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nini_treehugger

Vermicompost Worms in Malaysia

Nini_TreeHugger
11 years ago

Hi.

I'm just starting out with my own vermicompost project. I love using recyclable materials and this feels like a natural next step for me. I didn't spend a single cent preparing the bin and the bedding etc as the garage is a treasure trove for my project. Reading from experienced people out there helped a lot.

I thought finding the right worms would be as easy as preparing their 'home'. Oh I was sooooo wrong! I went to the nearby fishing equipment shop to get some worms they use for bait. I couldn't recognize the species as they're probably juveniles and they look just like most of the species of vermicompost worms on the internet. They're doing okay I guess, since I just bought them and it's still too early to tell.

Then I got overambitious and started to search the net for local vermicompost worm farms. I thought maybe if I bought worms from them, at least I could recognize the species. I would know their specific requirements etc.

It seems that there are 3 groups of websites which sell those worms:

1. the big companies - they only sell large quantities, like 10 kgs of worms at RM 300 per kg and above, since the worms are imported ie African Nightcrawlers and Red Wigglers (adopting thousands of worms are probably like adopting 101 Dalmations... only less spotty)

2. family owned companies - very popular back in 2008. Went out of business soon after. I really don't know why.

3. National Agricultural Dept & Research Institutes - they don't sell the worms to the public. They used to though.

I've read a post somewhere that the Malaysian govt is limiting the import of those worms from overseas. I don't know whether there's an ecological or health issue.

I do agree to certain extent that we should use the local breed since they're well adapted to our climate. But even finding local breeds is next to impossible. Is it because the local worms don't do well in captivity? Slow reproduction rate?

So PLEASE, please, please.... anyone out there. If you have a recognizable (or even a thriving unknown species) vermicompost worms to sell/adopt, I'd very much appreciate it.

For now, I'll look after the ones I have. I will try to update on their progress. Thank you so much for reading. Feedbacks are appreciated.

Comments (30)

  • Celbrise
    11 years ago

    1st of all you should always know what kind of worms you are using in your vermicompost. call up the store you bought your worms at and they will know if not SHOULD know what worms they sold you.

    2nd of all i live in Hawaii and they WILL NOT important any type of earth worms because it is not an indigenous species meaning if you cannot find it naturally here in Hawaii/was here originally then it is not indigenous. this is because non indigenous species can harm the eco system for example here snakeheads which is a fish are illegal because they breed rapidly and they can kill off food source for other animals causing countless other things plants, and animals to go extinct. same with the worms. worms might bring in diseases as well.

    their are a few types of worms used for composting.

    i know red wrigglers, african night crawlers, european night crawlers, here we have what are called indian blue worms/blue worms which are purple color.

    idk if their is more but those are the ones i know specifically used for vermicomposting. i would not use burrowing worms. this is why you should know what worms you bought. you do NOT want burrowing worms.

    take a pic and post it we might be able to tell you what kind of worm they are. and also check craigslist.com put up a local add if you are looking for worms. i have had to buy locally because their is no importing worms to my state. you can try buying online as well on various sites just call them up and ask if they ship they usually have a list of states they can ship to.

  • mendopete
    11 years ago

    Do you have manure piles near you? Most manure piles around here have red wigglers present naturally. Any manure that has been piled up for awhile should work. Horse and rabbit manure is best. Maybe you could go digging.

    Good luck, Pete

  • Gerris2 (Joseph Delaware Zone 7a)
    11 years ago

    The composting worms will also be found underneath piles of decomposing leaves and other vegetative matter.

  • Gerris2 (Joseph Delaware Zone 7a)
    11 years ago

    Were you successful in finding them in nature?

  • aky103
    11 years ago

    Hi I just started my own worm bin at home last months . Collected the worm from the garden and like many ppl here, struggling to find where i can buy the worm to add in my worm bin.

    Hope mine will multiply soon . Anyone knows how long it takes for them to grow?

  • Gerris2 (Joseph Delaware Zone 7a)
    11 years ago

    Under ideal conditions I would think you should see baby worms in a few weeks.

