Having little or no experience...OK, make that no experience.... with the rules of worming with bears, I would suggest situating your bins in a bear-resistant area of your property....like indoors.

As for the rest of our knowledge, feel free to blog but also read the archives. There is a wealth of non-bear-related info in there.

Chuckiebtoo

Interesting that we have had two new juicing posters today. "juicing about 1/2 pounds of vegetable's per day.
We have 5 rotating composting bins running over" I take that to mean half a pound of pulp? Or one to two pounds of pulp? The other poster should take note that just this much pulp is taxing 5 of the composting bins that rotate. This will help them size their system.

If worms are crawling out of the system, this is not unheard of, then the only help you need is to add bedding. Do you eat eggs? If so "save the world" and put the egg cartons into the bin. Read the newspaper? Bring home produce from the farmers market in cardboard boxes or paper bags? Use paper towels or toilet paper or wrapping paper or aluminum foil which have tubes to put into the bin. Use coffee filters or paper towels or napkins? Rake up leaves? Have used up cotton t-shirts, undies or jeans?

Nitrogen with out Carbon equals Stinky Stuff equals Death.

Nitrogen with Carbon equals Bio-matter equals Life Giving Force.

It is a Feng Shui Chakra Balancing thing.

Plastic bins are possible with zero holes and zero covers. Many do it that way. Even better would be a wood bin.

Happy worms make charmed vermicompost which make happy plants to juice.

Larry, you are not thinking about vermicomposting, you are now a worm farmer! Congratulations!!

Now what to do as a responsible worm farmer, that is the question.
The conditions you have created in the 2 bins seems to be ideal. Done right, they will quickly grow and multiply, soon leaving you more worms than you know what to do with. I would add a shovel-full (or 2) of the wormy compost to the non-wormy bins then prepare a more permanent worm bin.

Are your rotating compost bins the larger type on a stand? I have a wormy-friend who pre-composts worm food (kitchen waste) in one of those. He always has a good population of baby wigglers in there, even though it heats up some.

I have dealt with many wormbed invaders, but not bears. If you build a strong wood box out of 2" wide material and a strong hasp lock(or 3), it should keep them out. Maybe pattern your construction after the "bear boxes" found at campgrounds for food storage. HEAVY-DUTY!!

I have a 3'x5'x18" box formed out of re-recycled 4x6 fence posts. It is open-bottom., and has a framed plywood lid. It keeps out coons, and I think would keep out bears with some HD hasps.

Good luck to you Larry the worm farmer.

Where to start, we do not eat eggs now or any animal protein.
We collect recycled mail and shred the paper goods and cardboard boxes as we a 22 page shredder.
Next question:Are your rotating compost bins the larger type on a stand? Yes, but not as much as we should, but my lovely wife keeps trying to add our kitchen waste. Now she holding it waiting for me to get new composter or now worm bins. Now looking I believe worm would be a better way to get rid of that pulp.
Oh, the second bin got the worm as I move some compost from the first composter.
By the way, the heat or cold has not slowed down the worms in the composter, but worm are eating everything up and the bins are getting smaller, maybe the worms are eating then leaving. I will be moving some of the worms to the other composter while I decide what to build.
Two year ago We had mother bear and baby tear a composting box apart that I never turn and it was rotton just like the bear like. When they visited they were into everything that night.
I am working on a plan to use motion lights and wire a buzzer into the light to scare off the deer, bears and what ever.

Please provide sources for acquiring red wigglers in northeast metro Atlanta GA, USA.

larry_n7luf: See what your wife thinks of bokashi composting. It may work out well so she can handle those juicing scraps and not have to store them. Bokashi can be kept in the kitchen. The system may work out well with juicing. Then the bokashi can be put in the outdoor bins.

Uncle Jim's Worm Farm, in Pennsylvania, has been in the business for about 30 years. They'll get you worms via USPS (GUARANTEED).

chuckiebtoo