which worms to put in your bin and why

[mad librettist]

ok, I thought this might be a good idea, because the options have really expanded since red wigglers hit the scene.

I use reds and also african nightcrawlers, because my bin develops dry areas the africans like, and it gets hot in the summer (can't be helped).


the only issue with african nightcrawlers is they will try to leave if they don't like your bin


I know people are using different worms - let's hear about it!

 

[Bullfrog44]

Got my Red wigglers yesterday! 3 pounds in my bin as we speak. Went with the red wigglers because most sights said they are the fastest eaters and the easiest to stay alive.

 

[ixnay007]

ok, I thought this might be a good idea, because the options have really expanded since red wigglers hit the scene.

I use reds and also african nightcrawlers, because my bin develops dry areas the africans like, and it gets hot in the summer (can't be helped).


the only issue with african nightcrawlers is they will try to leave if they don't like your bin


I know people are using different worms - let's hear about it!

Heh I got a mental picture of african nightcawlers leaving your bin going "f you mad, your bin is horrible garbage"

 

[h.h.]

I just have the reds to start with. I'd like some blues if someone has a source.

 

[River-Running]

Mad L

In the new reactor I started with about 12 lbs. of Red Worms and then added 10 lbs. of the Malaysian Blues

Malaysian Blues Factoids (Reader's Digest Version)

2x the reproduction rate of Red Worms - a good thing.

When fully mature (about 8 months) they will only hit 2.75" and you will never achieve anything approaching the increased girth with other composting worms from feeding grains and other methods used by fishing worm breeders. These worms are very tiny in circumference resulting in very small castings. If you can live with that then you're dancing.

The meme is that these are 'tropical worms' - they are not. Their origin is in the Himalayas (according to 15 Entomologists but they could be wrong!) and through human intervention arrived in South India where their use spread to Malaysia, Cambodia, etc. where they picked-up the 'tropical' moniker. From what I understand this species is the 'normal' worm used in Hawaii for vermicomposting. Then again that comes from the chair of Entomology studies at the University of Hawaii - cite available if required.

They are definitely a high-prodction species to consider using.

HTH

RR

 

[h.h.]

So where'd you get the blues? The sources I find all say " not available".

 

[Toes.]

I just bought those Canadian night crawlers sold at wally world. They're FAT. and can survive outside in the winter months.

they're eating, pooping and reproducing well.

I was going to order some reds online but, after i got these, I haven't given it much more thought.

 

[River-Running]

HH

Source

They don't appear on the order guide but they breed and sell this species along with Euros and Reds. If you order a pound of worms from these folks that's what you'll get - a full pound.

RR

 

[h.h.]

Thanks. I sent them an e-mail.

 

[Microbeman]

HH

Source

They don't appear on the order guide but they breed and sell this species along with Euros and Reds. If you order a pound of worms from these folks that's what you'll get - a full pound.

RR

Thanks for the resource, not to be confused with Northwest Wrigglers...almost as many worm dealers as lawyers these days. I was trying to get a quote from Northwest Wrigglers last summer on a bulk purchase and then discovered they were middling for another farm. I ended up driving to Yelm and paid for 200 pounds of worms there. We got a spectacular deal at $16/pound and I'm pretty sure we got at least 10 extra pounds. There is a farm in California where one can buy bulk at $13 but that was a little to far to go. http://www.sonomavalleyworms.com

On the subject of weighing worms, there is a practice used by some farms where they have the worms mixed with cast or bedding and weigh it out at double the worms you are buying and estimate your worms this way. Usually this works in the seller's favor. The correct way is to completely separate the worms and then weigh them.

 

[xmobotx]

my bathtub is populated w/ all natives

i found manure worms gathering horse manure and though they may not be red wigglers, they are very similar and seem to function very similar in the bin

any time i find worms "stranded" they go in the bin so there's nightcrawlers and a similar though smaller variety

the first season i ran the bin, it got super crowded and converted nearly the entire bathtub of horse manure into castings

the following spring, the worm population returned w/ no additions despite the tub weathering the winter - by now the volume of material in the tub was at about half in spite of coffe ground addition as well as kitchen scraps - so, i topped it off w/ more aged horse manure

diggin into the bin, i found many of all the various worms -finding the nightcrawlers at deeper depths (which they were still sharing w/ the manure worms)

presently the tub is frozen - if it thaws (it probably will) i may dump it into a garbage can and bring that indoors to get a fresh start on the spring thaw

 

[Headbandf1]

All the gardening show talk about different types but they all in the end say go to a local bait store and get the cheap red wigglers cause they reproduce quickly and are on the higher end of volume composted in a month.

