Why Do WORMS ESCAPE your worm bin- and what to do about it.
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.ย. 2024
- African Night Crawlers- They have become my carbon work horses eating cardboard like baby food. HUGE HARVEST OF WORM CASTINGS
/ @plantobsessed
The ANC are in my Vermibag little mammoth. In order to keep them big they will get spoiled. I have a plan to treat them like the breeders do with new bedding and food to promote the large growth.
AMAZON links Below to items I use for the Wormery
I am an Amazon affiliate. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. The items below are the Amazon affiliate links for the items I use in my wormery. I have read and recommend these books. The cost is the same to you, but the channel will be get a small commission if purchases are made using the links.
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My worms have had a major basement escape a couple times in the past, too. What I found was that the bin I was using (Rubbermaid, 10 or 20 gallon) had too little oxygen for the fairly large worm population and a big addition of food scraps. I made some air holes with screening in the lid, and have not had any escape trouble since. So think about air access, too.
Yeah lids make the walls wet they will crawl. 😃👍🏼🪱
Hi Ann,
I always enjoy listening to your wise advice ❤
I'm sorry you lost so many babies 🪱 with temp and pressure change.
We got back from vacation late yesterday and I looked in on Jack and Jill (the Oblong Planters) and they look just fine 👍 Since they are sitting next to the screen on my back porch, I'm always concerned mostly about them. No escapees!
Take care
❤Peggy❤
I'm glad to hear your worms behaved while you were on vacation. 👍🏼🪱😊
Hi Ann. I have like 30-40 that ran away, some died, most were salvageable. It happened recently, when i went away for a week. There are ants around, lizard and lots of tiny snails. Maybe the environment too dry. Their feeding gone though- not sure by the worms or the others. I am quite stressed with their wellbeing, I fluffing daily. Which I think causing more stress to the worms.
I also stress about my worm babies. Daily fluffing is likely too much. I try to keep the moisture higher when they are stressed. I also give them a worm blanket of either cardboard or foam plastic so they have a roof to snuggle on. See my blue 55 Gallon bin. It has no lid but it has a blanket. I rarely have escapes there. I don't have lizards so I'm not sure what to do with them. Snails don't hurt the worms but will eat the food. I hope this helps. I try to answer all questions. You can do this. It takes time to perfect your system.😃👍🏼🪱
When the weather started to change some days ago that was when my worms started escaping again. Rain and changing temperatures are their sign to get out of the box. :D The red wigglers stay in the bins, but the other worms try to get out, especially the small ones.
Red wigglers are such good worms. 👍🏼🪱😃
Just did a harvest and reset on one of my bins... About 2 hours later I found about 100 wigglers trying to escape. Luckily I had a lid on the bin .. I got everyone back in and put some lights on them to encourage them to stay in.....
The light trick works well for all my worms except the ANC they don't seem to mind the light... To their demise. 👍🏼🪱😥
So much great info and learning about ANC for me in this video!! I'm so close to buying some! Below freezing in October...I can't imagine!! The change of season is so tough to figure out moisture control! Awesome point about putting a layer of dry bedding on top to deter the worms!! Awesome video Ann, I learned a lot!!🪱🪱🪱
Thank you for the kind words 😊🪱👍🏼
I always like your feedings, I know you have thousands but its neat to see how much they eat. My red wigglers seem to be crawling to the top of the system (360) and I think its from the change in weather as well. I will be brining them into my basement to keep them more happy.
The lengths we go to to make the worms happy. They are spoiled brats. Lol 🪱👍🏼😃
Little Houdini's! I probably had half a dozen worms end up on the floor as jerky when my first bin was brand new several years ago. I hadn't started the bedding ahead of time, it was probably too dry, and I fed them a collard leaf! I had one mass escape attempt when some bedding was offgassing. I've also noticed worms on the lip of my outdoor bin (Gilligan) in a low pressure storm. I have no evidence any of them can escape, though, because we do not find worms in the moist corrugated cardboard underneath the bin. Nor is there any evidence worms have been eating the cardboard. Great topic, Ann. We can all learn from each other!
~ Sandra
Wow I bet there are worms all over and under my outside bin even though it does have a lid. I just have rowdy worms I guess 👍🏼🪱😃
Lol, if they are escaping, they are travelling a long way to get into a plant pot! As you said, I think it all comes down to extremes in weather. We can get rapid low pressure systems moving in this time of year (expecting one next week), but not so much temperature swings because we are close to the ocean.
~ Sandra
My 90L tub I keep a light over it 24/7 I’ve had them escap when I first put them in I do have a matting over them and plastic. I do keep it quite moist They seem to have settled in now they are a good mix of red riggers and night crawlers they seem to have settled in now it’s been over 5months and no wondering worms 🪱 great video Anne. I always enjoy watching and learning from you
My reds and euros are good worms too. It is the blues and Anc that are high maintenance. Lol 👍🏼🪱😊
@@PlantObsessed we can’t get ANC or blues in the uk. But if anyone else knows of some one that knows of some one I would really appreciate it also the blue worms
My red wrigglers and Euros do the escape thing every autumn too. Even with a light on I find some jerky on the floor.
