subject: What Happened To My Worms? [print this page] I got a new package of worms in the mail yesterday...sounds great, right? I had constructed a worm bin and had it all ready to go, filled with moldy food scraps and shredded cardboard. Around 7 pm I put them in their new habitat, stared at them for a while, then went out for some food.
I came back a few hours later, and who knew they'd be all over my floor in slimy clumps. Believe it or not, this is somewhat normal for worms in the beginning as they figure out their new living situation. It was hard to walk away from the bin, as I had to see what the worms' next move was. Sometimes within just a minute, another would climb out, and I wondered if I would be stuck there forever.
How did I solve the problem? Well, I put the container directly underneath a light since the worms are super sensitive to it. I figured I could keep them hunkering down in the bin this way, and I was right. Further, I began shredding any paper I could find, plus a good chunk of a telephone book. Who uses telephone books, anyway? What a waste of paper.
After smothering the worms with this new thick layer of bedding, I figured everything was cool...and it was. It was really hard to sleep that night, and I kept wondering if my floor was flooded with an angry mob of worms.
Turns out that not a single worm bailed on me overnight, but when I opened the lid, I noticed that a large portion of them were right at the edge of the lid...lack of oxygen? So I got out the drill and added an additional 12 holes to the container and told the dudes to chill out. So far, so good.
What a great way to start my new worm bin...I don't want this to sound like a horror story and scare worm-curious people off, but it's not all that uncommon. So to prevent this, remember to pay close attention to your worms at first and make sure their needs are being met adequately: oxygen, bedding, moisture.
