I wanna look now! I couldn't do the waiting game. Should be interesting though, please keep us updated.

I would check the moisture. Don't want the little guys to hatch out and dry up.

I had cocoons left after doing the Âacid wash experiment and wanted to make sure they were OK. I took a tinted plastic pill bottle and some paper towel and put the cocoons between the towel and the pill bottle, then just added water. Same as when trying to start bean seeds for a science project. Those cocoons hatched and I ended up adding them to the worm box. I just wanted to make sure the vinegar wash did not mess them up. I think shipping cocoons in a stamped envelope makes more sense than shipping Âlive wormsÂ. I would probably use a Âbubble wrap lined envelope for the cocoons safety though. And I would supply the new vermi-herder with plenty of info to read while waiting for their herd to develop. Just some ideas I had while reading your post.

Bubblewrap filled 'photo' envelopes would surely be the best bet especially when mail is mechanically sorted. I'm not sure how much letters are compressed.

One of the reasons I am doing this is also to show just how minimalistic a successful worm bin can be. You see people overthinking their setup, worrying about making sure they have just the 'right' balance of food before they drop their worms in. (I certainly understand this if you are buying pounds of worms for $30 or so) I personally feel that worms thrive if left alone as long as some very basic needs are met, sufficient ventilation, moisture and something minimal to eat (like just wet cardboard.) The key is to be patient and let the bin establish.

I was also looking at a way to help new people get started with a super minimal cash outlay.

That particular bin had to be abandoned. I was re-arranging a stack of bins and decided to look inside. The top of the bedding looked just right but when I stuck my nose in and took a whiff, I knew I had trouble. Sure enough,it had gone anerobic. I looked through it as I dumped it into my compost heap but did not see any worms, just a slimy, stinky mess.

Another bin that I started the same way seems to be doing well...at least it smells ok.

I'm sorry your bin went bad. :(

Well at least you know where that wall is now.
Pushing it to the limit in extreme vermicomposting.
In vermicomposting I always learn the most from my biggest non sucesses. So much so that they don't bother me just give me more ideas to try. And it is not like the material was lost. It was the outdoor bin's gain.