Worms on top bedding?

12 years ago

I don't know what they're doing now.

I have a peat moss, coir, and shredded paper (Amazon shipping boxes, junk mail, anything non-glossy) mixed bedding, with some aged used coffee grounds in the sides, all that covered with over 1 inch of shredded paper.

Lift the plastic lid on the Worm Factory and there's a clump of red worms squirming extremely actively on top the bedding in the area above the coffee grounds.

... now what the heck are they doing? They went up this time instead of down (into the bottom trough), but aren't escaping the bin; they're just hanging around on top the bedding, over the coffee grounds. They've got plenty of deeper bedding that's more readily accessible and more decomposed--and full of tons of worms if I lift the paper and nudge at it a bit. Hell, just lift the paper and there's a lot of movement--the surface of the bedding is squirming from all the worms underneath.

What is this?

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Comments (4)

PRO
equinoxequinox
12 years ago
Has it been rainy or low air pressure lately? These are times when red wigglers naturally search out new habitats to inhabit.

Think of it as self harvesting and make a small bin for a friend.
bluefoxicy
Original Author
12 years ago
It's been rainy, but there's a dehumidifier in there. Granted I did pour some water into the bin.. and only over that spot, not over the whole thing.
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sbryce_gw
12 years ago
It isn't the rain that drives the worms out. It is the low pressure. I'm guessing that is not what is happening here. I can't put my finger on anything that could be causing your worm gathering, since it sounds like things are normal in the rest of the bin. The squirming you are seeing could be because of the sudden exposure to light when you lift the lid.
PRO
equinoxequinox
12 years ago
To experiment pour water on a different spot.

Is there chlorine in the water? That would sanitize the friendly, happy bacteria. Perhaps something in the water started a reproduction frenzy. Have you been drinking the same water? :-)