Maybe they are trying to get out, and maybe they are just crawling around on the damp plastic. They seem to like to do that sometimes, and it doesn't always mean anything is wrong, in my experience.
I'd like to know more about your situation before I know what to suggest.
What is your bedding? And how much bedding is in there? You say it's "still dry." Do you mean it's not too wet? It should be damp, as you probably know. I like to use a lot of torn-up corrugated cardboard as bedding, and it's pretty easy to have it damp but not soggy. They worms will consume it over time, just as they do the "food." (It's all food to them.)
Also, what kind of bin do you have?
Knowing the answers to these questions will probably help folks make good suggestions.
Also, on the subject of how much food scraps to put in, you are not the first person who has said they wait for one batch to disappear before adding more. This is not what I do. I add garbage as I have it. Sometimes I will hold off on adding more, if I have an especially large amount, because things can turn aerobic in the bin. Basically, however, I like to have deposits of kitchen waste in various stages of decomposition in the bin. That way while the worms are working in one area, the next batch is getting to the stage where the worms can consume it.
(Okay, so that's a little off topic from your question. And while your bin is new and you don't have a huge number of worms, you are wise not to overfeed them.)
Anyway, Andy, you may be fine, but I'm interested to know if you have enough bedding and it is at a comfortable moisture level for the worms. If that is the case, and you have sufficient aeration, I wouldn't worry.
mbetts

It sounds to me like your bin is too dry. My suggestion is to use a mister and mist the top and sides very well if you have a bin system. Use rain water in a perfect world or tap water which has sat for a day to get rid of some of the chlorine.

I have a flow through system and I gently pour 2 cups of rain water over the top layer every 7-10 days. I get mixed feedback on this forum concerning this approach but others sites mention keeping the bin 50-75% saturated since the worms seem to thrive in moist environments. With a flow through system it is easy to do this.

Best of luck....

Keep posting we will continue to try and help.

I have a flow through system, and aside from the initial adding of the bedding, I haven't added any water to the bin. I'm surprised you add as much as you do.

My worms crawl all over the place, but the majority of them are in the mix. I don't recall ever having an acidic smell, unless you mean an ammonia type smell, which I've had happen when I added too many coffee grounds.

mbetts thanks for the reply, the answers to your questions are
- My bedding consists of office paper that has gone through a shredder, i put an inch or so of wet bedding on the bottom, then food then the worms, and then 2 inchs of dry bedding
- When I said the bedding was dry was the top bedding looked unchanged when I opened the lid after 2 weeks
- I have an 18 gallon rubbermaid tote
- I have been keeping the lid off and shining a light on them to keep them in the bin for the past 2 days and feeding them a little every day, I also sprayed some water on the top, any suggestions? Thanks

Hi Andy
"an inch or so of wet bedding" isn't a lot of bedding at all.
You need to have lots of bedding in the bin. The food should be buried a bit, and the worms do like to hang out at the bottom.

One way to set up a bin is to make it 3/4 full of bedding, and pocket feed. Dig a little hole, put the food in, and cover with the existing bedding. Feed in a different spot each time. When the bedding is gone, it's time to harvest.

I had a few inches of bedding in one of my bins, and my worms were on the sides a lot. I increased the amount of bedding, and the food, and have had no problems.

Sherry

Andy, I too think you should put more moist bedding in there. I have become very partial to corrogated cardboard. For a long time I used newspaper, but corrugated doesn't pack down as much, and the little crevices are good for the worms to hang out in. Get you a cardboard box and leave it out in the rain to get soaked. Then you can easily tear it into small hunks. Put it all on top of the bin and put the food scraps under there in pockets, like Sherry says. The cardboard should be good and damp, but not sopping wet. You can put a lot of cardboard in, but I'd say at least two or three inches.
See how it goes.
mbetts

I have to admit I partial keep adding the water, so I can then recollect 75% of it and pour on my plants.

Computergardener, your bin is far too wet.
The ideal bin doesn't want any excess water. The castings we are all striving for are very loose and crumbly, like good potting soil.

Any excess water in the bin, whether deliberate, like what you are doing, or just from a lot of wet foods, is too much. You don't need this "leachate" to water your plants. Just use the castings you will get and use to top-dress your plants, and put in the holes when you plant.

Sherry

I disagree about not putting some water in the worm bin. However, you need a system that will let the excess water drain out, as you do not want pools of water sitting in the bottom of your bin. The Can-O-Worms system is designed to do this, but you may be able to design your own system to operate in a similar manner. The worm tea that you end up with is excellent for your plants, and gives them an immediate boost.

The top layer of bedding should be moistened. It should not be bone dry. You can mist it with a spray bottle of water so it doesn't mat down.

Sandy