I never thought about my nightcrawler not being indigenous, But my yard is full of them. I was rota-tilling and collected 7 pounds of worms and worm pieces. Is there a native united states or california nightcrawler?

 

[xmobotx]

where i say "native" maybe it should be "collected local"
?

 

[stak]

.

 

[mad librettist]

any worm is gonna try to leave a bin if they don't like the conditions, but nightcrawlers will leave a bin even if it is a perfect environment. they almost don't have a choice, they're nightcrawlers, it's in their nature to venture out and wander around when it's dark out. I hang a small 4w cfl over my bin and when the nightcrawlers try to poke their heads out they assume it's daytime and they'll crawl right back into the bin.

Welcome stak!

I hear ya, but we aren't really talking nightcrawlers as you know them. Africans are a composting worm similar to red worms.

 

[Microbeman]

Light is a good way to keep worms in place. That is what we use in our outdoor covered piles. One time we had a power failure when away for 4 days, while it was raining out and many worms headed on out.

 

[mofeta]

Is there a native united states or california nightcrawler?

Here is a good paper on the earthworms of the USA and Canada.

It is interesting to note that there were no earthworms in New England or the northern midwest states before the white man came to the area. Some people claim that the accidental introduction of earthworms to this area is a ecological disaster:

Ships bellied up to Jamestown and loaded up with barrels of tobacco leaves. To balance the weight, sailors dumped out ballast, mostly stones and soil. That dirt almost certainly contained English earthworms.

And little worms can trigger big changes. The hardwood forests of New England and the upper Midwest, for instance, have no native earthworms—they were apparently wiped out in the last Ice Age. In such worm-free woodlands, leaf litter piles up in drifts on the forest floor. But when earthworms are introduced, they can do away with the litter in a few months. The problem is that northern trees and shrubs beneath the forest canopy depend on that litter for food. Without it, water leaches away nutrients formerly stored in the litter. The forest becomes more open and dry, losing much of its understory, including tree seedlings.

Whether the night crawler and the red marsh worm actually first arrived on Rolfe's tobacco ships is not known. What is clear is that much of the northern forests in America were worm free until the Europeans arrived there, inadvertently importing earthworms on the root-balls of their plants or in the ballast of ships. The effects of this earthworm invasion have been slow to show themselves because the creatures don't spread rapidly on their own. "If they're born in your backyard, they'll stay inside the fence their whole lives," says John Reynolds, editor of Megadrilogica, the premier earthworm journal. But over time, the effect on the ecosystem can be dramatic.

Source for above

Here is another interesting article about invasive worm species in North America.

The upshot of all this is that if you live in New England, northern midwest (Michigan Wisconsin etc.), the worms in your yard are almost certainly introduced. If you live in the south or southwest, inland, there is a much greater chance of there being native worms in your yard. Arizona and New Mexico, and inland desert SoCal are especially rich in native worms.

 

[stak]

.

 

[ixnay007]

Here is a good paper on the earthworms of the USA and Canada.

It is interesting to note that there were no earthworms in New England or the northern midwest states before the white man came to the area. Some people claim that the accidental introduction of earthworms to this area is a ecological disaster:



Source for above

Here is another interesting article about invasive worm species in North America.

The upshot of all this is that if you live in New England, northern midwest (Michigan Wisconsin etc.), the worms in your yard are almost certainly introduced. If you live in the south or southwest, inland, there is a much greater chance of there being native worms in your yard. Arizona and New Mexico, and inland desert SoCal are especially rich in native worms.

Are they seriously saying that earthworms deplete the soil?

 

[ixnay007]

Hmm 500 server errors don't mean resend your posts..