Worm Questions and Answers

worms not eating much and won't move up 
Hi. I started my vermiculture over 5 months ago with healthy wrigglers gifted from a friend, plus bought stackable (3 trays) composting system. I …

What can I add 
Are the following safe to add to worm farm (please!): 1. Orange peel. 2. Avocado skins – and stones. 3. Banana skins 4. Paper towel scraps 5. Vacuum …

Are herbal and fruit infusion bags ok for worm farms? 
We all know worms love teabags (Camellia sinensis) but what about herbal and fruit infusion bags such as camomile and spiced apple, lemon and ginger, mango …

Architect eric lugartos 
Does it stink when I put cow dung in my worm bin? Will it smell bad?

Restarting worm farm 
I need to restart my worm farm because the maggots have killed them all and it's stinky. Where do I dispose of the current contents? I'm in NSW.

friend looking for worms  
my friend wants to know how to look for worms during the night time. Does she have to wait for the worms to come out for her to get them? And she wanted …

Finding the Right Type of Soil 
I started my first worm bin about 3 months ago. They were doing pretty well until I noticed some of them trying to escape. That told me they weren't happy …

Weird torpedo shaped burgundy-colored worm in my garden. 
Hope you can help identify a thing I found while turning over (10" deep) the soil in my little garden, I dug up a weird type of worm that I have never …

White growth and then dried up crusty worm bin 
The bottom bin of my worm bin dried up and turned white on top and dry brown crusty underneath and was spreading to the top bin. It starts with a white …

Ann C 
Hi, I've recently installed a Dog Poo worm farm in my garden and over the past couple of months have added the starter coir material as supplied with the …

brown ticks in bin 
I have several worm bins which are doing really well. I've had them for approx 7 mos. They were started with composted horse manure, peat, shredded cardboard …

Why so muddy? 
First I will admit to not being the most conscientious "worm parent" but the bin is healthy, growing still producing. My question is why is it so "muddy" …

Time of year matter? 
I'm brand new to worm composting, and I wanted to know, since winter will be coming on in a couple months in my area, if it is too late in the season to …

Rand Berger 
My question has to do with borax - is it toxic to earthworms? Because it has many uses around the home and garden I thought I would try it in my worm beds. …

lazy worms? 
My worms seem to prefer to burrow into old lower tray rather than travel up to the next fresh tray. The old tray is full of castings and ready to harvest …

Newspaper bedding made with crosscut shredder 
I am about to start my first worm bin. The most convenient bedding material for me would be shredded newspaper. I will be buying a shredder to make …

Castings Stored in Freezing Temperatures 
Can completed castings be stored outside in the snow without killing the beneficial microorganisms that make it great? Storing compost in the warmth …

Ms 
I made an in-ground worm bin from a medium sized metal garbage pail and lid. It is almost full of worms and worm castings but I don't know how to separate …

Leachate 
So, I'm i understanding that the less leachate that drains out is better? I have a three tier bin with the wire bottoms and have an extra tray below to …

Keeping Nightcrawlers from escaping 
Someone wrote they kept theirs in by smearing vasoline treated with salt on the lip of the bin. Will this discourage them or kill them?

Worms on top 
Two months ago I started a worm farm with 1000 worms. I have noticed that a lot of worms group together at the top of my bin, just below the cardboard …

Fire ants in my worm bin! 
I live in south central Florida, I have a Rubbermaid tub bin, and my worms have been doing well for the last 2 years bedded in shredded newspaper. …

Invasive Pest on the side of the worm bins  
I have no idea what this is in my worm bins. I have taken all my worms out - cleaned the bins - and put when worms back in. Within a week these "shells" …

Red wiggles pushing dirt out of tray 
I have 8 months time and obviously no experience with worms ( other than for fishing). Now I want to make worm poop for me, family, and friends. I …

Click here to write your own.

Worm Feeding 
Is it best to mix the food with bedding when feeding my worms?

worms turning yellow-help! 
I have been managing a worm farm 360 for 7 years and the worms always look healthy and pink. I recently added a new tray which i have done dozens of times …

Worm temporary storage  
My worms arrived 2 weeks earlier than they were suppose to. My "farm" is not set up yet. How can I store them safely for a couple days while I set it up? …

Silverfish in wormfarm 
How can i get rid of these pesky silverfish? They are getting worse and worried that they will completely take over before too long

tiny, tiny moving white specks 
Tiny moving off white specks, can't seive out when processing worm tea...what are they please, and are we better off without them? Are they harmful to …

Worm ladder 
I have a worm factory 360. My concern is that I am constantly picking the worms out of the worm ladder and placing them where they should be. I also …

dead worms 
Hi, When the worms die off in the worm bin or in a garden tower, do they need to be removed, or can they be left to stay and decompose naturally? …

Michelle 
Do worms regenerate / regrow if cut in half when digging over the soil ??

