch of the bedding, right on top of the cardboard I used to cover the grid. I put in 3 inches of finished VC, then put the bedding and worms back on top of it. We'll see how it goes.

The worms aren't happy about all the fussing. Now I have a few trying to escape out the top, even with a bright light on. I think they should be settling down soon.

Thanks for the tip.

Considering the small number of worms in the bin, things are breaking down pretty fast. So far, so good.

I used to put damp bedding in the collection tray so any worms that dropped had a place to hang out. Only a few wandered away from that safe area and dried up. Now I leave about an inch of nearly finished compost down there for the wandering worms.

Andrew

I have a flow through system with one rubbermaid with the holes and worms sitting in another catch bin. My solution to the occasional "fall-through" - I call them that because I can't imagine my worms WANTING to escape, simply falling, by accident...Anyway my solution was to take some window screening material (nylon mesh stuff) and cut out a piece that is larger than the opening of the rubbermaid. I lay it flat on the top of the catch basin and then set the other bin down in it so that it pushes it down evenly, effectively making a screen for all my hole. This has virtually eliminated any falling, and still obviously allows for air flow up and liquid down.

When I first started my flow through I had worms lingering around the bottom and the occasional fall through. After it had been established for a few months and started building a stack, I didn't have any worms on the bottom. Then I moved and the bin was exposed to below freezing temps in the shed. After a few months I moved it back in and found some differences. they had buried themselves deep into the compost for survival and were once again along the bottom grate. Now that it is back inside, I am watching the bin make it back to normal equilibrium for indoor conditions. I guess that any sort of sudden change like this could shock the system and cause different behavior.

I think the first question is - why are they dying?

The original question is, why are they crawling out the bottom of the bin. I do have worms dying in one of my bins, and I have no idea why, but the worms in my flow-through seem to be healthy, except for the ones that have crawled out the bottom.

When I first started my flow-through, I put the most finished bedding on the bottom, with fresher bedding on the top. I think the worms just liked it better on the bottom, since it is the most microbe-rich area in the bin. Some of them decided to explore a little.

Since putting finished VC in the bottom of the bin, I have had a few more escapes. It is too soon to know whether it has solved the problem. The number of escapes seems to have dropped, but I can't tell for sure.

It is almost like there is a glass ceiling on vermicomposting. Somewhere around a persons Zillionth millionth worm this thing happens and worms die and even tons of correct application of worming principals do not save the worms. Posters who are serious about vemicomposting are seeing this happen. The same thing happened I think to redhen on another board. I do not see any practice you are doing wrong. You probably know that. And yet this worm dying thing seems to happen to the best. Yet it should not. It is a mystery. Thus your accurate depiction you gave is very valuable. Anecdotal evidence might be the key. This just seems to happen. It is the detailed observation of the armature vermiculturest that may solve it. Just like most observations of new things in space are by hobbyists. Why do these worms decide to die? Is it carbon dioxide? Acid? Lack of bedding? Stress? How does one determine if a worm is "happy"?

is the worms are raised, like mine are, in a basement. If the combustion system is not working at supper efficiency the worms are like canaries in a mine. Like super sensitive carbon dioxide detectors. Everybody should have worms in their basement to test. That is my worst fear.

I still have worms crawling out the bottom of the bin. I also have a healthy population of worms crawling around near the surface of the bedding. I think it is time to resort to putting a light under the bin.

Some worms are just adventurous...they'll climb up or down. It doesn't matter that the ecosystem is healthy with plenty of food. There are always some wandering worms. I figure it's ok as long as it's not a mass exodus.

It doesn't take much light to discourage them. Ultra low-wattage LED night lights at both top & bottom will probably work.

Andrew

I was poking around in the flow through this morning and saw very few worms. I have put hundreds of worms in the bin, but I only found about a half dozen or so as I was poking around. Perhaps they have all gone deeper than I was digging in the bedding, I don't know. I'm getting a little discouraged. For a while I had worms coming out of my ears, and now I just don't see as many worms in any of my bins.

Although I have worms at all depths of my flow through (currently 12-13" total depth of material), the bulk of the worms are in the top 3-4" where most of the food is. Your worms may have burrowed down since you just reorganized the bin. Give them time to settle in. Maybe put a cup or two of premium worm food (melon peels, rotting veggies, etc.) in one corner and give them a few days to find it.

You may also want to consider starting a mini-worm bin (see link below). I've found it allows me to observe the worms without disturbing them much. I store the mini-bin in a cardboard box and take it out only for a few minutes to observe.

Andrew

Here is a link that might be useful: mini-worm bin

I don't know about the worms dying. I would aske these questions. How many worms did you start with? How many are there now? How much bedding do you have? What type of bedding? Have you tried using leaves for bedding? How much food do you give them? How often? What types of food?

I would put newspapaer or something else on the bottom (on topof the grates) so the newspaper goesup 4 inches or so up all the sides and the worms will not get out until it decomposes. Then the bin should be settled by the time things decompose. Use 6 sheets of newspaper so it is sturdy enough.