Otis is right, unless you are getting the twine free and just looking for something to do with your hands while watching the idiot box..... just chop it like spagetti, toss it in water a while drain it like spagetti and put it in your worm bin(s). They will treat it like burlap. I once had a sisal rug on the patio that got wet in the rain, started mildewing and coming apart so badly that I just fed it to the worms a couple squares at a time. Just laid it on top of the bins and kept it moist for them until it fell apart.

It's going to be a 2 tier 18 gallon plastic tubs set up, so it's small. I don't have that much twine (less than 180 ft), so I will cut it like spaghetti and wet. I have a bunch of food cut into small (1/2 inch squares) sitting in the freezer. We did this last year & what a disaster. Ants, fruit flies, gnats galore, plus we learned it is just way too hot here in the summer. So, starting inside & keeping it there. We want to do it right this time. Experience is a wonderful thing, so Thank You 11Otis & Dott for sharing yours!

ladybug: just to share my opinion: If you use sisal twine ONLY, it will do little to deter flying pest to get to worm food in your bin. Have no idea how much volume fluffy 180ft twine will generate.

I piled lots of shredded paper product in my bins. Moved them aside for feeding and covered it back. You could cover the entire surface (on top of shredded paper product) with a damp old t-shirt on top of that.

What about peat moss? If you have some of it around it is good stuff. It seems to stay fluffy enough when mixed with things like cardboard and newspaper. How finely are you shredding your newspaper? The stuff from my shredder will compact into a ball but 2 inch strips torn lengthwise down the newspaper seem to not compact too badly.

I plan on using a combination of the twine, shredded newspaper & shredded cardboard as bedding (combo about 4-5 inches worth). And have some on the side for future layering. I'm thinking bedding, air, a places to feed the red worms. A bit of grit (coffee grounds, sterilized fine dirt, pulverized egg shells, etc). Then layer them a few times so the worms have a place to retreat & eat. That brings up another few questions. As time goes by it should all be composted anyway, so keep on layering? I read freezing their food helps break down the cell walls of the food and kills pest eggs. True?

I think pieces of twine would probably work, but really not worth it unless you've got free surplus supplies of the stuff. I've never used coconut coir, or anything but shredded paper and cardboard.

I think if you're having lots of pest problems, it's not the fault of the paper bedding. Keeping a good thick layer of plain bedding with no food in it on top of any food is key, as is managing the amount of food you give relative to your worms' appetites. I think you'll find it's somewhat easier to keep the bug population under control with an indoor bin, although there are always going to be some friendly arthropods in there.

Are you using red wigglers?