Red Wigglers...

[Discusgeo]

My worm bin is nothing but newspaper. When I get my worms in I rinse them off of all the dirt they were packed in. In one corner of the box I put some playsand in there. The sand is what the worms need to breakdown the food. The sand are like the worms teeth. Thats it nothing else. I feed my worms lettuce, carrots, or just about anything in the vegi garden. I do add a little Spirulina Algae and Naturose by placing it on the lettuce leaves. I keep my newspaper damp not wet. Cut you newspaper up and soak it in water and then wring it out and place it in the box. My top is locked on with a couple of holes on the top with real fine screen glued over it. I get no flies or bugs in it. Your lids are either loose or you are leaving the tops open and that is why the fly's are in there. THey lay their eggs and the maggots eat your worms and then you have a big mess.
Mite Prevention

Proper care of worm beds can prevent a harmful buildup of mites. One or more of the following conditions are usually associated with high mite populations:

Too much water -- Beds that are too wet create conditions that are more favorable to mites than worms. Avoid excessively wet beds by adjusting watering schedules, improving drainage, and turning bedding frequently.

Overfeeding -- Too much food can cause an accumulation of fermented feed in worm beds and lower the pH of the beds. Adjust feeding schedules so that all feed is consumed within a few days. Modify feeding schedules as the seasons (and temperatures) change. Worms consume less food in colder temperatures.

Maintain beds around a neutral pH 7; use calcium carbonate to adjust the pH level.

Excessively wet or fleshy feed -- Vegetables with a high moisture content can cause high mite populations in worm beds. Limit the use of such feed, and if high mite populations are discovered, discontinue the use of this feed until mite populations are under control.

Mite Removal

Uncover the worm beds and expose them to sunlight for several hours. Reduce the amount of water and feed. Mites will not like this environment, and they may leave the worm beds.

Place pieces of watermelon or cantaloupe rind or potato slices on top of the worm beds. Mites are attracted to the sweetness of the rinds or peels and will accumulate on them. The rinds or peels can then be removed and dropped in water or buried.

Place pieces of watermelon or cantaloupe rind or potato slices on top of the worm beds. Mites are attracted to the sweetness of the rinds or peels and will accumulate on them. The rinds or peels can then be removed and dropped in water or buried.

George

[Worm Girl]

Hi, All! ;D
Just wanted to stop by this thread and introduce myself! I am pretty much in the "know zone" when it comes to red worms, and would be more than happy to help you out with any questions you might have!
One suggestion I had for those of you wondering how to get the worms to the surface for easy "capturing" -- BANANAS!!! ;D Red Worms absolutely LOVE bananas and will congregate by the hundreds under a mushy, decomposing banana! Simply lift the peel and pick them up -- they will be relatively clean, too!
Another great method for capturing large quantities is to take an onion sack and fill it full of decomposing veggies/fruits. Bury it in the center of your bin and leave it for a day or two. When you bring the sack up, you will find that your worms have migrated into the sack of food! ;D
Hope this helps!!!
Worm Girl

[Northwestcoastdisc]

Hi Ronrca,

Sure we can do that. But April suggested me connect www.wormsathome.com it is not working ???

I need to have Red Wriggle culture to prepare feed my fish. I would like share with the red wriggles for Ronrca.

April, Can you please check the website is correct.

thanks
Duncan

Posted by: April Posted on: May 11, 2004, 07:45:43 AM
Duncan theres worms here in Maple Ridge. heres the site.
www.wormsathome.com
I get them from there. she has the bins and the coconut fiber for bedding et etc also.

[ronrca]

Hi Duncan,
I found a place in BC that sells red wrigglers. www.allthingsorganic.com
Check them out. I also did find a place close to Edmonton that may also sell red wrigglers. I have to phone them though to find out for sure.

[Northwestcoastdisc]

hi Ronrca,

thank you for the website, But Kamloops, BC is too far from my home LOL.

I hope April Ross will find the correct website. I can get red wriggles close from my home.

I have whiteworms culture. The white worms are good for feed small babies fish.

Duncan

[ronrca]

They can ship the worms Duncan and probably will not cost too much. They quoted me around $22 for shipping and I would think you are closer than I am.

[susankay1]

I got some red wigglers from a local supplier that ships all over. She goes as Worm Girl on here, her site is Rainbow Worm Ranch. Very nice worms, very reasonable prices.

[susankay1]

http://www.rainbowwormranch.com/

[heckelcrazy]

Wormgirl...friends and I are about to order some Red wigglers and I have had a look at your site...when you order say 5pounds ... do you get 5 pounds of worms + extra bedding or is the 5 pounds including the bedding?

cheers
aran

[susankay1]

Aran, when I got worms from her, I got a pound + of worms and the bedding was seperate. I don't think she includes the bedding in the weight of the worms. HTH

[heckelcrazy]

cheers mate

aran

[Worm Girl]

Sorry, All! ;D I've been on vacation the last few days!
When we ship worms, we ship five pounds of worms and about three to four pounds of bedding to sustain them, depending on where they are travelling to -- SO, to answer your question, you get five pounds of worms, and the bedding isn't included in the poundage --- it's seperate!
Thanks a million!
Sally
aka -- Worm Girl

[heckelcrazy]

cheers sally...will be in touch in a week or two when we are ready for some wormies!

-aran

[Worm Girl]

Sounds absolutely fabulous!!!
You can e-mail me if you have any trouble or questions about your order.......rainbowworms@msn.com
Look forward to hearing from you!
Sally

[JimmyL]

One new discovery of keeping off any unwanted insects in worm bins. is to introduce a natural enemies of fruit fry. I left the lid open to let a swarm of fruit fries escape in my garden. After a week and I saw no sign of fruit fies. I brought the bin back to my basement. It has been several months and I was surprised there is not even 1 single fruit fry in the bin. When I was trying to take some worms to seed another bin. I found a couple of very small Millipedes about 3" long in the bin. So I introduced some fruit fry which I keep for the dart frogs into the bin. After a week there is no fruit fry in the bin. I'll keep them into the bin just to keep those fries in check.
Jimmy