saints27
03-06-2003, 07:23 PM
Ok Everyone here is my White Worm how to go about it guide
These are a very handy and easy to keep live food.The worms grow to about 3cm,Though when harvested there are a variety of sizes down to 1mm.
Some people keep there white worm cultures in the fridge which is a good way of keeping the ants out but this slows down there reproduction rate,as they seem to thrive best at about 12-20 Deg C.
The method of housing your culture depends on the quantities you will require,But for convenience over a long period I find that ice cream containers without lids are the best.
half fill the container with a mixture of garden soil,course sand and shell grit, moistened so that it is just damp.
Into a hollow centre of the container place about a teaspoon full of starter white worm culture(Idont know where you are going to get this from try LFS they may be able to order in for you if they dont have it) Cover this with a piece of glass abouyt 3" square.
Place in a cool dark insect free place place (I use a polystyrene boxwith a couple of inches of water in the bottom and a loose fitting lid and keep in a shady spot.the water keeps the ants out and keeps the culture cool in summer(make sure that the container doesnt touch the sides of the box otherwise the ants will be able to get in and ruin the culture.
After a day or so feed the worms by placing a teaspoon full of food in the centre under the glass, after a few days the food should all be goneand from then on replace it as it is eaten.
As the population builds up over a space of about 3 weeksmore and more worms should be evident in the centre as the food is eaten.You can start to harvest the worms when there are enough balled up in the centre to take out a lump of them, I clean the soil from them in 2 cups of dechlorinated water just tipping from 1 cup to the other toremove most of the soil.
As with any live food breeding it is best to maintain at least 2 cultures at a time (I do in case 1 crashes.
Suggeswted foods for white worms are:
wet rolled oats
Cooked rolled oats (porridge)
White bread dampened with milk
Baby foods
Fish food(flake)
cooked pumpkin
Any of the above or even all of them in rotation.
Milk should only be used occasionally and in small quantities as it will sour the soil.
If the culture gets too wet ,feed with dry products or turn the whole lot out onto some newspaperand then mix in some dry soil/sand /shell gritand start an extra culture.
if the culture dries out the worms will die,If it gets too wet ,hard or sour the worms will leave home.If you see them crawling up the sides of the containerthen you know that conditions are not to there liking and they will be gone in a flash.
Hope that helps .
Jamie
These are a very handy and easy to keep live food.The worms grow to about 3cm,Though when harvested there are a variety of sizes down to 1mm.
Some people keep there white worm cultures in the fridge which is a good way of keeping the ants out but this slows down there reproduction rate,as they seem to thrive best at about 12-20 Deg C.
The method of housing your culture depends on the quantities you will require,But for convenience over a long period I find that ice cream containers without lids are the best.
half fill the container with a mixture of garden soil,course sand and shell grit, moistened so that it is just damp.
Into a hollow centre of the container place about a teaspoon full of starter white worm culture(Idont know where you are going to get this from try LFS they may be able to order in for you if they dont have it) Cover this with a piece of glass abouyt 3" square.
Place in a cool dark insect free place place (I use a polystyrene boxwith a couple of inches of water in the bottom and a loose fitting lid and keep in a shady spot.the water keeps the ants out and keeps the culture cool in summer(make sure that the container doesnt touch the sides of the box otherwise the ants will be able to get in and ruin the culture.
After a day or so feed the worms by placing a teaspoon full of food in the centre under the glass, after a few days the food should all be goneand from then on replace it as it is eaten.
As the population builds up over a space of about 3 weeksmore and more worms should be evident in the centre as the food is eaten.You can start to harvest the worms when there are enough balled up in the centre to take out a lump of them, I clean the soil from them in 2 cups of dechlorinated water just tipping from 1 cup to the other toremove most of the soil.
As with any live food breeding it is best to maintain at least 2 cultures at a time (I do in case 1 crashes.
Suggeswted foods for white worms are:
wet rolled oats
Cooked rolled oats (porridge)
White bread dampened with milk
Baby foods
Fish food(flake)
cooked pumpkin
Any of the above or even all of them in rotation.
Milk should only be used occasionally and in small quantities as it will sour the soil.
If the culture gets too wet ,feed with dry products or turn the whole lot out onto some newspaperand then mix in some dry soil/sand /shell gritand start an extra culture.
if the culture dries out the worms will die,If it gets too wet ,hard or sour the worms will leave home.If you see them crawling up the sides of the containerthen you know that conditions are not to there liking and they will be gone in a flash.
Hope that helps .
Jamie