Comments on: Worms Are Crawling Out Of The Worm Bin http://www.urbanorganicgardener.com/2010/02/worms-are-crawling-out-of-the-worm-bin/ Growing My Own Food Tue, 07 Feb 2012 21:45:00 +0000 hourly 1 By: Mike Lieberman http://www.urbanorganicgardener.com/2010/02/worms-are-crawling-out-of-the-worm-bin/#comment-8732 Mike Lieberman Sun, 20 Nov 2011 15:52:00 +0000 http://www.urbanorganicgardener.com/?p=1691#comment-8732 Thanks will do if I try again. Thanks will do if I try again.

]]> By: Sales http://www.urbanorganicgardener.com/2010/02/worms-are-crawling-out-of-the-worm-bin/#comment-8728 Sales Sun, 20 Nov 2011 03:23:00 +0000 http://www.urbanorganicgardener.com/?p=1691#comment-8728 Think you should just put some drry paper on top. They won't climb if it's too dry for them. Think you should just put some drry paper on top. They won’t climb if it’s too dry for them.

]]> By: Mike Lieberman http://www.urbanorganicgardener.com/2010/02/worms-are-crawling-out-of-the-worm-bin/#comment-8170 Mike Lieberman Mon, 12 Sep 2011 16:13:00 +0000 http://www.urbanorganicgardener.com/?p=1691#comment-8170 Thanks for the advice! Thanks for the advice!

]]> By: Annejones_4 http://www.urbanorganicgardener.com/2010/02/worms-are-crawling-out-of-the-worm-bin/#comment-8161 Annejones_4 Thu, 08 Sep 2011 04:15:00 +0000 http://www.urbanorganicgardener.com/?p=1691#comment-8161 Sorry bout your worms! Mine are outside year round. They all go in the center when it's cold. So im not sure temperature is a problem.I think your bin looked a little dry. I read it should be like a wrung out sponge. I have a commercial bin with drainage so they won't drown. I just pitch my kitchen scraps in weekly. I don't really use bedding. I do take the shredded documents we discard and run water over them and pitch on top. I do this infrequently. I think they don't like being disturbed. I don't look at them for weeks at a time. I've had a colony for 4 years. Don't over think it. They don't have brains, and they don't "escape". They are invertebrate, primitive worms. Sorry bout your worms! Mine are outside year round. They all go in the center when it’s cold. So im not sure temperature is a problem.I think your bin looked a little dry. I read it should be like a wrung out sponge. I have a commercial bin with drainage so they won’t drown. I just pitch my kitchen scraps in weekly. I don’t really use bedding. I do take the shredded documents we discard and run water over them and pitch on top. I do this infrequently. I think they don’t like being disturbed. I don’t look at them for weeks at a time. I’ve had a colony for 4 years. Don’t over think it. They don’t have brains, and they don’t “escape”. They are invertebrate, primitive worms.

]]> By: Mike Lieberman http://www.urbanorganicgardener.com/2010/02/worms-are-crawling-out-of-the-worm-bin/#comment-2873 Mike Lieberman Sun, 01 Aug 2010 23:30:07 +0000 http://www.urbanorganicgardener.com/?p=1691#comment-2873 I've started using The Worm Factory 360 and have had much better success. I've started using The Worm Factory 360 and have had much better success.

]]> By: luke http://www.urbanorganicgardener.com/2010/02/worms-are-crawling-out-of-the-worm-bin/#comment-2869 luke Sun, 01 Aug 2010 09:20:35 +0000 http://www.urbanorganicgardener.com/?p=1691#comment-2869 Lite on the water and feed them lettuce for 2 weeks,then start alternating with frozen mixed vegetable that have been thawed completely,then lite on the fruits.I just have alot of luck with a vegetarian diet for them hope this help's you DON'T GIVE UP YOU'LL GET IT!!AND THEN IT WILL BE FUN NOT LIKE A JOB!! Lite on the water and feed them lettuce for 2 weeks,then start alternating with frozen mixed vegetable that have been thawed completely,then lite on the fruits.I just have alot of luck with a vegetarian diet for them hope this help's you DON'T GIVE UP YOU'LL GET IT!!AND THEN IT WILL BE FUN NOT LIKE A JOB!!