Silt clogging watering can rose 
Pauly, I'm practising your methods but I'm stuck on one element. My watering can rose is clogging despite making the holes larger, twice. To make aerated …

Bin Left Outside During Freezing Winter Months 
Hi Pauly, I'm new to composting and began with the intent to create and manage an indoor bin, as I live in a city apartment. However, shortly after …

How can I increase the worm tea concentration for watering with a venturi device 
Hi Pauly I bought a 'Hose n Fert' venturi device to use my garden hose to apply my fertilizer. It requires 15-1 rather than the worm tea 10 to one. …

Worm Experiment 
Hello worm experts! I am working on an experiment using worms for my senior science project. I have heard that worms neutralize the pH of the soil, so …

My worms died so quickly  
I don’t know why did my worms die within three days, but let me tell you what I did in details. 1. I have a plastic bin with good ventilation in lid …

Catherine 
Hi Pauly, I bought a second-hand worm farm a few months ago complete with worms etc. The worms have multiplied rapidly and I began to think there were …

Worm distributor 
Hi I have just bought a worm farm business had a problem with my worms in the buckets I sell them in. They are all very moist and my worms have died. …

No Liquid 
I had a worm farm in taupo but since being in taradale there is no liquid produced. I take the lid off and it is all dry. There are little white worms …

Theo 
Hi! Pauly. I came across an article on the internet in which this person states that he has a sure fire 100% method of converting worm bedding into …

Tomato and Squash seeds 
Hi, I have a Worm Factory. with five bins, Every 5 weeks I take the bottom bin and use the castings in my garden. I find that the seeds from the tomatoes …

PH problems 
I put my worms in a windrow for the winter. A farmer gave me some cantaloupes of various degrees of ripeness. I piled them about a foot deep on one …

Can I Mix different Worm Species? 
Hi! Can I mix different worm species? Thanks. Theo

Using Perculate to Boost Degrading Process 
Hello, I was wondering whether or not spraying either the fluids from the bottom over the bin over the top again will boost the degrading process. Does …

Getting rid of maggots  
We recently had a very hot day, temperature in excess of 40 degrees C, and my shade cloth cover for my worm farm became detached and was blown off and …

Amount of Compost With 100k Worms 
Hello, What is the total amount of compost monthly with 100k worms? The minimum and maximum amount? Thanks in advance

Have I fed too little food? 
My worm bin was doing great, producing castings very nicely. However, now I have fewer castings and lots more of big hunks of chewed up newspaper. Do …

john 
I believe I have worms in my backyard which are causing little mounds all over the yard. When I mow it is like mowing over a very bumpy road. If …

Click here to write your own.

Worms Clustered On Edges 
I have had a successful worm bin for 1 and 1/2 years. Now they all seem to be only on edges (worm factory 360). I let the top bin get a bit too full I …

Alabama Jumpers Suitable for Composting Worms? 
Hey Pauly, love your videos. Thx for replying to the questions I've asked you on your YouTube Channel. Can you tell me if Alabama Jumpers are okay to use …

Beach Farmer 
I harvest the castings all winter long. I'm wondering if I'm storing them properly for spring usage. How should we store the castings when waiting to …

What is the white fungus like stuff growing on the bottom of my worm bin? 
I lifted my bin yesterday to check if any worms had fallen through the bottom and found this white stuff growing on the outside bottom of the bin. …

Adding Microbes To The Worm Bin? 
Hi Pauly, I have my new worm farm set up with a coco, paper, pumice, bedding, and I've added some ground up veggies in one corner and some ground up …

Heaps of Worms Escaping 
I have just been out to my worm farm and noticed on the outside that heaps of worms were trying to get out and when I opened it all the worms were on the …

