Fagopher -- You've got your trays backwards. If you are only 1+ months into the WF you should only be using the first tray. Once that is 3/4 full of vermicompost, *then* you stack on the second tray and begin putting food and bedding into that one. If your first tray is too wet and full of bedding now, you could put on the second tray filled with shredded paper or cardboard to absorb the excess moisture -- but no food.

"Problem is that I don't see anything staying on the second, I think whatever is produces is going down..."

I'm not quite sure what you are saying here. The decomposing food and bedding shrinks, so may seem to disappear. And, of course, the compost could be shaking down into the bottom tray when you go looking around. The worms will move up and down for food, moisture, warmth, company, and adventure. No matter how many trays you have set up, there will be worms in all of them.

How many worms do you have? Is you WF inside or out?

Hi all, it sounds to me as though you just need to reverse your trays. You should have two trays in this system at a minimum. I have the same one and I believe (and how it seems to work) is that the TOP or SECOND tray has only bedding (paper, cardboard, or what the system is shipped with choir or coconut husk). Then you have your FIRST or BOTTOM tray which is your working tray which contains food and a bit of paper and or other stuff to keep it fluffy and aerated. The top tray then seems to end up with about 90 percent of your cocoons and you don't have to wait as long when you harvest for them to hatch. The worms will generally lay their cocoons in the "dryer" area as opposed to the working tray which is usually wetter. From what I've read they are more apt to breed heavier under less moist conditions though I'm not sure on that how much more or anything. Also because the top bin is usually pretty light it doesn't compact the bottom bin hardly at all. This top tray also works as your "top bedding" to keep the bugs and critters out, also makes it easy to check on your worms without really having to dig around and disturb them. I have seen this method in action from a DEC officer who had a bin that is the same type and had been doing it for 15 years like this with no problems... Ps. I love my gusanito bin thus far never even had a drop of water in the bottom... Think they got it right with the new lid:-) GOOD LUCK!!!

briansttt, although what you proposed makes sense, i think the gusanito manual instructs users to do what the OP was doing. i guess theoretically, the worms move upwards to the new food in the upper trays, thus leaving the castings for harvesting in the bottom. fagopher, i'm not sure if you're still having problems, but i guess what i'd do is just add more bedding in the top tray next time. but i'm also still a newbie, so i don't know for sure. but i do know about the gusanito manual b/c i just got one. :)