Vermicoast » Troubleshooting

More Paper Issues in the Worm Bin and Some Answers…

shel — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 03:20:48 +0000

This bin has a potato growing in it to provide oxygen at the base of the bin..

Q. Why is the paper bedding so important to the worm’s bin ?

A. For a variety of reasons: the bedding is a site to bury their food in. A place for them to mate in, leave their cocoons to mature, a safe haven when it may be too hot or cold outside the bin for the worms to be insulated within it. Finally it is a food source for them. You will find that when the bin is ready for harvest in 4 to 6 months the bedding will almost all have been consumed by the worms.

Here, at Vermicoast, I have found that the worms I raise: Eisenia Fetida have grown very accustomed to newspaper and junk mail, as it is plentiful supply. They have adapted so well to it, that I encourage my clients who are first time worm bin owners/users, to continue to use it no matter what their worm bins have provided for them as a bedding material. This means newspapers over peat moss, office papers over coir fiber, as I have found the worms will adapt readily to their new bin with what they have been accustomed to when raised at Vermicoast with it, especially in new bin surroundings.

Q. Why do you dry out and fluff the bedding once it has been soaked?

A. The worms prefer their bedding to be between 55% to 75% moist. This enables them to slide by each other in order to mate, deposit cocoons, find their food with ease and deposit their casts. There are many, many reasons for this.

I soak the paper for 24 to 48 hours or longer and have a bin ready to receive paper. I wring it out. As I do this, I gently pull the paper apart allowing for air spaces. It is then placed into the bin. Since it is so very moist, it will reduce in bulk size you begin with resulting in the need to add more paper to the bin. The soaked paper when you first begin your bin should come to within 1″ to 2″’s of the top of the bin.

Q: How often do I add soaked, shredder paper to my worm bin?

A: Once the process has begun in the worm bin more bedding will be added as it is consumed. If, after one month, the paper level has lowered by two to four inches, add enough bedding to bring the level back up to within two inches of the top of the bin.

Q: Are there any types of paper which I should not use when I first start my bin?

A: No. Once you have soaked the shredded paper long enough, either 24 or 48 hours, all papers are fine in the worm bin. Just be sure that you have wrung it out well and fluffed it up for your bin use before you add it into your bin. As I have mentioned fluffing up the paper this needs to be defined. Fluffing in the context of the worm bin means that once the shredder, soaked paper has become very limp it should be wrung out until no more drops fall from it. It is then that as you place the fresh bedding into you bin, you will pull it apart. This will create air spaces and pockets. These will allow the worms to more about easily and do their job in your worm bin.

Q. Can I use coir fiber in my worm bin?

A: Yes, this is a renewable resource and the worms will eventually consume it. However, I have found over many years, that the red wigglers I raise have become so accustomed to all the household waste paper, that they prefer newspaper and all waste paper from the home. Newspaper, et all is also a renewable resource, which generally is delivered to your home daily. The red worms I rise are used to paper and do their best work when they have plenty of soaked bedding to have their food wastes buried in it.

Q. I have been told to use only manure as bedding for the worms, as I was also told they are manure worms. Are either of these two true?

A. Yes, both are true to some extent. The red wiggler worm can be found in many manure heaps, if that manure has aged. To be considered aged manure it must have either been through two or three years rains or very well rinsed. The action of the rains or rinsing manure, removes the high level of uric acid from the manure, as most animals deposit both liquid and solid wastes in the same place. Too much uric acid can harm the worms in the bin and they may not thrive as well you had hoped.

Red worms are also called manure worms since they can be found in the heaps of manure. The common or usual names given to this species of worm can be as many as eight or ten different ones. This depends on the location the worms live and breed in on the North American continent. Names used to best describe them can be: red wigglers, bandlings, tiger worms, manure worms, etc.

I hope this helps you in your adventures with your bin and worms!

~Shel

Fruit Flies, Your Worm Bin: Everything you want to know about the Fruit Fly!

shel — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 04:22:17 +0000

The facts:

Size: (3mm)

Fruit flies are small about 1/8-inch in length including the wings.

Fruit Fly Key Identification:

A key identifying character is its bright red eyes.

The Fruit fly is about one third the size of the filth or house fly.

Color: Body color is usually a light yellow to tan color.

Just because you may see a small fly or gnat type flying around in the kitchen, do not assume it is coming from the drains. Check all possible breeding sources to help identify the fly. Using a drain cleaner like DF 5000 would only work in they are breeding in the drains.

