Are there no worms in the working tray where the food is?

Worms are more interested in staying in the area that has the most bacterial activity. The castings are more bacterially rich than the new feed stock and bedding.

When I add new trays I generally sprinkle the new bedding and food with harvested castings and a light dusting of cornmeal. The cornmeal seems to help boost the needed bacteria bloom and pretty soon I will see worm activity just under the surface and sometimes on top of the new bedding. You might add some dryer lint to the top layer; the mature worms may use it to help remove their cocoons.

JMHO

bruce

Dryer lint, remove cocoons...tell me more bruce!

Note 'light dusting of cornmeal'. Don't do what I did with a stacking system & throw a handful in. I don't know exactly what happened, but it sucked.

Hey Swampboogie,

Some time back I mentioned on a post that I had read that cornmeal was thought to increase worm production and sexual activity. (This was not my idea; just something I had read and repeated) Kelly intervened, blew the myth apart, but added that cornmeal, being so finely ground, has much more surface area for bacterial activity than larger food stocks. I have access to waste meal and use it regularly in my bins. The worms come to the surface and literally roll around in it! By the way, I have over- done it with the meal and it crusted up and caused a little heat. Now I just dust it on like you would flour a pan? do they still do that? and wet it down with a sprayer.

I have also read where some use a "worm fattener" and I figured I'd try something similar. I use 5 pt. cornmeal, 2 parts ground egg shell(from a coffee blender), and 1 pt dehydrated milk. Don't know for sure what it does but the worms are crazy for it (or maybe the bacteria it produces)

As for dryer lint - I've (once again) read of lots of folks putting it in their bins for the worms to "eat". I've also read where some have used carpet for a cover, nap side down, and it seems the worms use the lint and carpet fibers to rub against when shedding cocoons. Now, I don't know for a fact that they do this, but, I seem to find more cocoons in areas where the lint is. Just a thought.

By the way, I, too, use stacking bins but I've not had the trouble you've had. And, too, the worms are spread all through all of the levels (3 & I'm about to add a 4th)
Go figure!!

bruce

Great post Bruce, thanks!

I took a huge handful and tossed it in my bin because I also heard it increased population. A couple days later, it was clumped together, hot, smelly and worms were escaping in mass. For me, it was pretty gross.

I'm pretty 'girly' though, and like my bin orderly and definitely not smelly! I can't even stand the catch basin. I have to fight myself not to bleach it! When I read posts about BSF larvae, I quietly cringe. I'm not that cool! I don't even think I would consider grinding the egg shells up, they're lucky I even crush them in my fist!

However, even with me keeping the bin less 'natural' as they would like, the worms are doing great. Even started a second bin (28 gal or so), and can't wait to do another.

I did do a 'light' dusting of cornmeal, and that seemed to work fine. I'll be doing it again soon. I think I always figure the more the better...not always so!

Yeah, these crazy worms!

oh serious. we had some cornflour that was lousy (white degeriminated or something, made LOUSY cornbread) so I was feeding it to the worms... more than a light sprinkling DOES get warm. Im interested in that vs wheat flour for the heating factor.

garnetmoth..It has been my experience that any grain, if buried, will heat up a bin quickly. Spreading it too thickly on top will cause it to crust over and take out the airflow. I do put plugs of grain, buried in my outdoor, bins in the winter and it acts like a furnace to keep the worms up and feeding.