  • Nini_TreeHugger
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Hi aky103,
    I'm sorry I haven't checked my forum notification for ages and missed your entry. Looking at your profile, I understand that you're also from Malaysia. It took me quite a while to find a reliable worm farmer here. Most worm farmers sell their worms by bulk for commercial use. There are a few selling vermicompost worms to individuals like us but it's kind of expensive, cheapest is RM 280 per kg. There's a website, called earthworms.com.my based in Klang. I bought my African Nightcrawlers there. They're reliable and they will answer some questions regarding how to care for your worms. They even have a kit to start your vermicomposting (but you don't really need those since you already have your worm bin)

    My experience with the worms I collected from cow manure or under some piles of leaves are not as encouraging as buying the African Nightcrawlers. The collected worms, although quite hardy do not process food scraps as fast. I have not seen baby worms from my 'collected worm' bin. I've collected them since October last year.

    I still think it's worth a try. Collecting your own worms. Do keep in mind that those worms may not be worms they use for vermicomposting.

    On the other hand, using ANC worms are just fantastic! My garden is blooming and I'm so happy with the result. :) Happy vermicomposting. I hope we get more Malaysians interested in vermicomposting :)

  • aky103
    11 years ago

    Thanks Nini for the info really appreciate i. Unfortunately only today I found out that the garden worm is not ideal for composting . Will need ANC or red wrigglers at some stage . Happy to hear that ur garden blooming now. Mine sharing the pics or if u blog abt ur garden. Cheers

  • aky103
    11 years ago

    mind*

    Just called the lady at earthworms.com.my and I was told that the minimun order is 1 kg which is I guess will be too much for me. Will have to wait get and my bin fully loaded with kitchen scraps before I can order them .

    I have a few friends who r interested in vermicomposting and hope there will be more.

  • aky103
    11 years ago

    mind*

    Just called the lady at earthworms.com.my and I was told that the minimun order is 1 kg which is I guess will be too much for me. Will have to wait get and my bin fully loaded with kitchen scraps before I can order them .

    I have a few friends who r interested in vermicomposting and hope there will be more.

  • Nini_TreeHugger
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Hi aky103,
    I had the same reservation as you when i heard that they only sell a minimum of 1kg of ANCs. I was asking myself what in the world would i do with that much worms! It took me a few weeks to make a decision. I decided to buy a kg of the worms. I know it's not cheap but at the time, i didnt know of anyone interested in dividing the worms with me.

    The worms they sell are huge. Compared to the garden worms. They're a lively bunch too... Like miniature snakes lol.

    Anyway, you asked me if I could sell you the worms. I wish I could but I'm still at the stage of getting the worms to reproduce more baby worms. You see, I dont regret buying 1kg of worms from them because I lost about 1/5 of the worms in the first 2 weeks. I lost some when they escaped my bins (i divided the worms and put them in 2 bins) and some died with those string of pearls syndrome. To this day, i still don't really know why the worms died. So maybe in the future, i'll give away some of my worms to people who are interested in vermicomposting but mot just yet. Im sorry.

    I've learned a lot since then. The worms do not like their bins to be covered no matter how many holes you drilled on the bins. I guess it's because it got too warm with the Malaysian weather (the bins are inside my house away from direct sunlight). The kitchen scraps need to be precomposted if possible. Don't worry if you don't have enough kitchen scraps. they'll eat moistened newspapers etc. i sometimes go the market and get the rotten vegetables the sellers are throwing away. And if they are trying to escape, you can just shine a light on the bin.

    So personally, aky, i think it's worth it to buy the whole 1kg of the worms. But if you have some friends interested, you can divide it with them. I've tried other sellers. They are quite expensive. Rm 350 above for a kg and some of the sellers are not really friendly or knowledgeable.

    The second question pertaining to gardening tool. I bought most of my gardening tools at Daiso. You know the rm 5 shop. They're cheap, hardy and they have all kind of tools for composting and gardening. ACE hardware is good too.

    Good luck :) am always happy to help fellow vermicomposter.

  • aky103
    11 years ago

    hi Nini I was too excitetd the other day when u informed me that the worms are available in KL the other day. There are 2 school of thought I read from the web
    1. Garden worms are not good for composting . Red wiggler is the best (even african night crawler not ideal but i doubt)
    2. Jabatan Pertanian advised that people who wanna do vermicomposting in Malaysia should use garden web i.e local worms
    Not sure what is the best ,anyone? Myself I'll wait for a while before i decide to use ANC - hopefully the there are people selling them still when I do so . At the moment , I am actively looking arounf my garden for any worms to put into my worm bin ;p . Last time i check they were healthy and hopefully multyply soon enough

    Apologies for the late reply but I'll try to be more active in this forum in the future.