I keep hoping year over year the ones with the urge to escape will be bred out... Nope lol 😊🪱👍🏼
Thanks for the info about the water, I did not realize that.
Glad to help😊🪱👍🏼
They must really love the food you've given them Ann. Its gonna be a happy worm bin. How are you doing?
We are doing good. Worms rule🪱😊👍🏼
I have an Uncle Jim's Worm Factory that I had put away several years ago and then got out yesterday to try again. Put 10000 worms in it and went to bed. Woke up to find maybe 25 worms stuck to the floor this morning and when I lifted the lid a ball of them rolled over the edge onto the table. Not knowing why they were trying to escape as the moisture and temperature seem right and I'd put just a little food in there to start with - I decided to offer them another bin from the tower on top to crawl into in case there are just too many worms for one bin and they're trying to find space to sort themselves out. Now it's a two bin "tower" with bedding and food in both bins so I hope they'll be content for a while. I've set up two raised beds with vermicomposting bins built in but we're expecting night time temps in the thirties a couple more times this week - otherwise I would move some of the worms into those raised bed bins right away.
Worm jerky is the worst. My ANC do that on occasion in storm season. If they are red wigglers they don't usually mind the cold. I have a bin of reds that stayed out all winter.👍🏼🪱😃
Thanks for this video. I have the same problem here in the UK. About 50 - 100 of my red wigglers escaped died. No obvious problems, other than drop in temperature and stormy weather. I've left a light on for them. And I am checking several times a day. I managed to rescue a few determined wanderers.
I wondered if the worms are more naturally active in Autumn? Makes sense that they might have to move fast if heavy rain and storm come.
I also noticed the same behavior in the spring when the storms come. I have read in India they find the worms in the top of trees after storms. Note super helpful for us home worm farmers. Lol 👍🏼🪱😃
LOL worms in trees. No sure if that is amazing or scary!
Yeah the weather is something else here. I went from shorts to long johns in a day 😂
My worms have been well trained by someone 😉👍
We did our final sumner veg harvest today.
Good point about the Chloramine and bright lights !!
Cheers and stay warm 🌱🤞👍👍👍👍
Lol it was 80 here last week And tomorrow is going to be 20. I'm not ready for winter.👍🏼🪱😃
😳😳😳 Long johns??? Brrrr!
~ Sandra
@@NanasWorms I feel like I let a whole country down 🇨🇦🥶🤣🥰
I hope they were at least lumberjack plaid!
~ Sandra
@@NanasWorms 🤣
Hey Anne, I get a worm or 2 escaping from my vertical stacking tray system every once in a while. On the other hand, they massively run to the bottom tray - the 'juice collecting tray' as the designers named it. But this is rubbish to me. Sounds more like a worm drowning pool/cemetery. So I regularly add bedding (shredded paper) and some worm chow to keep these worms happy. I wonder if 2lb of worms was not too much for this system anyway... Transferred some to new bins (plastic tubs). As long as they don't end up drying up on the floor I'm happy. 😅
I guess differents species of worm developped different survival strategies. Perhaps in Africa an impeding storm could be far more dangerous to them than in Europe, hence the 'crawl for your lives'. Who knows. ;-)
Cheers!
I just started my vertical tower and it always has tons of.worms in the bottom. There's a learning curve for sure. 🪱😊👍🏼
Had no idea that ANCs could survive 10 degrees below freezing (unless I misheard the temp?). Is this because your Vermibag is larger and can retain more heat due to thermal mass? Do you need to consistently make sure you’re feeding larger quantities to generate heat for the bin? Anything additional you do to keep to warm for them? I was under the impression that because ANCs are tropical worms, they can’t really tolerate low temps. Keep up the great videos and thanks!
The bag is actually inside my house. The temperature gets down to about 63 fahrenheit. I keep a seed heating mat in there when it gets that cold. 😁🪱👍🏼
I’ve heard of putting a cotton ball at the end of the zipper to reduce the gap
Great idea. I am going to try that. 👍🏼🪱😊
My worms try to escape when a storm is coming. I put a lot of bedding on top of bin when a storm is coming it helps a little. They can't get out but some of the wisps won't make it back down and they dry out on the side of the bin.
Yes that is what I do in my open bins. In a month it will settle down. I can stop worrying. 😊🪱👍🏼
Our worms rarely escape the last time they did was after a big storm. They probably did not like the vibrations. Next storm I am going to do my best to put the bins in a shed or on some shelves.
Mine are inside and still freak out with storms vibrations and large trucks driving by. The ANC are fussy for sure.🪱👍🏼😃
Thanks for your videos. So informative!