Understanding the different breeding sources for the different flies will help you in identifying and managing the respective flies. The other flies that are found around drains are: Fruit Flies, Drain Flies and Sphaerocierid Flies.

Breeding Sources of Drain Flies, Fruit Flies, Phorid Flies and Sphaerocerid Flies:

Drain flies: breed in drains, sewers, septic tanks and soil that has been contaminated with sewage.

Fruit flies: can be spotted around fresh fruits/vegetables, rotting fruits and vegetables, drains, garbage and damp organic materials

Sphaerocerid Flies: may be found in manure, damp organic material, drains, rotting fruits and vegetables and garbage

Fruit Fly : How it lives.

Fruit flies comprise several different species. The most common species encountered in homes and other structures. Fruit flies are also identified as pomace flies or vinegar flies. These pests can be found throughout the world, in homes, food processing plants, warehouses, grocery stores, wineries, restaurants and worm bins.

Populations tend to be greatest in late summer and early fall as they infest fruits during the harvest season.

The fruit fly is among the smallest flies found in homes.

With the end of the summer season, many homeowners often encounter fruit flies in, about their kitchens, and near your organic food storage, if you do have more than your worm bin can handle. We all find fruit flies in the kitchen, especially when vegetable or fruit materials are present after major home canning efforts, if you still do this.

As we know fruit flies are generally found hovering around decaying vegetation and overripe fruit. You will find fruit fly most often found hovering around overly ripe fruit.

Fermenting materials, such as leftover beer or soft drinks, also are a favorite food of fruit flies.

Occasionally, pomace flies, similar in appearance to fruit flies, may infest the home. The source of a pomace fly problem is often standing water like a forgotten mop pail or an open sewer drain.

Because it frequents such unsanitary areas, it could potentially carry disease-causing bacteria onto food products. So, please do be careful with keeping your collecting bin in the house or by your bin clean as you can!

Like all flies, the fruit fly develops by complete metamorphosis.

The fruit fly eggs are laid near or on top of attractants (fermenting materials) such as beverages, decaying fruit and vegetable matter, garbage or slime in drains. Be sure you clean them out!

The fruit fly is attracted to any area where moisture has accumulated including mops and wet rags. The larvae emerge from the eggs and feed near the surface of the fermenting material for 5-6 days.

This surface-feeding characteristic of the fruit fly larvae is significant in that damaged or over-ripened portions of fruits and vegetables can be eradicated if you bury your food wastes well into your bin without fear of retaining any developing larvae.

However, eating the larvae can cause intestinal discomfort and diarrhea.

Newly-emerged fruit fly adults are attracted to lights, but the egg laying females will not leave fermenting materials. The fruit fly larvae then crawl to drier areas of the food source or even out of the food source to pupate. Under ideal conditions, the life cycle of the fruit fly, from egg to adult can be completed in as little as eight days.

Life cycle from egg to adult is approximately 10 days.

Recommended Control and Treatment for Fruit Flies :

Exclusion and Sanitation, Insecticides, Traps, and Aerosols

1. Exclusion and Sanitation:

Sanitation is the first measure of defense, even though there are various traps and sprays that are used to kill fruit flies, it is necessary to eliminate the source in order to eliminate them.

The key to controlling these fruit fly infestations is to locate and eliminate their breeding sources.

Fruit Fly Inspection:

Look first for fruit fly sources in areas where vegetables or fruits are stored outside refrigeration.

Also, look for fruit fly sources in garbage cans, under appliances, and recycling bins. When searching for fruit fly breeding sources, remember that the larva can only survive in decaying organic matter that is moist.

All stages of fruit fly infestations depend on organic debris to complete the complete fruit fly cycle. Whenever possible, food and materials on which fruit flies can lay their eggs must be removed, destroyed, as a breeding medium, or isolated from the egg-laying adult.

Killing adult fruit flies will reduce infestation, but elimination of fruit fly breeding areas is necessary for good management.

A space spray such as CB 80 Pyrethrin CB 80 Pyrethrin Aerosols

(Pyrethrin spray) can be used as a quick kill, reducing populations of flying insects.