What are ideal conditions? 
I've heard so much about how fast worms mature through different cycles in ideal conditions. I grow Alabama Jumpers. The maturing cocoon is said to be …

disapearing worms 
I made a worm farm with mushroom compost and did every thing I was supposed to feed them and added worm left over from fishing about 2 dozen I then …

worm friendly 
Hello , I am gettining a white mould in some parts of my worm farm , could you tell me if this is normal or is the ph level or something else happening? …

Should you add worms to the tray when adding another tray? 
I have a flow through system similar to your system made from 2x4s. When I add another bin should I take some of the worms from the lower bin and put them …

How Many Worms Should I Start With? 
I am totally new to vermiculture. Someone gave me a Worm Factory and I am eager to get started with it. I have been reading up on the process and am …

Flow Through System: How optimum height for each worm tray? (part 2) 
Thanks Pauly for your reply at "Flow Through System: How optimum tall of each worm bin? (part1)", now I attach my worm bin pictures. As my attached …

Flow Through System: How optimum tall of each worm bin? 
My worm bins are made from wood material. I follow Pauly's video "Setting up a worm bin using a wooden flow through system" at https://www.wormfarmingrevealed.com/flow-thr …

worm farming 
Do you add soil to your worm farm and what type of worms do you use?

Mixing Worm Species 
Can you put more than one worm specie in the same worm house?

what is the best worm to raise in high temperature climate? 
I live in Kuwait and the temperature here rises to +50C = +122F in summer. What is the best kind of worms to raise "in a worm farm" due to this kind …

European Nightcrawlers Going Well But... 
I have European Nightcrawlers in an 18 gal. tote (with lots of holes!), inside another tote for about 2-3 weeks. All is well, not much leachate, strong …

Subtle ammonia smell, and wacky worm behavior. 
I've had some (1lb.) Eisenia hortensis in plastic bins (18gal. Sterilite totes) for just 2 days. I made the bedding with coco coir and some prepared …

3-Tray Worm Flow-Through, When to Add Second Tray 
I have a 3 tray worm farm, the worms are doing good but when do i add the second tray as I am still on the first tray?

Worms Collecting at the Top of Bin, Not in Food 
I've been using a plastic 3-level bin system for 3 years. Now I see few worms in the food source and lots collecting around to top edges of the top bin, …

Are Worm Farming Worms Different From Other Worms? 
My worms are thriving...so much so that I have too many. Is it alright if I put some of the worms into my regular composting bins as well as my garden? …

why not?  
I am at a loss as to why I can't just take a 50 gallon drum, fill it six inches or so, let the worms get to work, then keep adding to it over time, or …

potential worm farmer 
How long does it take for worms to fully develop in the mixed waste that is used to grow them?

My worms seem to be trying to escape! 
I have had a worm farm for about 6 weeks. I followed all the instructions on the box. Quite a lot of the worms seem to be climbing up the side of the …

White Worms in Worm Bin 
I have what I can best describe as 1/8 inch or so white worms. They are at the food, also have seen them in clusters on a worm. I have only been doing …

Click here to write your own.

WORM CASTINGS VS WORM "WEE"  
Dear Pauly, I am most confused about the words leachate, worm tea, and the tea one mixes from the castings. What exactly is the LIQUID part in the …

Muddy Leachate 
Why is my second bin underneath the feeding bin not water but muddy?

Slugs in worm bin. 
I have been raising worms for at least 17 years & now for the first time one of my bins have a lot of "small slugs" in it, mostly on the lid but some on …

Wanna see my worms?! 
I'm 54 but feel like a kid when I get to "play" with my worms! So I have finally worked my way up to bin 3 vertically and think that it is time to …

why did my worms die 
my grandma bought me some worms 4 a worm farm.i had them 4 1 day and then they died.i had a good bedding good soil and worms and food can u tell me why …

worms 
what does a compost worm look like

ants in my worm bin 
how do i keep ants out of my worm bin

Mr Jones 
Which species will tolerate the wettest conditions? If I start with 5 pounds of worms how often and how many worms can I harvest for fish food? How many …

Garden Worms for Clay Soil 
My son just set up a worm bin using your tutorial. I came to look at ordering worms for the bin when I noticed your information on the garden worms for …

worm castings too rich? 
Is there a proper way to dry worm castings? I have 2 worm bins and get lots of worm tea and castings, but the castings are very heavy, like gooey thick …

Maintaining a Worm Farm 
Hi there I have set up my worm farm with shredded paper, a bit of semi-composted grass clippings (Not too fresh or old - the layer that had lots of tiger …

Glen 
I never thought of starting a warm farm until I started weeding my backyard. I had a drainage system that was laid with plastic. We have several dogs …

mites in worm bin 
we started our worm farm a month ago and all seemed to be going well - until this morning I came to examine them this morning and found tens of pale …

worms 
what do worms eat?

