I imagine they are potworms. They're not a problem, and often confused with baby red wigglers, which are actually slightly pink.

MKitten:

The worms were transluscent, sort of, and about l/4 to 1/2 inch long with organs-skeletal whatever visible and they sure looked like red wiggler babies to me. Where can I get a glimpse of pot worms?

Even if they were pot worms, why have I never encountered the same situation before? I've been worming for about 2 years.

Chuckiebtoo

If you've been worming for 2 years and haven't seen potworms I'm very surprised. They sound like what you're describing, though. In my bin they tend to show up when there's bread in the bin. Have you changed anything about your feeding habits? If they are baby red wigglers, I guess you shouldn't have to worry about them. If they got up there themselves, they can get down themselves :). Good luck.

Here is a link that might be useful: pot worms

Chuckiebtoo, check out that pot worms link again but this time go check out the pic of the worm birth. Is this what you got around the top rim of your bin? I've got some of these and I'm of the belief that they are in fact baby red wigglers. I've never put bread in my bin but did put some grape tomatoes in there a few weeks ago. According to the link's website, an acidic soil may be attractive to pot worms. Still, I'm sticking with the idea that I do in fact have baby red wigglers.

Tracy

Chuckiebtoo, the baby redworms I have seen are a translucent red, or pink. The potworms will be white.I have info from our county extension agent that says that they are common in fecal material,and that they eventually get into worm beds via manures. But it does not say how to get rid of them, just that they do not appear to be harmful to the worms.

Chuckie,

I dragged my bin outside today to discourage what seemed to me to be a too-healthy mite colony, and when I opened the lid of the bin I found a bunch of worms hanging out on the lip of the bin. Among them were two, very teeny, wormlings. They were no more than 1/2" long, about as wide as 4 human hairs, and red ... definately red wiggler babies. I would have to concur with the groip above that you have pot worms.

--Lisa

Well, thanks for all the great info. After researching this, I agree that what I had was pot worms. The bin they were in was one I recently set up with natural bedding (grass, dirt, partially composted..er..compost) as an experiment. The worms were those I harvested while digging new flowerbeds.

Funny thing is, when I returned to the bin, the moisture on the underside of the lid had evaporated and all the small worms had met their maker.

Never in my inside bins had I encountered pot worms...and I had put some bins outside during warm weather. Oh well, every day brings ???

Chuckiebtoo

Chuckie ... which species do you raise? I dont have and never have found potworms in my inside bins. I raise hortensis. My personal thoughts re that fetida are commonly raised in windrows where other worms can migrate into the colony. As hortensis isnt a hugely used species yet they may get more specialized care that doesnt allow other species into them.

Also hortensis emits a faint odor/smell, that may repel or contain other worm populations (just one of my theories im trying to work on). Chemical warfare is pretty common in insects and nature in general.

Bryan

Bryan, you have a rare situation there if you have no pot worms in your bin! It is unusual for any vermicomposting system to have no pot worms present as these worms populate the same environments as do epigeic worm species like Eisenia fetida. While E. hortensis is a worm that has some burrowing behaviors, potworms are also normal in E. hortensis bins. Environments of damp, decaying OM are their home of choice in general, just like their ruddy-colored cousins.

Kelly S