You might consider using a bacterial digester like DF 5000 or Invade Bio Gel to break up the organic debris. Check online for these or at your local garden center. I still use, after 21 years of keeping bins, the tried and true method to eradicate them if they are a problem for me: apple cider vinegar. I place one sturdy cup of it at each end of the bin with ½ of a cup of apple cider vinegar in them. They are attracted to the vinegar, go in and drown. After a week or so I dump them into my compost pile and start again with this very simple way to rid my bins of them. I tend to stay away from products that are aerosols or contain anything with a warning label on it.

Recap:

> fruit flies can be a problem

> it is an easy one to fix

> their life cycle is interesting if you are an entomologist!

Good luck with your bin.

I will be back soon.

~Shel

Water issues in the worm bin.

shel — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 17:34:29 +0000

This topic is another from my second and still unpublished book. If your life is half as busy as mine it is hard to find the time to do the research, sit down and type.

Q: What should the correct amount of moisture be in the worm bin?

A: The bedding, which is the shredded and soaked paper, should be 55 to 75% moist. This means that after you have soaked the paper for 24 hours or more, once you have wrung it out, fluffed and pulled it apart, it should not be dripping at all. Since worms breathe through their entire outer body they must have sufficient moisture to be able to breathe, slide by each other to mate and find their food. Imagine this: if your lungs were on the outside of your body and you were in the sunlight, it would not take long before you were unable to breathe at all as the sun’s rays would remove all the moisture from you. The same principle applies to the worm’s need for a damp, moist environment. If you are at all concerned about not knowing if your bin is moist enough for the worms, you can always buy a moisture reading stick at your local gardening center. This will give you an accurate reading of the bin’s moisture content.

Q: How often do I add water to my worm bin?

A. During dry, hot weather it may be necessary to add a few ounces of water to your bin every other day. Checking to be sure the worms have enough moisture in the bin is essential in this type of weather. An old, clean spray bottle of water can be kept handy by the bin so you can spray the top layer of the bedding if it has dried out. You may find it useful to label this worm bin water, so everyone in your household will know what it is for.

You may recall that all the organic waste residuals from the kitchen contain moisture, for the most part. All items like apple cores, lettuce leaves, coffee grounds, banana peels, etc, will all have a water content within them. When you are considering if the bin is damp enough, do take this added water content into consideration. It is always a good idea to look at the overall health of the bin when you are feeding the worms with the moisture of the bin in mind.

Q: Would freezing food scraps for the worm bin be OK?

A: Yes, it is a good idea for more than one reason. When you freeze the organic waste residuals they take up moisture from the act of freezing, just like water expands in the ice cube trays, so it does within those banana peels, etc. When this happens the first real breakdown of the tough fibers in the organic waste residuals is loosened and when they are placed into the worm bin, are already on their way to be consumed at a more rapid rate.

If you plan on going away on a holiday for 2 weeks or a month freezing your organic waste residuals is a exceptionally good idea. Over the time period you are away from your worm bin the frozen organic waste residuals will breakdown slowly and add essential moisture to your bin. Make sure that you have covered the organic waste residuals with plenty of soaked bedding, well wrung out, as this will also be consumed while you are away, along with the food waste. You can now leave your worms safely knowing that they are going to be on holiday from you, too.

Q: I live in the desert and it is very dry year round. How can I make sure the worm’s bin doesn’t dry out too much?

A : Do check the bin frequently for moisture content, add water as you need to maintain the correct amount of dampness for the worms to function well. There are several ways to make sure the worms will survive extremes in temperatures during a heat wave. One is to place the bin in your garage. The floor of the garage seldom will be too hot for the worm’s needs. Another plan is to bury ice cubes into the bedding. As they dissolve they will add the necessary wetness to the bin.

Q: I have seen many worms around the garden after it rains on sides walks, the pool area and they are dead. Why does this happen?

A: The worms you are seeing are most likely the burrowing worms which are bothered by the rain filling their burrows. They leave the burrows for higher ground to avoid drowning. Once they are on flat ground and the sunlight comes into contact with their bodies, it sucks the moisture from them, they suffocate and die.

Q. What about gray water? I have a gray water system for my washing machine and I would like to use that water for the worms. Can they tolerate it?

A. Yes, the worms can and will do well with gray water. I have been using gray water from the washing machine exclusively for the worms I raise, since 1994 without any adverse effects to the worms at all. The soaps I use in the washer are all for cold water and I have changed brands as new eco-friendly ones have become available. The worms are very hardy and have tolerated all the types of soaps I have used without causing them harm. You will recall that the water the worms here: do receive is via the soaked, fluffed and wrung bedding out paper. The only other direct watering they will ever receive is from a spray bottle, should the weather conditions dry out.