  • PRO
    equinoxequinox
    11 years ago

    Toss a few kitchen scraps into a corner of the garden. In a few weeks or months right after tossing in a few really good bits, turn into the compost with a tri tine fork and search for worms. Any worms you spot will be compost worms of the type that will work for vermicomposting in a bin. Or I could have all facts wrong.

  • aky103
    11 years ago

    Will give it a go. Thanks for the idea

  • TanYiFie
    10 years ago

    I need Eisenia fetida or red wriggler, does anyone know where gt sell...I duwan African Night Crawler...

  • PRO
    equinoxequinox
    10 years ago

    Part of the value of vermicomposting is that the benefits of it are available to the common man. One does not need to be a rocket scientist or have a huge bankroll to make it work just as well for them as Mega Vermicompost Incorporated. The worms, the microbes, the results are free to everyone. Perhaps in a desert or jungle this will not work. However, every pile of animal manure should after a short time contain worms endemic and well suited to that area. Indeed, due to worms propensity to crawl great distances for no apparent reason, each individual deposit of animal waste is quickly found and infested with compost worms. A pedigree worm is not needed to get the job done well. Money is not needed. Any compost pile or animal dung pile should provide exactly the right worm for that environment. Perhaps, Mega Vermicompost Incorporated needs pedigreed worms. We do not.

  • aky103
    10 years ago

    I started my worm bin months ago using garden worm which I collected from the garden and bought some from pet shop. Not sure are they but the effect is brilliant . There are babies now eating the compost, they are multiplying, composting soon enough on the waste i provide . Hope i'm on the right tract and would like to know what's the type of worm in my bin . Hope i can post photo

  • Composterboy
    9 years ago

    I'm finding it impossible to get any supply of African night crawlers. The people from the website won't sell them anymore. The others that I've tried to contact don't reply emails and sms. Desperately need help to get some.. if anyone here can help.

  • TanYiFie
    9 years ago

    For those who are interested in African Night Crawler, you can visit this facebook page...

    https://www.facebook.com/lovearth.vermicomposting

  • chithwe chan
    8 years ago

    I'm looking for ideas in making a vermicompost project, and stumbled onto this, and found very useful information from your experience sharing.

    I'm having 2 things in my mind:

    First, a vermicompost like what you guys are doing, where I can harvest the worm poops for gardening use.

    Second, enriching my existing garden (and planter boxes) with earthworms, and let them do the works in autopilot mode without much maintenance.


    From what I've learn after reading your experiences, I guess the ANC would be best for the compost bin, while local earthworm is more economical & suitable for the garden.

    What do you think?

  • Nini Tree Hugger
    8 years ago

    Hello.

    It seems the forum somehow could not accept my username and password. Either that or I've forgotten them :) So I'm using this name and it's been a while since my first post in 2012. I've learned a lot since then, regarding vermicomposting and composting in general.

    I bought a batch of ANC as I have mentioned and I've managed to not only keep them alive but also doubled their number in the span of 2 years. Unfortunately, for some reason all my 6 bins were infected with these very small mites, and i've tried everything to get rid of them. It was a nightmare. I've lost them all. It might be overfeeding. I couldn't be sure. :(

    When buying vermicomposting worms in Malaysia there are of course some pros and cons just like anywhere else. This is my experience with keeping them in tropical climate. It may differ from someone else's experience. And keep in mind, these were not the ones I've collected myself. The ones I bought were massive eating machine.

    1. Because of the hot and humid climate, the ANCs do not like their bins to be closed with lids even when the lids are drilled with holes. They will try to escape through the lids like little Houdinis :) They get restless.

    2. Divide them into at least 2 bins (500 g per bin roughly) with the substrate provided.

    3. Spray with water (preferably rain water, or any water without chlorine) daily but very very lightly. The humidity in the house is unbelievable sometimes, even at the dark corner where I kept my worm bins.

    4. For the first few weeks, give them what they were fed at the worm farm. Mine were fed with aged cow manure. I don't mind that as much because I live near a farm.

    5. I understand that the main reason people on this thread want to start vermicomposting is because they want to reduce their kitchen organic waste, but do this slowly. I started with half a teaspoonful of rotten melon at one corner of the bin and cover it up with some substrate. The cow manure is still their main course :) To tell you the truth, I don't get to compost the majority of my kitchen waste this way. But I loved my worms.

