Got my worms and cocoons today!!!

beebiz1960

17 years ago

Sunday night (March 8), I ordered a pound of European Nightcrawlers (Eisenia hortensis) and 3,000 European Nightcrawler cocoons from Blue Ridge Vermiculture. They have a location in North Carolina and one in California. Since I live in west Tennessee, I ordered mine from NC. They were shipped via priority mail on Monday (March 9) and arrived today (March 11)!

To say the least, I was very impressed with the speed with which they handled my order. And, I was even more impressed with the worms and the cocoons. The bag with the worms contained everything from a bunch of cocoons to adult worms that were fat as a butterball!!! As I dumped them into their new home, I even saw several that were mating. And, without counting the cocoons that were in with them, I'm sure that once all worms (from the tiniest to the biggest) were weighed, my pound of worms was a bit more than a pound. Ad all those cocoons that were in with the worms, and I got far more than I paid for!!

The cocoons were packaged in three, 1,000 count bags. Each bag appeared to have at least a full 1,000 count... and probably a bit more. Plus, each bag had a plethora of young worms that ranged in size from so small that I could barely see them (probably hatched in transit) to about 2 inches in length!! I feel reasonably sure that by the time the young worms are added to all those who will hatch from the cocoons, the 1,000 cocoon order will easily yeild between 1,000 and 1,200 worms! WOW!!! If I had known that so many young worms would have been included with the cocoons, I would have ordered 6,000 cocoons and no worms by the pound!! But, with the pound of worms, I will have some to fish with when it gets warmer!!

The owner of Blue Ridge Vermiculture is Alan Hansan. You can email him here. He is as nice of a guy as you could ever hope to meet. He will take his time talking to you about worms. And, if you have any questions, he is more than willing to answer them for you. And, his prices (which include shipping) are very reasonable!!

If I have need of worms or cocoons in the future, you can bet that Blue Ridge Vermiculture will be getting a call from me!!

Robert

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Comments (7)

pyropunk
17 years ago
WOW is right. That's one heck of a lot of worms. How big is/are your bin/s?
beebiz1960
Original Author
17 years ago
I put the pound of worms in one 18 gallon Sterilite plastic bin. I put the cocoons and the young worms that came with them in another one. I'll keep a very close eye on the bin with the cocoons and worms in it. And, when I notice the slightest indication of overcrowding, I'll split it into two bins. And, I'll do that as often as I need to.

My biggest problem right now is the fact that I have an almost uncontrollable urge to dig around in the bins to see all of them!! LOL But, I know that I wouldn't like a huge hand digging around in my house and dislodging me from where I choose to be. And, it's my understanding that the worms like that sort of disturbance less than I would. So, I'm trying to fight my urges! But, it is hard... real hard!!! ;>)

Robert
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eric30
17 years ago
You can poke around a little without stirring up the whole system. Most days I take the lid off and just observe without touching anything. Other times I pick a small area to turn over and look; then back off and put the lid back on. When getting started it will seem like ages with nothing happening.
beebiz1960
Original Author
17 years ago
My name is Robert.... and, I am a worm-a-holic!! LOL!!

Eric, I'll try to follow your lead. But, it is going be a rough and rocky road for me!! May I call you if I find myself in a moment of weakness and temptation?? LOL!!!

Robert
eric30
17 years ago
Robert,
Call anytime. I've had a bin for about 4 years now and I'm not sure when the urges are supposed to start going away. I can't even walk through a store without thinking about whether or not worms could eat that or live in that. It will be nice to know that you will have a system that is running at full capacity anyway.
Eric
geosar
17 years ago
I too got a supply of 3 pounds of red wigglers today. I added one pound to an existing Can-O-Worms and 2 pounds to a new 10 gallon Sterilite OSCR, jr type bin. Should I let them get settled for a while before feeding the new or existing bin? If so how long should I wait before placing food in the bins.

Thank you

George (I too look every morning-I can't stop myself)
beebiz1960
Original Author
17 years ago
George said, "I too look every morning-I can't stop myself."

George, it really is in the best interest of the worms to leave them alone. Think of it this way. How would you like to have a huge hand invade your home, pop you out of the place where you were comfortably eating or making love, and then leave every disheveled? That's how I think of it. And, it has helped a bit.

As for adding food... remember that if we add food before all of the available food has been consumed, we are quite apt to over feed! And, overfeeding causes problems for the worms and for our nose!! So, I wouldn't add more food until all visable signs of their current food are gone.

Good luck,
Robert