i really don't think it matters i have seen people use latex gloves.

as for the powdered gloves i would not use it UNLESS.. the powder is only on the inside. many people label glvoes as powdered gloves and the outside is clean while the inside is full of powder to make it easier for your hands to slip in and out also when they get sweaty as well. i wouldn't see why this would hurt them as they are not comming into contact with the powder. but since they do breathe through their skins i would say not to use powdered gloves as like something that is wet/moist and you throw powder on it. it will basically cake onto the thing that is moist. in this case the worms and i would think it would suffocate them.

if you have powdered gloves i suggest washing them. otherwise just use your hands. using your hands that are washed in only water is safer to use then anything else really. worms in general don't feel bad it actually tickles when they start squirming around.

Oh, I don't mind touching the worms at all, it's just the scrubbing under my nails as well as the other "guests" that may be in the bin that I wouldn't be too thrilled about touching... bsf larvae, millipedes, spiders... ACK!! That makes sense about the powder suffocating the worms, though. I'll just try to get some without any powder on the outside. Thanks for the input.

My 2 year old was helping me spot babies to get them home to their mommies and daddies in the main bin... she said they were so cute! That's my girl! I wonder, though, if her friends will start to think she's a little weird when she gets older, if she starts telling them they should save their apple cores to feed to the worms.

I wouldn't worry about the powder from gloves affecting the worms. It is normally on the outside and even if any does contact the worms, they are very tough survivalists and aren't affected by sand, egg shells, coffee grounds and everything else that goes into bins. I just don't see how a minute amount of that powder would be a significant problem.

However, I do see a problem with not wearing gloves at all. I was trained in hort classes to always wear protection when handling any soil or compost. There are so many bacteria in vermicompost, like e coli and others, that could be present that even if you wash your hands carefully afterwards, you risk exposing yourself to things that could make you very sick or even kill you. No thanks. I always wear gloves.