You may have been overfeeding or overwatering. In a well kept bin you shouldn't have much water in the catch basin. I would suggest drying out the bedding by adding paper or cardboard and slack up on the feeding and watering.

You shouldn't have water in the catchment area, not much anyway. The bottom section is for catching the few drops that might drip through.

Try filling the catchment with shredded newspaper. When the paper gets dirty or wet, add it to the top bin.

There should be enough moisture in the food ... you shouldn't need to add any more.

Marshall

Thanks for the ideas. Last night I checked again and the few remaining worms were on top in the new dry bedding. I am still a little confused on the color newspaper issue. My local paper has color on every page. I have been tearing around the color images to try and only have Black and white paper. Is this a must or will the worms be fine with the color newsprint as well. I know not to use the glossy adds. But do I have to add this tedious step? Thanks again

I did a google search "toxic colour newsprint" and found this. Hope it helps.

Marshall
http://www.environment.news.com.au/html/inks.htm

Here is a link that might be useful: Toxic colour newsprint

I've fed my worms colored newspaper and colored printed paper... I've not had a problem with any of it. I wouldn't worry too much about it. Chances are if you are able to rip the colored parts of the paper out without spending hours on it, you don't need to bother. There isn't enough to worry. My first worm bin was fed almost completely on a newspaper that thought their circulation rates were insured by using colored pictures, and never had a problem.

When you read "don't use colored paper," this is usually what is meant: "don't use those glossy shiny newspaper inserts--the ads and things--because that type of paper is quite water-repelling and will take forever to break down." Plus, there is a *small* chance that some of them still contain non-soy-based inks.

I've used a can-o-worm bin for years, and I've found that it works best if I only use two working levels. This is how I set mine up:
--leave the bottom drainage bin with the spigot alone. I leave the spigot open with a coffee can to catch drips, but I keep my bin fairly dry, and rarely have much liquid to catch.
--The top bin is filled with damp-to-dry bedding up to the fill line (I usually use the bedding that had been in the lowest bin--this will make sense later). I add food by burying it in pockets clockwise around the perimeter of the bin, and covering with the bedding. Usually by the time I get back to the first pocket, the food is mostly unrecognizable. So, I'll add more until there is a lot of recognizable food or the bin is filled to the fill line. At this point, the top bin is moved to be the second bin.
--The second bin has "working" vermicompost. It has had food and bedding, and has been ignored by me while I fill the upper bin. By the time the upper bin is full of food, the second bin is usually ready for harvest. After I harvest, I fill it with bedding and this becomes the top bin.
--The lowest compost bin I fill with dry shredded newspaper or leaves or coir or something. Fill it most of the way--it's OK to have the next bin smoosh this down a bit. This dry non-food layer will collect liquid that drains from up above and help keep the COW working correctly. When I've harvested the middle bin, I usually fill it with the bedding from this lowest bin. This bedding is damp-to-wet from leachate from the upper levels, and may be starting to break down. It's reduced in volume, and there may be a few worms in it. I figure that this bedding is full of active bacteria and things, and helps to increase the rate of decomp when it becomes the bedding for the top bin. I then fill this with fresh dry bedding.

In the past, the drainage basin on my COW would get filled with vermicompost and worms, would plug the spigot, and occasionally overflowed or started to smell. By keeping one of the bins filled with dry absorbant bedding, I haven't had any odor issues, and the drainage basin almost never gets compost or worms in it. It doesn't get much drainage, for that matter.

A strong word of caution--in this type of worm system, it is important not to fill the levels too high. Why? Because when you place another level on top of it, it gets smooshed, which compresses out the air, which turns your bin anaerobic, which is possibly the worst smell in the world. So watch that.

Good luck!
Emily in chilly Fairbanks