WORM BIN MAINTENANCE

STORAGE TEMPERATURE:
Eisenia fetida will tolerate a temperature range of 38-88 degrees Fahrenheit, but their ideal range is 70-80 degrees Fahrenheit. If worms have a bin which allows escape to cooler pockets, worms can survive above 90 degrees, but not much higher. Emergency cool-down measures include adding ice or dry bedding to the worm bin. Dry bedding should be mixed into the existing bedding.

THE BIN LID
Cover the worm bin with a sheet of dark plastic, a piece of carpet, or a lid to retain moisture, prevent flies from entering, and to keep the worms in. The worms will initially be very active, especially at night, and some may try to escape. To discourage them from leaving, the bin should be placed without its cover under a bright light for one or more weeks, until the worms have settled down. Some worms will naturally congregate on the bin lid, where moisture collects. Small masses of worms will sometimes collect there for mating. If this number seems unusually large, it could be an indicator that conditions are not right in the bin, either too wet, too dry, to acidic, too hot, too cold, compacted and in need of harvesting, or anaerobic, in need of aerating. Feel free to call or email Melissa Jordan here at Wormpost Northeast with questions.

FLIES
Make sure that you are not overfeeding the worms, as this may cause unpleasant odor and proliferation of fruit flies. A sheet of moist cardboard or newspaper should be placed over the entire bedding surface and the bin lid kept on to prevent fruit flies from breeding. A few fruit flies are fine. Fruit flies are not harmful to worms, but they can be annoying to humans. The easiest solution is to hang a pest strip above the worm box. Another solution is to use a fruit fly trap. According to Happy D Ranch (www.happydranch.com/invertebrates/fruitfly.html) fruit fly traps “...made using a small pop bottle or fruit juice bottle can be effective against the adults. Two drops of soap to break surface tension is mixed with fruit juice, beer, or apple cider as an attractant. Fruit flies are attracted to the fruit juice and become trapped when they land to lay eggs. The trap can be even more effective by placing saran wrap over the mouth of the bottle and punching holes in the center of the saran wrap with a needle. The holes are made just big enough for the fruit fly to enter. The flies will be attracted by the juice, enter through the holes but cannot find their way out.” For those who prefer not to look at dead fruit flies a tidy solution is a commercial fruit fly trap in an attractive container, both sold at Gardener’s Supply Company (search under fruit fly traps). The neatest, least wasteful approach of all, however, may be to inoculate your worm bin with beneficial nematodes, which destroy the fruit fly larvae.

Worm Bin Design | Worm Bin Set Up | Harvesting the Worm Bin