]]> By: Mike Lieberman http://www.urbanorganicgardener.com/2010/02/worms-are-crawling-out-of-the-worm-bin/#comment-2446 Mike Lieberman Tue, 22 Jun 2010 18:44:09 +0000 http://www.urbanorganicgardener.com/?p=1691#comment-2446 Definitely helps Debi. I've since started to use a Worm Factory 360 and have had much more success. It's been about 3-4 months now and the worms are still alive and doin well. <br><br>I appreciate your advice and input. You obviously have experience with this. Definitely helps Debi. I've since started to use a Worm Factory 360 and have had much more success. It's been about 3-4 months now and the worms are still alive and doin well.

I appreciate your advice and input. You obviously have experience with this.

]]> By: Debi http://www.urbanorganicgardener.com/2010/02/worms-are-crawling-out-of-the-worm-bin/#comment-2445 Debi Tue, 22 Jun 2010 17:03:06 +0000 http://www.urbanorganicgardener.com/?p=1691#comment-2445 Worms are like us in that they are a bit finicky about their living conditions. We don't like to be too wet or too dry and neither do they. We also don't like to be too hot or too cold and neither do they. We can handle extremes for only so long and then we try to find better living conditions. Worms will do the same. It looks like you have your bin on the floor and that your floor is possibly tile. I saw another site that had the same problem (her worms were trying to escape) and she had her bin on a tile floor as well. The worms got too cold and so they started crawling out. She put the bin in a place that was a bit warmer (but not too warm) and her worms did fine after that. They did their worm duty and composting her food just fine. <br><br>You can keep the moisture under control with about 1 or 2 inches of tightly packed moisture-absorbent material placed in the bottom of the container and also draining off any standing liquid -- try a turkey baster if necessary. <br><br>If you have no other place to put your worm bin but the spot you've been using, I would try putting a blanket or a stack of newspapers under the bin to keep it off the floor.... just something to make it a little warmer for them. <br><br>You also have to base the amount of food scraps you put in the bin on the amount of worms you have. They can only eat half their weight per day and if you overfeed them, then you run the risk of producing a toxic environment for them due to the rotting food. If you underfeed them though, you will run the risk of exposing them to an equally toxic situation because they will be eating their own castings, which is not healthy for them. Worms tend to stay within the top 6 inches or so of the soil making up their home. If all the food is gone, then they're living in their own excrement and eating that to keep themselves alive. That will only sustain them for just so long (like us being shipwrecked in the ocean and having to drink our own pee to survive as opposed to drinking ocean water which will drive us crazy and then kill us). <br><br>There are a lot of variants that need to be finely tuned in vermicomposting but it would be a shame for you to give up because of a couple of mistakes. There are plenty of people that are successful at doing this. I'm sure you can be one of them. It just takes a bit of practice and keeping an eye on the worm's environment.<br><br>Hope this helps! :) Worms are like us in that they are a bit finicky about their living conditions. We don't like to be too wet or too dry and neither do they. We also don't like to be too hot or too cold and neither do they. We can handle extremes for only so long and then we try to find better living conditions. Worms will do the same. It looks like you have your bin on the floor and that your floor is possibly tile. I saw another site that had the same problem (her worms were trying to escape) and she had her bin on a tile floor as well. The worms got too cold and so they started crawling out. She put the bin in a place that was a bit warmer (but not too warm) and her worms did fine after that. They did their worm duty and composting her food just fine.

You can keep the moisture under control with about 1 or 2 inches of tightly packed moisture-absorbent material placed in the bottom of the container and also draining off any standing liquid — try a turkey baster if necessary.

If you have no other place to put your worm bin but the spot you've been using, I would try putting a blanket or a stack of newspapers under the bin to keep it off the floor…. just something to make it a little warmer for them.

You also have to base the amount of food scraps you put in the bin on the amount of worms you have. They can only eat half their weight per day and if you overfeed them, then you run the risk of producing a toxic environment for them due to the rotting food. If you underfeed them though, you will run the risk of exposing them to an equally toxic situation because they will be eating their own castings, which is not healthy for them. Worms tend to stay within the top 6 inches or so of the soil making up their home. If all the food is gone, then they're living in their own excrement and eating that to keep themselves alive. That will only sustain them for just so long (like us being shipwrecked in the ocean and having to drink our own pee to survive as opposed to drinking ocean water which will drive us crazy and then kill us).

There are a lot of variants that need to be finely tuned in vermicomposting but it would be a shame for you to give up because of a couple of mistakes. There are plenty of people that are successful at doing this. I'm sure you can be one of them. It just takes a bit of practice and keeping an eye on the worm's environment.

Hope this helps! :)

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