What’s The Best Way To Ship Worms?

Posted on Mar 15 2010 - 5:21am by Mike Lieberman

Now that I’ll be moving my garden and life out to LA, I think that I’ve gotten this worm composting thing down.

It’s been almost a week since I’ve started using The Worm Factory 360 and it’s the most lively that any of my worms have been. That’s not saying much because my worms have mostly wound up dead after a few days.

The fact that the worms are doing well is all peaches and cream, but I need to figure out how to get the worms out there as well. Getting the bin out there will be easy enough, but the worms could prove to be tricky.

I could very well just trash the worms and buy a new set when I arrive in LA, but that would be wasteful considering that I just got these worms and they are doing so well.

Since my flight to LA is in the evening, I was planning on scooping up the worms before heading out the airport and putting them in a large coffee container for the flight.

Do you think this will work? What are your suggestions for shipping the worms?
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFX1UOaReXc

14 Comments so far. Feel free to join this conversation.

  1. Melissa March 15, 2010 at 12:25 pm -

    Why don't you give them back to the lady who sold them to you and then buy more once you get to LA? That way you don't have to mess with them on them on the plane. But I think the can would work if it is plastic and can go through the scaner.

  2. Mike Lieberman March 15, 2010 at 1:00 pm -

    I can very likely do that, but am seeing this as my “First LA Challenge.” Will I be able to ship the worms? There is no added expense to shipping them, so it's worth finding out. Like you said, if not, I can just buy more when I'm out there.

    I plan on putting them in a checked bag/box.

  3. truecrimson March 15, 2010 at 6:21 pm -

    A lot of luggage goes in unpresurized compartments depending on the airline, and type of plane. For a relatively local flight like NY to Philly you might never get high enough for it to matter, but for NY to LA you're going to be up high. If you tell them it's live animals then they will be placed in a presurized hold, but you will probably have to pay a fee. Then again, worms are pretty basic biologically and they might be fine.

    I know people who mail live snakes across the country in the regular mail by writing “live crickets” on the box. Crickets are apparently OK to mail. Live worms might be OK as well.

  4. Mike Lieberman March 15, 2010 at 8:00 pm -

    Interesting info. They worms are $20, so paying any kind of high fees doesn't make economic sense. I think putting them into the container and attempting to keep cool will be the best bet. It'll be a good experiment.

  5. Matti March 16, 2010 at 4:21 pm -

    I think as long as they do not freeze, they should survive. I have seen these little heat packets that you could put on the box that should keep them warm enough.

  6. Mike Lieberman March 16, 2010 at 6:25 pm -

    Thanks. Some people are saying to keep them warm and some cool. Interesting.

  7. Jamie March 17, 2010 at 6:38 pm -

    My worms were shipped to me. They came by mail so I'm assuming they were shipped by air in some way. They were just in a double-bagged paper grocery bag full of dirt and worms, inside of a box. Nothing special. However you ship them is probably fine. But that wormhole recommendation is probably your best option if you can work that out.

  8. Mike Lieberman March 17, 2010 at 7:17 pm -

    I'm looking into getting that wormhole created. It definitely is my best option.

  9. Jacque April 23, 2010 at 4:48 pm -

    I haven't seen anything yet… did the worms survive the trip?

  10. Mike Lieberman April 24, 2010 at 1:24 am -

    They totally made it and are doing very well.

  11. Mynaileen July 26, 2010 at 5:12 am -

    it is now hot summer days here in midwest. we want to take our worms with us to where we work overseas (pakistan)

    but…we worry that if placed in checked bags they may a) die of heat, or b) die from lack of air due to length of flight – about 50 hours from being packed to unpacked.

    do you think a pound of bedding and worms would get through TSA airport security? would worms survive x-ray machine?

    thanks fro sharing ideas…

  12. Mike Lieberman July 26, 2010 at 2:43 pm -

    I think the worms will def make it through security. If they survive or not, I am not sure. I can tell you that mine did. The worst thing that happens is that they don't and you have to buy more.

  13. Growfromhere January 18, 2011 at 1:13 am -

    Deep container with heaps of mulch and air holes too small to escape from – recently dropped a supermarket bag fill of worms and compost starter (rotting stuff) on a public bus – whoops

  14. Mike Lieberman January 18, 2011 at 2:14 am -

    Just packed them in my checked baggage in some coffee containers. Made it ok!

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