I prefer leaving the worms in their pots. Once it's time to transplant, I move any worms that I find into my bins. I never seem to be able to get all of them and don't mind them being there since they help to condition the soil with their castings.

A little over a year ago I top dressed one of my Christmas cactus plants with VC. Last week I transplanted this plant into a larger pot and was surprised to find a few small worms huddled close to the roots. Pretty amazing, since the potting soil is kept on the dry side most of the time. They must have hatched from some of the cocoons I missed when I top dressed with VC. Tuff little guys. :-)

yeah, that's where my worms in the house plants came from - top dressing the plants with VC. Their presence sure does change the texture of the soil (in a good way, of course), and they surely do adapt well to their surroundings.
Thanks for the response,
jt

As an aside, I've read that red wigglers will adapt wonderfully to most environments - as long as they are born in them. Moving living worms from your high-organic-matter bin may not work as well as moving cocoons, from what I've heard. (Do the worms in the pots seem smaller? In the same article, it was said that growing them in smaller quarters with less organic material will result in very small adult worms - that are capable of becoming large when placed in a worm bin.)

"transplanting" them works fine if conditions are right ... worms do well anyplace they have good moisture, temps, and ample organic material that can support microbial activity ... plant pots don't provide ideal conditions, so the worms might not thrive, but 1 or a few can survive - their presence being of no particular benefit to you or the potted plant, it's the added castings that feed the plant, and lacking anything better the worms will be 're-processing' those castings

Bill

It's almost impossible not to end up with a few worms or at least worm eggs (which then hatch into worms) when using vermicompost for potted plants. I don't think the plants mind, though! Mine are doing just fine.

The worms in my houseplant pots are definitely smaller than the ones in the bins.
I have added some newspaper and leaves to the tops of the houseplants and have noticed it gradually disappearing.
I think it's really easy to tell if there are worms in a plant without actually seeing them just by feeling the texture of the soil - the best way I can describe it is it has a soft and velvety feel to it.
I do believe there is some truth regarding it being better to transplant cocoons or very small worms into a new environment, and letting the big guys stay put where they already are.
I appreciate everyone's input on this subject.
jt