I have a zip bag (urban worm bag) and today I realized I have problems with my red wrigglers. Over the past months, they have devoured a small pumpkin, some watermelon, and a few scraps. Then I managed to forget them. My population plummeted. So today, I decided to harvest, but could not release the string gripper. So... took it all outside and scooped out everything into buckets, sifting out the last few inches for worm compost. (It was a nice warm TX day, in the 70s.) I've used broken down leaves for bedding which probably brought in my extra bugs. I did find quite a few 2" long very yellow and very firm worm things. I see them in the garden all the time. I have no clue what they are, but wonder if they maybe were eating my worms. They were thrown out, of course.
Question: If the sow bug creatures eat young tender plants, how does one mix worm castings with seed starting mix without sacrificing new seedlings?
Sorry this is so long!
I'm not sure what the all yellow things were. Maybe a grub of some sort? I have noticed the pill bugs so eat seedlings. They leave the plants alone when they are as thick as a pencil. 👍🏼🪱😊
African Night Crawlers do what they want . I leave a light on at all times .
Does that work for your ANC? Mine seem to laugh at light and keep on going. 😃👍🏼🪱
My worms tend to try to escape on weather changes like when a storm is coming. As they are mostly outside I don't really worry about it.
My outside bin is like that too. The worms come and go as they please. 🪱👍🏼😃
I have never had worms escape. 🤫😉 The temperature change is my problem.
Yeah I'm going to have to break out the heater for them soon. The bin is at 70 F🪱👍🏼☺️
Wow I can't believe they can crawl through the zipper. That's nuts
The cat and I were surprised too. 😊👍🏼🪱
Hi, recently started watching your channel and videos. I have access to lots of pine cones. Would that be a good item to put in a worm bin?
I have not tried before but I would put a couple in and see how it goes. I bet it will take 6 months. It would be perfect for a wedge system when the material stays in the bin long-term.👍🏼😊🪱
Only time I’ve had worm escape is because of the rains and temp outside or I’ve put to much food scraps in the bin
Yep, me too. 👍🏼🪱😊
I'm new to setting a worm bin. Nearly had a heart attack when u saw the worms escaped they all over the shed floor
Around here tis the season. The first time I freaked out for sure. 👍🏼😊🪱
I thought worms hate onions?? is there anything you can't feed worms?? Is there anything that is toxic to them?? Thanks for the help. Its much appreciated.😀
I have Red wigglers, European nightcrawlers,blue worms and African Night Crawlers and they all eat onions. I have not found any people food they won't eat. Meat and fatty items will attract bugs pretty bad but it's not toxic. Too much of any food can become toxic if it becomes anaerobic and gives off ammonia. Good luck worming. 😁🪱👍🏼
The only time i have worms leave the bin is when i first got them and there blues mixed in. Now that I have just wiggkers they stay put.
Yeah good point my big Blue bin has blues. I bet I had some runners this weekend too. 😃🪱👍🏼
How many worms do you approximate are in there? How long will that pineapple last?
There are about 5 pounds. The pineapple will still be there on 5 months. It is a super slow food. 😃👍🏼🪱
Do you have to have it in a warm shade place, the compost bin? I can’t do this in a sunny place outside in a bucket buried in the soil? Thanks Ann 👍😊👩🌾
This is inside my house. Almost perfect conditions year round. 🪱😊👍🏼
My worms started crawling out from the time I got them. I have consistently lost most of the worms. I do not know what I am doing wrong.
It does usually happen when the bin is new. Have you tried leaving a light shining on the bin for 24 hours? 🪱😊👍🏼
So even though they're in a bag that zips up I guess they still have enough oxygen?
Yes, the bag is made of fabric. It is very breathable. 😃🪱👍🏼
Today was the first time in 3 1/2 years my blue worms crawled out. Never happened before. I checked in on them this morning and fluffed the bin up a little which i always do then left to drop kids off. Came back to feed them and they were everywhere! And blue worms are always in those tight worm balls so I think i rescued most of them but its just odd that happened.
Must be the change in season. Mine are behaving now that fall has set in. Fingers crossed your worms behave. 🪱😄👍🏼
Too bad about the wormies that jumped ship & ended up becoming jerky
Yeah it is a shame I hope they are ok now that the storms have stopped. I have to get the putty knife to clean them off the floor 🤢👍🏼🪱
My worms never escape my bins I have installed a 9 volt electric fence in each one using a very thin cooper adhesive tape and 9 volt battery
Wow I have never heard of that before. They are on lock down for sure. Do you ever have any that fry themselves? 👍🏼🪱😃
@@PlantObsessed no they do not get hurt but I think they poop they’re pants if you have an e-mail I can send you some pics
Dang …. You are almost up too 8k subscribers! 🎉
Yep 👍🏼😊🪱
Got new worms and some tried to escape. I was doing the no food for a week but ended up caving after a few days and gave them a little bit of scrap eggplant. Haven't had an issue for them trying to leave since giving them regular feedings. so I guess they were hangry 😂🪱🪱
Good instincts. The worms definitely wanted some food. 🪱😃👍🏼
Nice tips Ann! Great feeding, I feel like ANCs are too finicky and picky for me. Huge positive for them is they demolish carbon.😁🪱🪱
Yep I would not have them if it wasn't for all the Amazon boxes lol🪱👍🏼😃