Matthew Posted July 18, 2003 Report Share Posted July 18, 2003 Does anyone know how long I should leave my white worm culture before using them. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted July 18, 2003 Report Share Posted July 18, 2003 As long as you have enough to 'harvest' and enough left to keep breeding you will be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajbroome Posted July 20, 2003 Report Share Posted July 20, 2003 Matthew said... > Does anyone know how long I should leave my white > worm culture before using them. It's always a good idea to have a spare culture up your sleeve so that you can avoid harvesting from the same one all the time. I have 5 or 6 cultures going and could still use more... It's hard to say how long to wait before a culture is harvestable as it depends on many things, including the size of the starter. Andrew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Posted July 20, 2003 Author Report Share Posted July 20, 2003 I purchased one of the biosuppliers starter packages from the LFS. That was the largest container they had available. I am asking when it can be harvested as I want to set up a second culture, but would prefer not to part with another twenty dollars if I can help it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave Posted July 20, 2003 Report Share Posted July 20, 2003 I have had my whiteworm culture going for about 3 years . It is a large pooly box with garden soil . I have given the odd bit away here and there but have never split it although i should one day ,. As to what i fed them iwell huttons ham and chicken luncheon works really well. My partner works for mainland prodcts so its cheap, I have also heard of cat biscuts and most common is damp white bread. I feed my fish whiteworm about twice a week no promblem . Some people say be careful not to feed to much but haven't had any promblems yet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Posted July 20, 2003 Author Report Share Posted July 20, 2003 I guess I just have to wing it, and see where I get to from there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Interfecus Posted July 21, 2003 Report Share Posted July 21, 2003 I read a website that said that cooked rice was an excellent food and caused population explosions in the author's white worm cultures. I feed my recently purchased culture with rice but I couldn't vouch for how good it is as a food because I've only had the culture a few weeks and haven't tried feeding anything else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted July 21, 2003 Report Share Posted July 21, 2003 But is he sure the explosion is white worms and not uneaten rice? :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Posted July 21, 2003 Author Report Share Posted July 21, 2003 good question Caryl, I presume rice, if left long enough, develops its own lifeform. I hope this hasn't come across as sarcastic, apologies if it has that was never my intention Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave Posted July 22, 2003 Report Share Posted July 22, 2003 would be intersted how rice goes as i haven't heard of that food source for whiteworms before Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted July 22, 2003 Report Share Posted July 22, 2003 Neither had I. My daughter did a project for the Science Fair on which food whiteworms preferred but that was a few years ago and I can't remember what the answer was! She used bread and milk, cat food, crushed dog biscuits, porridge and luncheon from memory. I think there may have been one or 2 more. May have to hunt the project out. I am sure it is tucked away here somewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Posted July 22, 2003 Author Report Share Posted July 22, 2003 Right, volunteers needed to try different foods for white worms, once I start my second culture I am happy to try rice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajbroome Posted July 22, 2003 Report Share Posted July 22, 2003 Folks, I use moist cheap white bread, have done for years. Seems to work and is easy (so suits me fine). The trick (with all foods I reckon) is to not add too much. It's better to underfeed than overfeed. Andrew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted July 22, 2003 Report Share Posted July 22, 2003 When I used bread it always went mouldy. Was this a case of too much bread? I did not moisten it in any way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajbroome Posted July 22, 2003 Report Share Posted July 22, 2003 Caryl said... > When I used bread it always went mouldy. Was this a > case of too much bread? I would say so, yes. I generally add an amount that will be eaten in about 3 days. For one of my big cultures (fishbox size) that's about half a slice (a quarter of a slice placed in two locations). It takes a while for cultures to build up to the level where they're eating that much bread though so it's best to start off with much less and increase the amount over a few months... I feel it's important to cover most of the soil surface with a sheet of glass as well as to have a cover on the culture to exclude most light (and ideally, critters). I also keep my cultures cool, sitting on my concrete garage floor. Andrew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted July 22, 2003 Report Share Posted July 22, 2003 I've been feeding mine baby cereal and brewers yeast and have it outside...Which I think may be a bit too cold for them at the moment. Little guys scream "It's cold! Bring us back inside!" every time I take the lid off to feed them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Posted July 23, 2003 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2003 I had no luck with previous cultures, this culture I was told to put a sheet of glass over the top of the culture, and for some reason it works, there seems to have been rapid growth, and my worms are always feeding. I am using moistened bread, moistened with water from the fish tank, and am feeding small squares, just enough so that they eat it in about a day. I feed this amount so that if I do feed too much it is usually finished by the second day. I don't like the thought of leaving foods longer than that as I know how easily mould can decimate a culture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted July 23, 2003 Report Share Posted July 23, 2003 You have it EXACTLY right Matthew. Just feed from the glass and your culture will last for ages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted July 23, 2003 Report Share Posted July 23, 2003 It seems like with the glass there, since a lot of them collect against the glass they're concentrated where the food is instead of down in the dirt so they eat more, grow more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajbroome Posted July 23, 2003 Report Share Posted July 23, 2003 Ira said... > It seems like with the glass there, since a lot of them > collect against the glass they're concentrated where the > food is instead of down in the dirt so they eat more, grow > more. I suspect it has something to do with the increased humidity at the surface (between the soil and the glass). Worms don't have a hard shell to reduce moisture loss so are prone to dessication if they spend too much time in a dry environment. Andrew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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