I wouldn't mix it in. It might cause things to heat up.

I would remove the top layer of food and bedding, including worms, and add some dry shredded paper or cardboard to the remaining wet stuff. Then replace the removed matter to the top of the bin.

I like corrugated cardboard because it seems to help aerate the bin.

Marshall

Sounds like everything is going fine.

However, "Bedding" is the shredded paper and or peat that you put in first, before the worms arrive. Its their "Bed"

Food then goes into this (or on top),

Eventually both food and bedding get processed into Castings. (Castings are the brown/black wettish looking soil that you can see). In a COW, excess water will drain away, so it wont get too wet, even though it might look it.

I keep adding food and shredded paper (bedding) on top of these castings until the tray is full. Infact the shredded paper, as it rots, becomes food too. In the end, you will have a full bin that has a layer of paper and food on top, and a thick, moist/wet layer of castings underneath.

Thats when you add the next tray to your COW. You put bedding (shredded paper) and food in the top "new" bin and the worms will move up into that (eventually...., they are in no rush) and the bottom tray will be full of moist black castings. All the bedding and food will have been processed (except for avocado skins, egg shells and canteloupe seeds, in my experience :-).

There will still be one or two percent of the worms squirreling around in this bin for leftovers. By the time your 3rd tray is working on top, the bottom tray should be worm free except for a few stragglers.

PS. I have one bin that is just food straight on castings, no paper (except the folded newspaper layed over the top to keep out the light). The worms love it. Its easy to know when the food is gone too.

I agree cardbourd is fantastic. Pizza boxes are great bedding/food.

It all seems to be going well, keep it up.

Raphael