New worm bin, worms crawling on the sides- settling in period?

14 years ago

Hello :)

I just set up my first worm bin today, and have noticed (~7hrs later) that some worms are crawling on the sides and on the lid. There were only about 4-5 on the sides out of 1/2lb of worms, but I've read this could be a sign that they're unhappy. Should I be worried about my conditions already, or could the worms just be unhappy that they're in a new environment? Or do a few routinely wander up the sides? Do they need time to adjust before I become really concerned?

My setup was made based on my local extension office's instructions. It's a large styrofoam cooler with about 15 pencil-sized air holes around the sides and maybe 9 in the bottom. There is a piece of screening over the bottom holes to keep the worms in. Bedding is damp shredded newsprint with a bit of outside dirt and whatever bedding the worms came in. For food, I put in one chopped up carrot top (about 3/4" of the root, no leaves) to start. The box is located just outside my kitchen door in a kind of enclosed entryway- not heated or cooled, but the temp outside right now is around 55 degrees and it's probably a touch warmer where they are.

Thanks for any advice!!! I really hope my little experiment works out :)

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Comments (4)

fosteem1
14 years ago
Welcome foxtailskies,

Worms like the moisture in the condensation on the top and sides of the bin. If it is only a few worms don't worry too much.

It will take a few days for the carrot tops to break down enough for the worms to start eating them. And the carrot itself may not break down for quite a while. Any root type plant will think you are planting it and try to grow.

To make food more 'worm ready' you can freeze it first. Then thaw and feed. Freezing breaks down the cell walls and allows the microbes into the cells more quickly. It is the micro organisms the worms are going for. For a far better explanation on how that works see the very recent post "Red 'wigglers?'". lkittle did a wonderful job explaining it all 2/3 of the way down the posts.

55F is too cool for the worms. The microbes slow down and the worms pretty much stop eating at that temperature. Room temps are more comfortable for them. Even mid 60's would be an improvement.

Here is a link that might be useful: Red 'Wigglers?'
steamyb
14 years ago
Welcome to worming! You might want to read "Worms Eat My Garbage" available at half.com. This book is pretty much the bible of worming in these parts and most (if not all ) of your questions are covered in it. It is the reference book for most of us wormy folks.
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jonas302
14 years ago
Congrats on your new worm box thats pretty cool the ex office had info on them

Your not doing anything wrong when worms first move in leave the lid off and a light on to keep them in hiding underground they will get used to the new home and settle down in a few days

Start feeding in few days and let the fun begin
The worms will slow down in cooler temps but they will be fine if it doesn't get to much colder there my basment runs about 55-60 and they are definatly slower than outside in the summer
ncdirtdigger
14 years ago
It would have been better if you had set up the bin a couple weeks prior to adding the worms. This would have allowed the bacteria to start breaking down the food and the worms would have food right away. If you have any compost, you could give them some of that to hold them over until your food starts breaking down.