I added 1 pound of red wigglers about 3 months ago, and they're joe distributed through two trays. Most of them were juvaniles when I received then. I just didn't think they reproduced so quickly that I'd have an over population problem after only a few months. I haven't spotted any baby worms but I have found a couple of cocoons.

What guidance did you get from the worm bin manufacturer on starting population size? I use a Rubbermaid tub so don't have experience with WF360.

That's a good question. I'm not sure how many works they recommend per tray.

I don't have my manual in front of me, but my recollection is that they say to start with around 1000 worms (I started with 1500). I get quite a few worms hanging out on the lid and on top of the newspapers (always at least a dozen on the paper and 4+ on the lid). I don't think you need to worry. I actually think that in my bin, this is where they are going to breed. I keep finding tiny baby ones on the underside of the lid.

Thanks bassopotamus

I'm curious if that means I should have 1000 per tray. I think I may have started the second tray too soon. Now I have 1000 divided between twice the total volume. Of course they're reproducing but I think it would be foolhardy to think they've doubled in population after only a couple months. When I first had 1000 in a single tray I would see the whole surface heave when I took the lid off. It told me they were just below the surface and hard at work. That first tray seemed to finish fast compared to what I'm seeing now.

Of course I wanted to end up buying as few works as possible and having nature take its course to populate the bin the the maximum capacity. Maybe I'm just not being realistic in my expectation of how fast that should occur.

Eh, they just kind of go where they go. I started with 1500 in one tray, now have two. Some have been born. Some have probably died. No idea what the count is. I think, in general, so long as the food disappears and there are no obvious signs of illness, you'll be fine

Ive been using the 360 for about 3 yrs now and never have any leachate, only one time when I dumped some water in to lubricate the burlap. When I feed I always add some shredded paper to help cover to keep any smell down and to keep fruit flies at bay. Usually when I add food within 24 hrs the worms seem to be on it, but the food I add has been run thru my juicer and kept in large container until I decide to feed the bin. I also have a homemade plastic which I treat the same way , no drainage in that triple tier setup either.

"I actually think that in my bin, this is where they are going to breed. I keep finding tiny baby ones on the underside of the lid." The birds, the bees and the worms all have this middle step of the eggs. On the top of the lid is access to lots of oxygen.

On the top of the lid is access to lots of oxygen

^^This^^ I have a rubbermaid bin and I found my worms all bunched up right where the slab of thin wood paneling that I use for a lid bowed up a little to allow air in. I kind of moved things around until I found that wherever this arc was, the worms always bunched up. So, whenever I laid the panel onto the bin, I left it a little askew so that air would come in at at least 2 corners. Once I did this, the issue stopped. So, I think it's an air flow problem.

This oxygen discussion is interesting. I had heard people suggest they moved to lid for laying cocoons and procreation, but I never saw evidence of that. I saw intertwined worms in the bedding but not the lid.

I attempted to use a technique I read about on here to keep the worms down in the compost trays I took an unused tray and filled it with about an inch of shredded paper. I put that layer on top of the others and the worms seem to stay in the other levels now and not near the lid. I'm sure this paper allows plenty of oxygen through but it's dry enough that they don't seem to want to hang out there. It actually dried out the top compost tray a bit more than usual so I had to lightly spritz it with some water. I noticed if the paper layer got damp (even from condensation) the worms would start to move up there. I guess it's all a matter of balance.

It's been long enough that I decided to try to process the compost in the bottom bin. It was kind of damp and there were still quite a few worms in it. I moved the oldest tray to the top and loosened the compost with a plastic spoon. With 4 other bins sitting on top of it the compost was very dense. I found dozens of mature worms in that tray and a lot of little tiny worms. I attempted to use the bright light technique to get the worms to move to a lower level. I discovered the worms were hanging out in the loosened compost just below the surface. So as I process it I'll uncover a couple worms and they'll move down a bit. It's a slow process but I think it's helped slowly dry the compost before I process it and to keep the worms happy while I take away thin layers of compost.

Since they're hanging out in the loose compost more than the dense compost this might support the idea they want fresh air.

I recently had been having a few worms on the floor in the mornings like 3 or 4 days in a row , Im thinking whats going on here why the sudden exodus. I had ignored them for a week or so thinking there was enough food in there , evidently they didnt agree with me. So I started loading up on food in the bins and no more worms on the floor,, picky little devils arent they.