dirt-napper
I am the original #4 an impatient idiot but here goes my humble opinion-----your worms sound like EFs (size wise)
worms eat the bacteria that breaks down organic material
(your beans need to rot some)----the bedding they came in probably has feed stock/bacteria already and they will deplete that first----try sprinkling a little corn meal on top of the bedding and then MIST it till it's wet---I also sprinkle egg shell powder with the corn meal (ground in my wife's coffee grinder) (don't tell)----try to keep the bedding mat'l around 75 to 80 deg. F and moist as a wrung out sponge---and lastly---don't be impatient---it may take a week or so for them to feel comfortable in their new home---ps--I would keep them covered and dark but would keep them in a lighted room/area 24/7 'till they settle down

keep us posted

bruce

Bruce,

Thanks for the response. For now I am keeping them in the original styrofoam containers because there aren't that many of them yet. Keeping them covered so it's dark. I spread a few drops of water around and it is moist but not wet. When I take the lid off, they are at the top but just crawling around. I guess I'll just wait. In a year I'll probably have more worms than I know what to do with (hopefully).

By the way, personal question, do you do this for a hobby or are you making any money?

I'd like to make some money, but even if I can just get rid of my garden/kitchen waste I'll be happy. I'm in Calif. and we have these tiny little trash bins. Never enough room!

Thanks again.

So strange of you to ask!!
I garden - from seed - & I always start more plants than I have room for-soooo-instead of throwing them away I plant the extras in buckets of potting soil--I now have 30 buckets of soil that seem to have been nutriently depleted & I thought worm casts would perk it up. so, I bought some worms and now my little "side venture" has become more than a hobby - more like a fetish! My wife and daughters think I've lost my mind! People at work look at me funny too!!
But I enjoy my worms and WILL expand on this unreasonable fetish of mine in due time.

What's really interesting is the people one meets on the forums who are equally ensnared in vermiculture. And, on this forum especially, they are really nice folks.
Besides, who else cares if your worms are sexually active or not, or if they are warm or cold, like corn meal, or what their beds are made of.

Are we weird??

bruce

dirtnapper, why don't you get a slightly larger container (like shoebox size) and some additional bedding? Your worms will have more room and you can add quite a bit more food. You are so enthusiastic, and I know you would enjoy your project a lot more too. The following items will be well received by your worms as they decompose quickly: banana peels, coffee grounds and melon peels. Save your kit. scraps in a lidded plastic container on the counter to use as needed. They will start to decompose slightly so when you put them in the bin, they have started to break down a bit. If you get too many scraps, store them in the freezer until needed, or bury them in the yard.

Items 1-4 in your posting are all wrong!!!! LOL

Have fun!

Susan

Bruce,

My wife, daughter and coworkers look at me weird for soooo much more than being interested in worms. Just another hobby for dad...it will probably become an all comsuming fetish for me too soon enough.

You're right, people here seem to be very friendly.

socks...thanks for the tips.

I'll keep you updated on my progress.

Thanks,
DN