To Recap:

> worms can tolerate fluctuations in the moisture in the bin.

> it is best to be ahead of the curve of your temperature region weather wise and make sure the worm’s are moist enough to work well for you.

> a moisture reading stick is a good investment if you are concerned about your abilities to gauge the moisture content of the bin.

My next post will be about how to go away on vacation for more that two weeks and safely leave your worms for up to six weeks!

Until then, I hope you are enjoying your worms and will still be learning from them.

~Shel

Leachate, Right or Wrong? You Decide!

shel — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 18:19:52 +0000

OK, I know when to say I was wrong. After visiting many sites and speaking to people that I know, who are aware about worm tea vs. leachate I have to say: I was wrong about using it. That is not to let you think that I have not used it, without any ill effects to my garden plants or to me. From now on, I will not use it except to pour it into my hot compost bin. The overwhelming evidence does show that it is toxic to plants and people, as it has within it inherent attributes which we should all not use.

To back track just a bit here I will go back to the basics of composting with worms. The various stages that are inherent in the process are below.

Composting with worms is a more controlled method of basic composting as well as it does speed up the process. Your bin is, I hope, maintained at a constant temperature, which enables the most active bacteria, Mesophilic to take over. The worms move through the organic matter helping to aerate the decaying matter, as well as making the smaller particles of the decaying matter smaller, this leaves more surface area for beneficial microbes to work on.

If the bin moisture content gets too high, (usually above 80%), the decaying matter becomes compacted, the same way the landfill does. This is when the worm bin can begin to change over, to those icky and nasty anaerobic organisms, which can be harmful to your worms and even begin killing them off.

Once the moisture content begins to rise even more, the decaying matter releases a liquid called leachate. You will read on many websites that refer to this as worm tea, which it is not.

You make worm tea by brewing worm castings, which are chock-full of aerobic microorganisms. This process is accomplished by aerating the worm castings, water and molasses, which has no sulfur in it, for approximately 48 hours in order to explode the aerobic microbe population.

Leachate is usually the opposite, full of anaerobic organisms.

If you are getting a little leachate from your worm farm or worm bin, try adding several inches of dry shredded newspaper on top and place the lid on it. This will absorb a little of the moisture. If you are getting a lot of leachate, it might be time to remake the bedding for your worms. I also do leave the bin top off during the day light hours for perhaps three days in a row. Please be sure to cover them if you do this at night. All the predators in your neighborhood will be feasting on your worms otherwise.

Below is what I received from a fellow worm bin enthusiast:

By the way, do not believe it when you see people saying that the brown liquid that seeps out of worm bins and tray stacking systems etc is “great fertilizer” or “worm tea”. It is not great fertilizer, it is anaerobic, and should not go anywhere near growing plants or living soil – it should not even exist, all it means is that you have let your bin get too wet. Food wastes are about 90% water, and worm feed (including bedding or whatever) should not be more than about 75%
moist. Well-managed worm bins do not seep. You can add the brown liquid to an ordinary compost pile, or flush it down the toilet. Real worm tea really is a great fertilizer – put a couple of handfuls of worm casts in a bucket of water (preferably rainwater), plus a spoonful or two of molasses if you have it, stir, and leave overnight, preferably longer. Stir it often, or, better, use a fish tank aerator with an air-stone to oxygenate it, and stir it often as well. Use it quickly
or it will go rotten.

This information above is what I do and have written about before here. I like simple. The sock tied off in a pail and a stick to stir it works for me. I am sure it will work just as well for you when you make your first batch of worm tea. Do shake it up and use it within 24 to 48 hours. Shake before each use and uncap it, if you have capped it in a bottle, this will get those microbes moving and doing what they do best: help our gardens to flourish..

Now that you understand the process, you can probably understand why worm tea, or at least in some circles has received a bad reputation. Do not be persuaded to forgo using worm tea, as it is terrific in the garden and on your houseplants. I urge you to do the process the simple way, for your best results.

To recap:

There is a right and a wrong way to make worm tea.
Fix bin problems as soon as you notice them.
Use the correct method of making and using your worm tea in a timely fashion.
Enjoy your worms. They have much to teach you.
~Shel