(a)I bought the worms from a farm here which sells humus (not sure how many worms - 3 small boxes with worms + their normal food). I didn't see too many mature worms when I placed them in the permanent box I made (I presume they are mostly young worms)

(b)I had made a temporary box when I bought them as it was quite hot and I had to settle them in somewhere. The next day I made a permanent box (1.5m*1m*0.3m) using wooden boards on a raised bed in the garden + a finewire mesh cover on top.

(c)When I moved the worms to the permanent box I first added some soil mixed with compost (from composting bin),
wet cardboard and straw/dry grass. Then the worms including some soil (as I moved them with a shovel) and sheep manure, straw, material from kitchen for composting on top.

Questions:
(1)Anyone had experience with small lizards - I haven't put any fine wire mesh underneath the box and am worried about them digging underneath (but haven't seen any signs yet)

(2)How do you check how wet the contents of the box is or remove stuff from the box without hurting the worms ;) - whereever I dig a little with a finger I find a worm (as far as I understand your supposed to take a sample, squeeze it and it's supposed to drip lightly)

(3)I read somewhere too much or too little food which is too wet or too dry can cause problems - any guidelines ?

(4)How do you know when there are too many worms (not optimal) in one box ? (I am planning on making another box)

any guidelines Yes most bins need more bedding such as corrigated cardboard. This covers a multitude of sins such as too dry or too wet or too acid. It balances them all out for the worms.

Just to be clear -- what type of worms did the poster purchase?

Glad to have you here, and congratulations on your new worm colony! I'm certainly not an expert, but I'll be happy to share with you my experience in response to your questions. I don't have any experience with small lizards infiltrating my bin, but my first thought was, "Do lizards like damp, rotting environments? Really?" My biggest pesky wildlife issue is the possum family, the raccoons, and the skunk that live in the neighborhood. They've never gotten into my bins, but on occasion I set little tubs of veggie/fruit scraps outside to feed to the worms later, and forget them. The next morning I always find scraps strewn all over the porch and back yard. In any case, here's some answers to your other questions.

(2)How do you check how wet the contents of the box is or remove stuff from the box without hurting the worms ;) - wherever I dig a little with a finger I find a worm (as far as I understand your supposed to take a sample, squeeze it and it's supposed to drip lightly)

I have noticed that as I dig a hole in the bin to put food in, it is really obvious whether the bin feels too wet. If it feels like I'm digging in a pile of dry leaves, it's too dry. If it feels like I'm digging in mud or clay or applesauce, it's too wet. If it feels like I'm digging in damp leaves that easily fall apart, like you'd find on a moist forest floor, it's just right. I don't think I've ever had a bin get too dry on me. It's gotten too wet many times, in which case I mix in dry bedding to absorb the excess moisture. You'll get a feel for it after a while. In the meantime, so long as you have good drainage and lots of air holes, they're probably fine.

(3)I read somewhere too much or too little food which is too wet or too dry can cause problems - any guidelines?

See my answer above. If I'm mixing in really wet food (like applesauce or tomato sauce or any kind of sauce), I pour it into dry bedding and mix it up a bit. Dry food can be moistened with water, but it may also just absorb moisture from the bin. What I try to avoid is a bin that is so wet that it gloms together like mud or clay or applesauce, creating a compacted and anaerobic environment.

(4)How do you know when there are too many worms (not optimal) in one box ? (I am planning on making another box)

There reaches a point that when I make a hole in the bedding to feed them and I can pick up a random handful of bin contents and there are more worms than I can count in my hand. The handful almost feels slippery as opposed to moist because the compost is writhing with them. There may be an almost even worm-to-compost ratio. I say to myself, "Wow. That there is a LOT of worms." That's when I know it's time to give them some more space.

The other indicator is that any food I put in there disappears by the next day. That is a sign that the bin can't hold enough food at any given time to support its massive worm population. Time to expand and find another restaurant to give me their food scraps.

I'm sure that there are lots of other posters out there who have good experience to share. Do read the forums and you will learn a lot. Good luck as you embark on this new adventure, and let us know how it goes!

My response to her was welcome them in. Lizards yes will eat some of your worms, but they also will help control those nasty red centipedes and spiders, which I personally don't care for either one. Frogs are quickly becoming an endangered species so I say let them be. Lizards like frogs would be a welcome guest in any of my outdoor worm bins. You must be doing things right if they want to move in...

I guess I was like a new father for a while ;) worried
about everything ;)I've got nothing against other critters
but I'm a bit particular about them eating my investment ;)

In the end,I made a small bank of soil all around the
"wooden fence"/ enclosure and bought some fine alu screen
(like mosquito netting) and made a a frame. The frame sits
on top of the enclosure with a wide lip outside so that
nothing can get in/out except underneath.

As far as I know there's no other "predator" except birds
which would feed on the worms, so I think they are safe.

As far as watering goes, I just keep some buckets around
collecting rainwater and just shake a pan simulating short
burst of light rain every couple of days and I throw in
manure and compost every couple of days also. Now that
it is so cold, not sure whether it would be a good idea to
lower the amount of water / the cold rainwater may not
be too pleasing to the worms ;)

Now that it's getting around zero celsius over night,
I threw some narrow boards of wood across the wire mesh on
top of the enclosure, some concrete mesh, plastic foil and
stones on top to stop the wind blowing it away - and it
seems to work OK.

I don't do much digging (except light/shallow checks)
in the enclosure as I don't want to disturb anything - I
think it's best to leave them alone.

Next, I'm planning on building a mobile vermicomposting bin
and combining this with manure->composting + introducing
worms into the garden when I have sufficient numbers
(I'm paying the workers, so they may as well work where
it's needed most ;).

I installed an outdoor hot water faucet to blend with my well water for various plants like cucumbers and squash in the early spring. This faucet comes in handy in the winter to water the outdoor compost bin under my deck. Even though the surface freezes, adding hot water straight from the tap does not harm to the occupants. Come spring there are lots of red wigglers in this bin. I don't do a lot of turning in the winter, but come March out comes the potato fork and this bin gets watered and turned two or three times weekly.