white worm culture question

[Sophia]

can someone remind me what to do when the worms start crawling out of the medium?

I have some thare are living in a container in the fridge and the worms keep escaping from the inner box to the outer box. I remember that this is apparently because the medium is too wet or too acid for them - how do I get them out and into a new box of soil? I've been scooping the escapees into a new box, and feeding some to the fish, but the rest are well within the soil. I admit I do forget about them and they get fed and fed out only once a week but could they be trying to escape to look for food?

[DennisP]

I think you're correct when you say its the dampness/acidity.

Mine crawl out when its too wet. I just take off the lid and it dries out reasonably fast.

Then everything is back to normal.

But I could be wrong.

[Sophia]

where do you keep yours?

[Godly3vil]

Hey Sophia I have had the same issue before and what Dennis said to do worked for me, I have a few different cultures thriving in a wardrobe.

[Sophia]

thanks

[Caryl]

When I had white worms they were kept in the hot water cupboard.

[Sophia]

I got these white worms as an established culture off TM and he kept them in the fridge so I did the same. When I first had whiteworms I used to keep them in the cupboard under the tank which was at room temp, and they always died. This culture living in the fridge has been the longest lasting best culture I've had yet so they can stay as chilly worms!

[DennisP]

I just keep mine in under the tank.

In one of the systemic(?) plastic boxes with big holes drilled in the lid.

Works well.

[alanmin4304]

They need to be kept cool. Heat is not good for them as is too much moisture. Grindals love both.

[Sophia]

i had worse luck with grindals

[alanmin4304]

Grindals are easy. The hard thing around here is stopping the whiteworms from cooking in the summer---cooked mine this year and no fish so haven't restarted them. Blackworms are easier than both.

[Sophia]

Blackworms are the ultimate ignorable worm :dnc1:

I had a worm-mergency last night. Leaving the lid off the worms the night before caused them to climb out and then hide in a big blob under the container. Some didn't make it that far and dried out. I salvaged all the worms I could and moved them to the other container, fed a whole bunch to the fish and then dumped that soil into a wider container in the hope that a larger surface area will let it dry out a bit. There are still a lot of worms left in the original culture. If that culture doesn't dry out I need to find some old soil and split that culture into 2 and do it that way....

[alanmin4304]

They will also do that when they have become overcrowded or the media is getting contaminated with too much waste, in which case it is time to start another culture.

[Sophia]

yes but how do you get the worms out to move them? other than accidentally, like I have done :oops:

[Godly3vil]

Just pick out as many as you can and start a new culture with them, then throw the old one out with what ever worms are left. It shouldn't take long for the new culture to start thriving.

[si_sphinx]

I keep my worms in a wooden box in the wardrobe. Never gets too cold or too hot. Doesn't get too wet but sometimes gets a little dry in the bottom. I feed bread soaked in water once every few weeks and this keeps the dirt moist. Once a year I will scope out the moist dirt with worms (which is always in the top 3rd of the box) and replace the old dirt below with clean dirt mixed with sand. Mix it all back together and feed again.

I have had the same culture going for the last 3+ years now and always have food for my fish.

A piece of glass on the top to make harvesting them easier.

I have never had a single worm try climb out.

Photo below shows where they have finished a piece of bread and are ready for a new piece.

I don't feed them too often so the population doesn't get too much for the size of the box.

I have also heard of people throwing a hand full of worms into their compost and getting huge cultures going. You have to be carefull to feed the compost the right stuff though so you don't make it too acidic.

[Sophia]

Just pick out as many as you can and start a new culture with them, then throw the old one out with what ever worms are left. It shouldn't take long for the new culture to start thriving.

I can't waste worms!

Si_sphinx's worms look good but I think Auckland would be too warm now since mine have only done well in the fridge. I wouldn't get away with keeping them in the wardrobe, fridge is bad enough but I have a shelf to myself near the bottom so they don't get near the food.

[Caryl]

Wooden boxes are best as they breathe. I always had mine in a little wooden box (thanks Alan) with glass on top under the lid.

If I look back in past AWs I should be able to find an article by a Wgtn member who kept his in the garden using sea weed (he lives in Lyall Bay so had ready access to the big strands of kelp)

[Pern]

Where is the best place to get blackworms? I don't think I've ever seen them in local (Chch) petshops.