    So the pros and cons:

    Pros:

    1. you'll yield vermicast right from the first week. But I collect them every 6 weeks or so. These worms are very efficient.

    2. the fertillizer made from vermicasts are one of the best. I made so much, I could supply my garden and my mom's rose garden.

    3. ANCs make good pets. :)

    Cons:

    1. They are fussy eaters. Go very slow when introducing new food. Better to give less than more. Throw away unfinished food.

    2. the substrates need to be monitored daily ie humidity, if you have worms escaping, there must be something wrong with the condition of the bin

    3. the bin is prone to insect and fungal infestations. That was how mine ended :( there's an art to balancing the quantity of food given, moisture, health of the worms etc.

    4. they are quite expensive to buy now. the price has doubled, from what I've heard.

    So feel free to add or comment. I'd love to hear from all of you again.

    I am still composting. I find that I can compost more kitchen waste with the normal method of composting. I'm using old terracotta pots with terracotta plates as lids. It takes a while. After trying vermicomposting, composting is like snail mail compared to whatever social app you have now lol, but it is as gratifying as vermicomposting. I also find worms in my pot, they are not as industrious as their cousins the ANS but it's great to find them thriving there. I don't really know what species but they are definitely hardier then the ones I bought.

    Would I go back to vermicomposting with those huge lovely worms from worm farms? Definitely. If only I can afford them *sigh*

    So thank you very much for reading this. I don't feel right to just leave this thread without any update, no matter how long I've left it. Good luck to anyone who is starting out :)

    Nini

  • Hassan Khalid
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    hi everyone and especially hi nini,ive read your post and its very funny as im going thru the same experience u went thru..im at the stage of already having 3 compost heaps in my backyard(5months++) here in semenyih selangor. after the 4th month im venturing into the idea of vermicompost to fasten the speed. i have since introduced backyard worm and they are doing great(i can see tiny tread wiggling baby worms). also i bought few fish bait worm,exactly like u did. glad to read this and get a fore sight of anc(was about to buy some). im now aiming for red and tiger worms.. anyone wanna join me to divide fresh worms? i dont wanto start with big numbers so im willing to share the purchase..please contact me via email hassankhah@gmail.com or fb search cikgu hassan...plan: to buy red n tiger worms..1kg rm300..i wish to have only half(rm150 for half kg). whose in??

  • Nini Tree Hugger
    8 years ago

    Hello Hassan Khalid. You're doing a good job composting. I'd like to share half a kg of worms if you say the price is RM 300 per kg especially if they are red wiggler. but tiger worms are ok too although I have no experience with both. ANC now is RM 500 per kg. I think it's too expensive for me. I am in the middle of something but I will contact you soon as I can. PS: you're also living nearby, so that's a plus :)

  • Hassan Khalid
    8 years ago

    awesome! a worm factory is having a promotional price so im in..did my research on these red wiggler n tiger worm and here are my conclusion in (compared to anc) : fact: they are vermicompost worms just as anc buuuuuut...

    1. size are smaller, eat and poop and breed less slower then anc. i dont think im rushing into selling so im ok..

    2. highly adaptable and not fussy..will adjust its population and reproduction based on surrounding (not crawl away and doesn't roam as active like anc)

    3) can be released into the garden and will highly like remain there as long as there is organic decomposing things..anc have to be kept in a bin (will roam and bye bye u if no 'desired' food.

    1. the only problem many people have is the harvesting process as since there small,they are harder to seperate by shifting. i dont mind if some worms go into the poop harvest and end up in the garden based on fact no 3.

    noted on ur situation, happy and cant wait to hear from u soon.. wish me luck in vermicomposting:D..

  • aparilowh
    8 years ago

    Hi, Can i share half kilo worm with you if you are still intending to buy?


  • Wendy Chang
    7 years ago

    I m interested to get half kilo compost worm

  • Nini Tree Hugger
    7 years ago

    Hi everyone. I'm really happy to inform you that there is a Facebook site called Vermicompost Malaysia. It is a non-profit group for vermicomposters with an abundance of information. There is also a list of composting worm vendors there.

    I am not an admin and I do not make any profit from this group.

    Of course you can write here too and I am happy to answer any of your questions. Thank you. Happy composting :) Nini

  • ccdcyhk
    7 years ago

    hi All,

    I am from Seremban, I wish buy some compost worm. How to go about to get some?


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