little critters in your compost part 5

Pot worms or white worms are small, white, threadlike worms that are found in worm bins when there is a quantity of finished material. They are beneficial organisms that feed on decaying organic. While usually found when the bedding in the bin is slightly acidic, their presence does NOT indicate a pH problem and pH adjustment is not recommended. Pot worms are white, segmented worms, most often mistaken for baby redworms. If you look close enough, their bodies are nearly transparent and their digestive system quite visible when viewed through a hand lens. Potworms do not feed on living plants and pose no threat to the garden or people.

little critters in your worm bin part 4

Soldier Fly Larvea can be a rather freaky find in your outdoor or indoor worm compost bin. You can often hear them "chew" on your compost! They are also called a Window Fly. The following is an excerpt from the Oregon State University Garden Hints website and the quotes are from Cindy Wise, “Soldier fly larvae are voracious consumers of nitrogen-dominant decaying materials, such as kitchen food scraps and manures.‘Don’t worry, soldier flies don’t usually invade houses, unless your compost pile is close to your house,’ said Wise. ‘They almost exclusively populate compost bins or sheet mulch compost piles and manure piles,’ she said. ‘In the southern United States they are being utilized to reduce hog manure, as they can consume up to 30 tons of hog manure in two days.’ Soldier fly females lay eggs on the surface of nitrogen-rich material that is exposed. So, if you want to avoid having these large flies and their maggots in your compost pile, make sure you have enough leaves, dry grass, shredded paper and other organic “brown” material in the pile to cover the nitrogen food sources by at least two to four inches. Remember to bury food scraps deep down in the pile and cover them.

They often thrive in worm bins, as well as compost bins, where they may compete with the worms for food. ‘In a worm bin, bury food scraps down at least six inches for the worms and let the flies eat what is on the surface,” said Wise. “The flies don’t eat the worms or their eggs so they aren’t predators of the worms.’ The maggots are known to break down organic material in the pile so it can further decompose. And the flies inoculate the compost with beneficial bacteria from other sources."

little critters in your worm bin part 2

Mites?

Mites can be among the most numerous inhabitants in the worm bin, with many different species feeding on decaying organic matter and such. Don't worry, they are not like lice or other mites. they won't harm your worms, they actually help. They are generally found on the surface of the bin, though some predatory species will venture deeper if the material is loose and there is a food source. Mite populations can be controlled by placing melon wedges, fleshy side down on the worm bedding. This is a favorite mite food, and they will soon collect on the melon, which can then be removed from the worm bin. . Leaving the bin lid open and exposing the bedding surface to drying and UV light will also control mite populations. The vast majority of mite species in the bin are beneficial organisms which make up a significant part of the bin ecosystem. Mite species which damage living plants are not found in the worm bin. To take control of mite populations should only be considered if the worms are demonstrating stress behaviors like refusal to come to the surface, huddling in a ball, low reproduction or mass exodus. Remember what worms consider to be infestation levels of mites is often very different from the human view. Many species of mite found in the worm bin pose no threat to garden plants or people.

little critters in your worm bin part 1

Molds and fungi are common organisms in a healthy worm system and play a large role. They feed on decaying organic matter with tiny enzymes which break down and simplify the organic material. They are also an additional food source to other organisms in the system, including earthworms.Molds and fungi can also serve as an indicator, telling us if the feeding rate is adequate. Mold grows best in still, quiet environments. So a sign you are over feeding your worms is a large amounts of mold and fungi. This means your feeding should be decreased. Mold and fungi pose no threat to the garden or the animals living in the worm bin, but can cause irritation to humans with mold allergies.

Worm Hive stackable worm bin

Introducing the Worm Hive
Now available on our site for several prices depending on the number of layers
This is a multi layered design. Each layer consists of four solid wood sides with an open top and a bottom covered in ¼ inch hardware screen. They are designed to stack and interlock to avoid being knocked off one another.

The top layer is covered with a simple flat wood lid with a few air holes and a handle. The bottom layer rests in a four legged frame which has a fine aluminum mesh on its bottom and suspends the stack overtop of a plastic catch-bin. The bottom layer is filled with some worms, bedding and food scraps then topped with dry shredded paper to help keep away unwanted flies. Continue feeding in this layer until full then place new bedding and food scraps in next layer up, the worms will naturally migrate towards the food leaving a layer of harvestable castings. The open bottom and air holes in the lid help maintain air flow to reduce odor and increase oxygen to worms and beneficial bacteria. Any excess moisture that builds should pass through the box to the catch-bin at the bottom where it can be removed and used to feed plants. Any loose castings will also fall through to the catch-bin for easy harvest. As the worms migrate upwards, the lower level is removed and the castings can be sifted by shaking the layer and allowing them to pass through the screen, this may also help you find any wayward worms that didn’t move upwards. After the layer is emptied, any worms and unprocessed biomass can then be returned to the full layer and the empty one becomes the top. Maintaining this constant cycling of layers also helps extend the life of the box since each layer will be allowed a resting period at the top where it can dry out.

12" Wood Worm Composting Bin

This is an example of our 12" Wood Worm Composting Bin

a Single Compartment Box This box is a basic design, a rectangle box with solid wood sides, bottom and hinged lid, handles on either end to facilitate lifting. Two sides are vented with holes covered in fine aluminum wire mesh to allow air flow through box which reduces odor and increases oxygen for worms and beneficial bacterial growth. These are also available with casters to ease movement of the box.

You can hand sift the worms after 3-4 months to harvest castings or we have a wood frame covered in ¼ inch hardware screen which can be slid into the center to divide box and ease the harvest of castings. To use the screen, you first need to push all worms, bedding and food scraps to one side of box then slide screen into center leaving one side empty for anywhere from a week to a month depending on how much biomass they have to eat. Once they are finished eating, you then place new bedding and food scraps on opposite side of screen and leave for another week or two. The worms should naturally migrate towards the food leaving behind one whole side of nutrient dense castings that you can add to house plants, garden or lawn.

One draw back to this design is that it rarely creates any worm “tea” or leachate from excess moisture passing through the biomass and settling at the bottom. Typically, excess moisture is absorbed into the wood but if there is too much to be absorbed it can pool at the bottom causing odor and killing worms but this is extremely rare.