There's a specific type of worm that's best, make sure you found/collected that type instead of night crawlers. They can usually be found in old manure/compost piles and usually a red color, and as they stretch out you can see lines between each joint. Those are a good choice for fishing and don't mind being captive. Night crawlers, and any earth mover worms usually won't survive. You did a good thing by turning it into a trough, because surface area determines how many you can have/maintain and vertical barrels have very little surface area. An old dresser drawer is a good example of the right shape, being shallow but having a large surface area. If you want to use them for fishing, I'd feed them a worm fattening recipe, one can be found here http://www.happydranch.com/wmfat.html

It's hard to keep them alive outside because they start dying around 85F-90F. I've never had success at the outside thing, after losing two bins I've moved things indoors.

Appreciate the info. The worms I caught are redworms. They are on a hillside pine/hardwood mix woods where the pasture comes up in the woods. Plenty of fallen leaves, top soil, and cow manure. The other day I caught about 100 in 30 minutes. They mostly were laying right underneath the leaves. The ones I saved, and added to my little tool box bin are doing ok. I put a large container frozen soild in a plastic bag in the middle of the bin. They are hard to find now in the pasture, but I think if it comes a real hard rain there will be more to catch in the same places I've been. I'm going to try to do this without spending much money, raising them mostly for fishing. The nearest store that sells them gets $2 for 18 worms, and some puny iones at that. I got tired of paying that kind of price for bait. If I'm successful I'll sell them to people I know for a much cheaper price than the store does.

Hi everyone,
I too am new to vermiculture. I pray daily that my worms don't go towards the Light if you know what I mean lol. I live in Malaysia very very close to the Equator. In the late evening, I take my worms out side and bring them in as soon as the sun rises. The temprature in the evenings and night time, drops to 22C at times even 21 if it had rained, Then it soars to 33 C in the afternoon.

I bought this batch, my first, from London. I separated them in to boxes and did not know that they only eat rotting garbage. been feeding them vegetables and leaves from my garden. Now that I know they like rotting vegetation, will spoil them rotten, forgive the pun.

The question I would like to ask is : when I got them, they were pit run, this is 2 weeks ago. Now I notice they have grown quite a bit, do I put them in a different box with fresh bedding and collect the castings or do I wait another month more to be on the safe side?

Any help will be appreciated. I have just gone out and bought 6 more Rubbermaid type boxes with cover in case some one in my neighbourhood wants to breed compost worms too.

Oh yes, one more question, I found a mushroom farm in my area, can I feed my worms the SMS (spent mushroom substrate)

Thank you
Annie

I have a three month old worm farm. In my newest bin I have white frothy slimy mounds sticking to side of the bin. I don't have this condition in my other two. I have ants in this bin also. What is the white sticky stuff?

I was told you can't feed red worms coffee grinds unless you rince the coffee grounds off. I was told the coffee grounds are acidic to the worms and will kill the red worms. Is this true?

The process of brewing the coffee rinses the grounds off. UCG are not acid.

My worms eat lots of starbucks coffee grounds. Don't know about the sticky stuff.

mendopete

I also plan to feed my worms bread but have some told me not very good for worms. Then I found WEB SIGHT THAT claims it might be ok. Also thought I could feed them leaves, newspaper, magazines, grass clipings, banana peelings, but not meat or onions.

What is you opinion?

Hating replying to a post started 5 years ago and dead for the last 4. I should go to the bad place for even replying.

white frothy slimy mounds of sticky stuff sticking to side of the bin

This is the process that other processesers use in getting the foodstuff ready for the worms. It seems to be in this case the mold guys. In other cases it might be the springtails or the mites. So mold is our friend.

You presently have a ton of mold working really hard to breakdown the food stuff in the bin to something tasty for the worms.

Without the mold prebreaking down the food into tasty morsels for the worms the worms would be hungry.

So you are presently in luck.

Skip the magazines but let them eat onions.

Just no kissing of the worms for a while.

Equinoxequinox,
I'm new to the forum and am reading old posts. Just thought I'd let you know your post was appreciated. Maybe you won't go to the "bad place" for replying to a 4 year old post now.

I'm NOT new to the forum and also read old posts. I'm presently on pg. 8 (only 60 more to go).

Shaul

At least it shows that "nwnighthawk" has done a research trying to find an answer to the problem and not just asked away.

Way to go Shaul. I gave up after 25 pages or so.

"At least it shows that "nwnighthawk" has done a research trying to find an answer to the problem and not just asked away." Super Agree.

I guess my issue is the internet has speeded up information exchange and learning so much that years old posts are an archeological dig into how things used to be. Digging up years long dead and fully discussed at the time posts and tossing them on the top of the pile messes up the time line for those reading through what could be fancy called the historical documents of vermicomposting history. Not really a biggie in the scheme of things in the world I guess.

By reading through all of the old posts one can see where "worming" was a few years ago, or even months ago, and where it is now. I think by everybody sharing information the hobby or process and information available has grown tons.

A new vermicomposter now has information available commonly unknown to even experienced worm raisers a few years ago.

I've also been doing quite a bit of reading of old posts. I did a search on "bread" in this forum and found a lot of information from quite awhile ago. It seems to be quite conflicting on whether moldy, old bread is a good thing for the worm bin.

I have a brand new bin, (the worms were only added 2 days ago), but last night, I found an almost used bag of bread that had been laying around for awhile. It had started to get moldy. I looked long and hard at it before I tossed it in the trash.

What is the general concensus on using moldy bread for a worm bin? Yea? or Nay?

I'd have used the bread but only a little at a time. But the loaf would certainly not have gone into the trash. At the very least it would have gone into my outside compost.

I've tried alot on non-conventional foods. For instance I read where worms can not eat hair. I figured that was because of the form/structure rather than the item. And knowing full well that hair does not digest well anyway. Well, I shook my electric shaver into an empty margarine tub for a couple weeks. I dumped the saved powder in a little pile. It was gone after a day or so. Something in the bin liked it, mites, worms whatever.

I feed my herd a little bread and also compost it. Dry it out and crumble/mix with other stuff. I have a large outdoor bin and have no experience with plastic tubs. Most problems I read about are people with plastic tubs. Enclosed tote require much more science than with my in-ground bin. I just throw stuff in and they eat it. Simple. Pete

I am reading old posts and trying to learn so I appreciate you posting here!

Now I need to learn more to get started!!

Karen