How can I identify what this substance is? My worms destroy all the oatmeal I put on top and I am starting to think that the moldy stuff is not moldy oatmeal but those mite eggs that I read about. My worms love the oatmeal mix so much; they leave no time for mold to develop. How can I identify this moldy substance? Do I need a microscope, or is there another way?

Thanks

I'm with steamyb on burying. Depending on how large a surface area your bin has I think that burying in a corner would allow your worms to escape from any excess heat.

Do you only feed this oatmeal mix? I don't blend food because of the extra water you need to add in order to blend it up but a lot of people do. Maybe try blending it up dry and sprinkling it on top if your bin is too wet.

In the end they are part of the decomposition process. In my bin they tend to get to the fruit and vegetable scraps that I put on the surface before the worms do but they get the decomp process going and my worms finish it off. They also appear first on the dry shredded cardboard I put on top of everything as it starts to absorb moisture. After the mites start to go to work on the wet parts the worms start to move in. I think I've read that the mite's feces also add to the microbes working on compost as well.

Not scientific analysis, just my observation of what I believe to be happening. As steamyb says, keep it simple. Figure out what are good conditions, what are bad conditions and try to keep within that range but remember there is a wide margin for error. These critters all do well left alone in nature.