Most worms are particularly fond of, and seem to attain a complete sense of serenity, if a little mood music is softly playing in the background. Some 70's soft rock, or Neil Diamond...stuff like that. Do NOT play gangsta rap music around them.

Seriously though, I don't ever have that problem, and I move worms around all the time. What kind of worms? Just move the worms, bedding and all, and give them the right temps, moisture content, air and food. If they try to leave then, they're probably those gypsy worms looking for a traveling show, and you'll be better off without em.

Chuckiebtoo

Hi Chuckie,

I should have specified that I was talking about EF...

hello there when I first started I had the same sort of problems I think just about every one does at one time or another the answer is easy just bring with them as much of the bedding they are used to as you can and let them gradualy get used to the new enviroment exploring in their own time. Having said this they don't usualy die,they just leave, so please check that nothing else is killing them.kind regards John

Akin to John's astute comments, it is not usually the change in bedding that is the major stressor or killer of worms, it is the harvesting (influenced by the type of harvesting employed, with mechanical harvesting being shown to significantly increase mortality rates for several weeks following) coupled with the stress of shipping. A new and radically different environment certainly doesn't help the situation, but it alone is rarely the cause of mass worm die-off.

The transition trauma from one system to another is dramatically reduced when worms are not separated from their bedding, but are shipped/transported in the material in which they had been previously living. Without harvesting, however, it is difficult to guarantee that the buyer is receiving the number of worms promised, or that the farmer is not shipping more worms than were paid for; few commercial worm farms are willing to part with the vermicompost without charging for it, and few buyers are willing to pay the premium price for castings when they are buying worms for the purpose of making their own; and the moisture content of the vermicompost in an actively working worm bin makes commercial shipping outrageously expensive. Thus, while it is, indeed, better for the worms, on a commercial scale such shipping procedures are not practical.

Alternatively, making good, backyard compost or vermicompost from ANY worm bin a signficant portion (as much as 30%) of the bedding material in the system into which new worms will be innoculated does wonders for helping them settle in and reducing stress. Even tossing a shovel-full or two into the bin is shown to have a marked beneficial impact. You might consider trying this.

As to Chuckie's suggestion of mood music, be aware that country music after, oh, about 1988, will cause worms to become violent and destructive. It has a similar effect on humans in my experience. Avoid it at all costs...

Kelly S