Although there are thousands of types of earthworms, the worms that we sell with the bins are the Red Worm or Red Wiggler (Eisenia foetida). These guys are special because they prefer the top layer of the soil as opposed to the usual "tunnel-diggers". They are "compost-making-machines". They are very sociable creatures so do not mind a big conglomerate of worms. They also eat very fast and a lot so your compost will be produced in 3 months and not 2 years! And apparently they are excellent for fishing. In order to survive being in the top-soil they genetically multiply faster than most other types of worms.
The red wiggler breeds well in wormbins, assuming their basic needs are met.
The adult red wiggler (identified by a "saddle" for reproduction) is generally 5cm to 10cm long with a reddish/purple colour, but their appearance and overall physical characteristics can actually vary quite considerably. They can range in colour from a light orange (almost opaque) to dark purple, sometimes with stripes. One characteristic that does seem to be fairly consistent among specimens of this species is the yellow tail tip.
Red wiiglers are quite tolerant of a wide range of temperatures - from freezing to 35 ‘C, so they do very well both indoors and outdoors. However, the optimal breeding temperature is 15-20 ‘C, while the optimal temperature for maximum growth and waste processing ability is closer to 25 ‘C.
Hints for happy worms
Light: Worms usually live underground so they thrive in an environment that is cool, dark and moist. However, when you just purchased a wormbin and added the worms it is a good idea to keep the light on for the first few nights. This will stop them from “packing their bags and coming back to us - if they could”!
Moisture: Worms like moisture and should not be allowed to dry out. A light spray of fresh water when the worm farm is first constructed will generally provide sufficient moisture for the farm, but sometimes more spraying is required during the farm operation, especially in windy, dry areas. But if you add too much extra water or allow rainwater to fill the trays, the worms may drown. The soil must be “moist” not “wet”! In hot, moist or rainy areas the lid can be replaced with dry newspapers. One could even add shredded paper
Food:
Redworms are voracious eaters. Most people tend to over-feed initially. But once the worms are settled in and growing, give them a good supply of suitable food. Like people, their diet should not change drastically too often and never too much of one product – a balanced diet is all they need
Worms like most vegetable and fruit scraps (except citris, onions and pineapple - COPs!), but as worms do not have teeth, scraps could be cut into small pieces if one wants the composting process to go faster. Worms need a small amount of sand added to the food for their digestion system.
Worms also like:
Composted manure (cattle, horses, goats or rabbits) is also a treat but please no droppings from any type of bird (has too much urine) and rather not any dog poo! Also check that the animals were not dewormed.
It's a good idea to store the food scraps in a container for a week before giving them to worms. The worms like old and "prefermented" food.
What they do not like:
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