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Harvesting

fam62cc
14 years ago

I am harvesting my first COW tray. Things worked out pretty well. Most of the worms had migrated up to the next tray leaving a muddy clumpy moist material which I think is at least partly castings. Perhaps I let it get a little to moist though I did not get a lot of tea. one thing puzzles me, I can't find anything that I can identify as a cocoon. I have spread some of it out on a hard surface and examined it under a magnifying glass. I found a few small worms but no large ones. I'm transferring the stuff into a bucket and will keep watching it and see if anything further happens.

Dave Nelson

Comments (7)

  • sbryce_gw
    14 years ago

    I used to see lots of cocoons, but now I never see any. I don't know why. I see lots of juvenile worms, so it would follow that there must be cocoons.

    I am in the process of harvesting the lower tray in a two-tray Rubbermaid system. The reason it takes a few days to completely harvest is that the vermicast has to dry out for a few days before it will all go through a screen. I have seen tiny baby worms that don't yet have their color and could only be a few days old, but no cocoons.

  • mendopete
    14 years ago

    I have very low vision. Although I have never seen cacoons in the bin, I have seen them bouncing like little balls down my tumble sifter screen. I know they are in there! Pete

  • liamsma
    14 years ago

    i just harvested my bin and the cocoons seemed to all be in the castings- a lot were under pieces of cardboard. i was worried that i couldn't get them all out to transfer them to the fresh bedding, but the ones i missed ended up going into my new flower bed :)

  • rickd59
    14 years ago

    I've never seen any cocoons either although I see lots of juvenile worms, like sbryce. Maybe it depends on the particular species of worm you're using.

  • pjames
    14 years ago

    Probably depends more on the light. I can't see a coccoon under inside lights, but if I sit on the patio with bright sunlight, I can see them easily..

  • cheelo
    14 years ago

    If you see juveniles worms, then for sure you had some cocoon before. The cocoon are yellow / green, and about 4 diameter wide. The worms controls themselves their population in function of the space (in area not volume) AND the food available. Usually, when you start you bin, they will be in "reproducing mode" until they reach their full population for space / food available and then they will be in "eat mode", so no more reproduction and fully of their time spent in eating food.

  • fam62cc
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Today I took my first harvest outside and sifted it in bright sunlight. Not one single cocoon or worm did I see. Where in the world did they all go? Well, I've got another tray nearly ready. Try try again.

    Dave Nelson

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