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As in any life style change, there is an acclimation period for the worms. If worms have been raised with a particular feedstock or bedding material and are then transferred to a system that uses completely different material and feed, the worms may crawl away from the new, shockingly different habitat. Be aware of these acclimation needs.
Early on at the Worm Farm, I learned a valuable lesson. I did not put the harvested worms in the lighted holding room Monday evening. Come Tuesday morning, many worms were all over the floor. Thank goodness, most of the worms were still in the boxes but had balled up tightly and were heading for new horizons up the sides of the boxes and not dead on the concrete floor. I tell people not to leave the package of worms in your car overnight. You could have a real stinky mess the next morning. It’s just logical to give the worms a good home and they will do their job and stay there.
A few good questions to ask the grower that you purchase worms from are - What species of worm they raise, (Our red worms are of the genus/species Eisenia foetida. The specific composting worm, or Red Wigglers) , what bedding are they raised in, and what is their primary feedstock?. (ours is fresh cow manure). I feel that when worms are fed a very rich diet it is more difficult for the worms to adjust. Our worms are young and not as fat or gorged on grocery store complex foods. That’s a plus for the customer. Our worms are very healthy, active, and reproductive on just cow manure. So, they will not only reproduce in quantity of their numbers. They will double or quadruple in physical size. Thus, mathematically giving a much greater digestive capacity to create a larger mass of castings.
To keep worms in their new location so they'll adapt to a new environment, keep them in a place where you can leave a light on. Since worms are sensitive to light, they'll stay in the bin to avoid the light, unless in extreme condition of no food or no bedding, or too many worms for the food source. It is imperative that the light stay on at night during the acclimation period or you may wake up to a mass vermicide.
If you've had your system in operation for a while and the worms crawl off, perhaps you've changed their habitat by adding too much salty, oily or acidic material. Some people have used lime to adjust the pH and caused more harm than good. Crushed eggshells work very well to help balance your system and provide grit for the worm's digestion. The Worm Farm sells a worm bin conditioner that helps with the pH and grit content.
Just before and during a thunderstorm or any low-pressure system, it is natural for worms to crawl up and around the lid of a plastic worm bin. Worms are great natural barometers.
Overfeeding, too much moisture, poor bin design, or not enough ventilation can severely reduce the amount of air available to the worms. Anaerobic bacteria live in the absence of oxygen. If there is a foul smell in the bin it may indicate the presence of large numbers of anaerobic bacteria. If this occurs, the environment may lack enough oxygen for the worms to breathe and they may crawl outside of the bin seeking air or die. Be sure there are enough ventilation and drainage holes in your system and aerate the bedding promptly if a bad smell occurs.
W - Water - Too Much or Too Little
Too much water can cause the bedding to become so compacted that there aren't enough pockets of air for the worms to breathe. Putting wood chips, strips of cardboard, straw, etc., within the bedding can ensure that there is enough air throughout their environment.
Not enough water can cause your worms to try to escape, also. Lack of water will cause your castings to dry out and harden. The population of important microorganisms is lower when the castings dry out, thus diminishing their effectiveness. In order to produce the most useful castings, be sure to manage your moisture carefully. On our windrows, I’ve seen the worms will only feed up the moisture edge from the sprinklers.
Drainage is extremely important in any vermicomposting system
If you don't feed your worms regularly they may go looking elsewhere for needed sustenance. As in any eco-system there’s a fine balance of how much feed to five the worms.
But please DO NOT OVERFEED!!!
Each species of earthworm has different requirements, habits, and needs. People who raise worms must be aware of these idiosyncrasies taking advantage of the worms nature where possible and staying one step ahead of them when their more feral traits, are less compatible with cultivation. There is a variety of worm called “Tiger Worm.” In the past, we’ve had some brought to us to buy, which we will not do that anymore, because they are travelers and don’t stay home. You know, like a wondering dog. We have many tiger worms in the surrounding grounds because all of them have taken a hike from out growing rooms.
Those who try and fail, (whether with home vermicomposting or commercial) to keep a healthy worm population, probably have not done there homework or perhaps they have trouble with the concept of "enclosed ecosystems". The cure for the first of these problems is to get some books on the subject, I have brought some of the books that the Worm Farm sells to show you some available knowledge. We also have some videos. Check out the website.
Then read them, and apply the gleaned knowledge.
The second is a tad more complex as it requires a rudimentary understanding of 'ecology' and the life sustaining interaction between the various plants, animals, and in organics. I love the quote “ A gardener knows the secrets of life” which applies to you all.
When one domesticates an animal, which worms are, the welfare of that animal becomes the moral, (if not financial), responsibility of the perpetrator. To properly care for any such animal, particularly those with feral habits, one must provide conditions which will be conducive to the animals well being. To be able to provide such an environment, in a restricted area with highly concentrated populations, (abnormal but useful) without detrimental impact on the animals, requires extensive knowledge of the animal being raised. This knowledge allows one to stay a step ahead of potential problems, or to avoid those problems entirely by producing and maintaining, for the animal, an environment with which it is compatible. The handler/user is the one who put the worms in the box, bin, or pit...so that person is responsible for their welfare. Fortunately, it isn't really all that complicated...
In other words ya gotta be smarter than the worms to successfully raise them. I think it is safe to say that just about anyone willing to invest the time in learning about the worm variety they intend to raise and putting forth reasonable effort and diligence in their care, should find that their worm populations will do very well indeed! It really isn't that big a deal.
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