Frustrated -- lazy worms & mail order worms

17 years ago

I started my bin with about 100 red wigglers from a bait shop. I know that's a small amount, but they don't seem to be eating anything at all! It's been two months and there's still remnants of the broccoli and carrots from November.

I thought maybe putting them in a smaller container would help. So I scooped up as many as I could find and put them in a shoebox with some bedding and a rotten banana. I put that on top of the other bedding. A week later they had all crawled out of the shoebox and gone back into hiding.

I'm getting desperate so I ordered 2 lbs. online from New York Worm (good prices!) Now they say they have to wait to ship them as it's too cold!

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Comments (5)

11otis
17 years ago
maryjane:

what is the shoebox made of? Cover the banana (smashed?)with the bedding. If they crawled out of the box, there is something in the box they don't like. Too dry? Too wet? No air?
BTW, where did they go to hide? Worms normally hide from light.

Yes, the mail order worm places don't want to risk the worms dying in transit. It will take at least a couple of days till they reach you.

Otis
lkittle
17 years ago
Hi Maryjane43 contact me at LKittleJr@aol.com if you are not far from me perhaps I can help you get some worms. I live between Buffalo and Rochester NY. I helped one person from the Buff area and offered to a person east of Roch. She figured the drive was too far.
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Ellee
17 years ago
MJ, my understanding is that worms do not get their nutrition from food, but from the bacteria and other organisms that break down the food. So fresher is not better. Anyway, worms HATE being disturbed and you may have set them back by moving them. I suggest you give them a good home (http://whatcom.wsu.edu/ag/compost/Easywormbin.htm) and then leave them alone for a while. Do keep them supplied with fresh bedding (shredded newspaper, etc.)
mbetts
17 years ago
maryjane43, here is an old fable i was told as a girl. There was a king who challenged someone to pay him with grains of rice on a checkerboard. the subject had to put one grain of rice on the first square, twice that many on the second square, twice THAT many on the third square, and so on, till he came to the end of the squares on the checkerboard.
The subject jumped at the deal, but soon realized that he had a problem. By the time he got to the last of the 144 squares, there was no place large enough to hold all the rice.
I'm sure you get my point. Patience.
If your worms are in a good environment they can double in number every two or three months. Since you started out with only 100 or so, it may be a while before you have a zillion. But you'll get there. The increase will be exponential, just like the grains of rice.
I agree with zuni. Give them some food, plenty of bedding, and plenty of TIME. Watch out for danger signals, like the bin stinking or being too soggy. Otherwise just figure they are procreating at their own pace, and leave them alone.
I know it's hard.....
mbetts
john_ob
17 years ago
i ordered two pounds of worms from a ranch on the west coast... they ship priority mail on mondays.
they shiped on the 26th, everyone arrived happy and wriggly on the 29th. that was WA to MA in three days in january.

not sure if i can "advertise" the Happy Ranch i got the worms from, but if you message me i can let you know. :)