Before feeding the worms place hearing protection earphones on partner's ears. You can also put sticky paper traps inside and around cedar boxes.

Interesting. I keep my composter in the garage and I've been worried about rodents or other pests getting into it but I've never seen any evidence to indicate they've discovered it. I know that moles eat earthworms, so it seems likely that a hungry mouse or rat would eat worms and possibly seeds or other material in the compost. Your cedar box might have been an attractive shelter for the mouse also. I agree with equinox that traps would be your best defense.

LOL! I think I will set out traps first. I have never seen mice, only rats attracted to worm bins due to food scraps. Perhaps they were always there but due to the lack of a box they got away before I ever saw them. Or perhaps as Equinox has stated...they now have a cosy home.
Thanks for the comments. A thread I read claims the presence of a worm bin does not add to the population but is merely a pass through for rodents in the area.

EEEEks! This happened to me last year, after being "vermin free" for over 11 years! My remedy was to staple some kind of wire (I want to say chicken wire, but isn't that wide - it was about 1/4" in each square)on each of the 1/2" holes. It offered a nice reason to air out the wooden "coffin" bin, give some worms away and get some compost into the garden.

Thanks for the info. I am going to force myself to take can o worms out of the bins and then look for the mice holes...and then put wire down to keep the little critters out. Where did you buy the wire? Thanks for the tips!
Sunny

Here is a link that might be useful: more worm info.

1/4 by 1/4 is usually called hardware cloth. It can be purchased at home depo etc. It is outdoors with the garden supply chicken fence. It has different gauges or thicknesses of each wire. Don't they say if a dime can fit through a mouse can? Home Depo only sells it in big rolls. Maybe a hardware store can do better for you.

Get one of these mighty hunters....

Yes, it was 1/4" by 1/4" and I purchased it a a local hardware store. It isn't really easy to handle (very sharp edges after snipping!) but worked out well.

How funny I compost with beer grain too and I could have sworn a mouse jumped out today

Only time I had a rodent problem was when I put coconut in the bin. Two days later I found a neat hole gnawed in the side of the bin and a rats nest inside. I bought a large box trap, baited it with the coconut and caught three rats over three consecutive nights (which is pretty good, considering my bins are on my porch...three floors up). I then ran a scientific experiment (which is still in progress) to determine whether rats could breathe underwater. I found a rectangular plastic container, just slightly larger and at least an inch or two higher than the box trap. I put the trap inside and filled the container with water.

The experiment was a success though unfortunately/fortunately the subject/victim died. Ah Well, such is Science. The search goes on.

Shaul

Snap traps only, please -- never those cruel sticky traps!! If you use the sticky traps 2 scenarios are possible: you catch mice and then do not bother to monitor the traps so then the pests slowly dehydrate &/or starve to death OR you do check the traps and then have to kill the captured victim yourself. You choose: torture or swift, merciful death? Or you can create a vermin-proof bin following suggestions above. You did not mention where your bins are located, but I do not tolerate mice in my home so I use snap traps when we get the occasional mouse.