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karnina_gw

no more worms.. :-(

karnina
13 years ago

iv'e been vermicompostiong for several years now..

a year ago i decided to lift my pile off the ground and made a wooden bin about a meter high and 2 meters wide.

i started feeding the so many worms i had in a flow-through system..

im embarrased to say that i recently checked to see how they were doing and couldnt find a single worm!!!

i feel terrible..

what did i do wrong?

do you think that after a good rain or other watering any cocoos will hatch or do i need to get new worms?

thanks for your help.

Comments (6)

  • plumiebear
    13 years ago

    Sorry for your loss, karnina. A bin 2m x ? m x 1m is quite large. If it was full of worms at one point, there are sure to be cocoons in there. It sounds like you may have let it dry out? It will depend on the climate in your location, but FTs tend to require more water because of the additional air flow.

    More details would help us troubleshoot with you:
    -what are all the dimensions of your bin?
    -what type of bedding (leaves, paper products, sawdust, etc.)?
    -approx. what weight of worms and what species?
    -what type of food stock? how much and how often did you feed the worms?
    -do you have a top lid and harvesting chamber door?
    -any possible predators for the worms (rodents, etc.)?

    Andrew

  • karendee
    13 years ago

    I think I lost a lot of mine too. Since I ignored it for so long there are lots of babies now though.

    I hope you have some babies hatch.

    Good luck!

  • karnina
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    i think i let it dry out.. its very hot and dry here but since i fed kitchen scraps every day i didnt see a need for additional watering.

    the sizes are 2 meters long/ one meter wide and half a meter high..

    during the months the bin 'worked' i harvested compost several times and saw many worms all the time but unfortunatly i dont see any cocoons now. i hope they are hiding between the cantelope seeds...

    im watering the bin every day now.. how much time before the cocoons hatch in proper conditions?

  • susanfromhawaii
    13 years ago

    Time to hatching depends on the species. Here's information on the two most commonly used composting worm species.

    Eisenia Fetida or red worms
    Reproductive rate: Approximately 10 young per worm per week under ideal conditions.
    Average number of young per cocoon: Approximately 3.
    Time to emergence from the cocoon: Approximately 30-75 days under ideal conditions.
    Time to sexual maturity from birth: 53 to 76 days
    Time from cocoon to maturity: Approximately 85-150 days under ideal conditions.
    doubling time 4 months.

    Peryonyx Excavatus or blue worms
    Maximum reproduction under ideal condtions:
    19.5 cocoons per adult per week
    90.7% hatching success rate
    1.1 hatchlings per cocoon
    Net reproduction of 19.4 young per adult per week

    Maximum growth rate under ideal conditions:
    16-21 days to cocoon hatch
    29-55 days to sexual maturity
    45-76 days from cocoon to maturity

    Most of this information is from Kelly Slocum

    If you haven't already, lay a large piece of plastic lightly over the top of the worm bin to minimize (but not completely prevent) evaporation. Don't drown them. Hopefully you have drainage for your bin. I'd be really really surprised if you don't have any cocoons. With patience I think there's hope. You probably know this, but just in case. Don't feed the bin until you're sure there's a fair number of worms. Let us know how things go.

  • Shaul
    13 years ago

    Hi Karnina;
    In what part of Israel do you live?

    Shaul

  • Shaul
    13 years ago

    Karnina;

    If you live in Israel, then send me an email (my email address is on "My Page"), I live in Jerusalem.
    I have a second bin that needs to be harvested and I can definitely spare some worms ( maybe not a Kg. but surely enough to help you get restarted).

    Shaul

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