Stephen  
I have just noticed a few weavils in the wormery, will this be a problem or will it naturally correct itself?

What kind of worms do I have in my backyard? 
Me and my little brother were in the backyard the other day and we wanted to know what kind of worms do we have. How do you know its a red wiggler?

Theo 
Hi! I have far, far to much worm food for my needs at this moment in time and am looking for a method to preserve until my worm farm has grown enough …

Air Holes In The Worm Factory? 
Hi I have a standard Worm Factory that has the lid that fits down INTO the top bin. Will the lid on top of the wet paper prevent air from getting out …

dog owner 
Can dog feces go into a worm composter?

My Worms Are Balling Up 
I have had my worm composter about a month - worms arrived in excellent condition and within a couple of hours seemed at home. My problem, if it is …

Should I stir (aerate) my vermicompost? 
I'm a new vermicomposter =) I'm in subtropics area (Indonesia) so I put my vermicompost in cardboard box. Since I was still in experimental, I made …

Earwigs in Worm Bin 
I have earwigs in my wormbin. Are they harmful?

Will sterile vermiculite harm worms? 
Is sterile vermiculite (Uni-Gro Vermiculite for indoor or outdoor)an ok addition to my worm farm?? The package also says it has slow-release potassium, …

Pests In My Worm Bin (White Worm Type Insect) 
Small worm bins, have 1/4" or smaller white worm type insect, hundreds of them. I see them around the food which I bought from a vendor that I am not …

Uncertain if my castings have been composted completely... 
I've harvested my worm bin a few times, and the castings I introduce to my pots and garden end up sprouting seedlings from the kitchen scraps I've fed …

Click here to write your own.

Could Eisenia fetida become fish food? 
I'm raising Eisenia fetida in my vermicomposting. A few days ago I tried to feed my catfish with this worm (alive worm). The catfish didn't eat my worm. …

Pale Pinkish Ring? 
Hi, My question is...what is making some of my worms have a pale pinkish ring on their bodies?

worm and soil 
I was wondering whether the worms vary with soil and climatic conditions for vermicomposting?

Worms at bottom of bin 
my bin of worms are multiplying fast but when I take the layers apart to change and add material ie...egg shells coffee grinds vegies etc. I find most …

Agriculture Undergrad student Major in Animal Science 
Sir, I would like to know if there is any, or at least have you tried or can vermi tea can be used for the performance of chicken as part of vitamins …

Unusual Looking Worm 
I once encountered a very unusual worm. It was about 3 inches long and half an inch fat. It had a very pointed head. It was crawling on an arm chair, …

Worm bin ph 8.3 Not rated yet
Worm bin was doing great. Added mostly new bedding & some food. Ph now registering 8.3. (Test Taken from area with no food) How do I get ph down??? …

Is canned jellied cranberry sauce it's okay to feed worms? Not rated yet
Hi folks I've been an avid Gardener for decades and I've also been composting for decades over the last 5 years or so I've included vermicomposting to …

Worm Tea redemptions Not rated yet
Paul thank you for confirming my actions for the worm tea. As soon I change the food for paper, the temperature dropped from 8o to 76. After two days …

Temperature rising Not rated yet
Pauly, I noticed that my temperature in one of my bin when up to 80 almost in the red. I added some food yesterday and it was in between 70 and 80 in …

Worm tea Not rated yet
Paulie I know you advised not to make tea to stock. If a local customer wanted some worm tea and I made it for them, what's the life expectancy of the …

BeverlyR Not rated yet
For fourteen years we have been adding household scraps to our garden soil. We had so many earthworms that thrived. This past spring we added an new …

Separate Eisenia foetida and Lumbricus rubellus Not rated yet
There are two good worms for composting, Eisenia foetida and Lumbricus rubellus. If I raise them together, could I separate them easily when the harvest …

Could worm tea be a compost activator? Not rated yet
Hi Pauly =) Let me ask whether worm tea or compost tea can be a compost activator (starter)? Thanks Good Guy :)