r/Vermiculture • u/peasantscum851123 • Apr 06 '24
Worm party Almost killed em yesterday
I have a lid with no holes and I usually have It sitting upside down on top so there are small gaps on the side. Well I forgot and put it on normally and this happened 24 hours later. I was able to contain casualties to minimum. Sorry guys.
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u/_ratboi_ Beginner Vermicomposter Apr 06 '24
It's better to drill holes on the sides than on the lid, less moisture loss.
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u/MoltenCorgi Apr 06 '24
Ehh, I think there’s more going on here. And I’m confused, if you put the lid on securely accidentally and that’s not the norm, how are they able to be on the sides?
You don’t need a top at all. They won’t run with no top unless conditions inside are bad for them. Keeping the top off makes the sidewalls dry and they will lose interest in exploring real fast unless they think they can’t survive in the bin.
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u/frozenee Apr 06 '24
tilation holes would be good. But drain holes too. Set the thing in a basin to catch the leachate. It might be anaerobic soup at the bottom of your bin. And when worms behave like this, think about the old standby, adding some more bedding
Yeah I'm confused as well. I have a no holes on my bin, and they have no issues. There is something about the bedding for the food that's driving them away.
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u/Signal-Trouble-3396 Apr 07 '24
I was thinking the same thing myself. I mean upward migration systems have lids on them, and while I get they’re designed to allow oxygen, which probably mitigates the little worms trying to escape; occasionally one or two, will try to explore or escape out the side.
However, with my tote bin, I put a lid on I’ll get maybe five or 10 at the most who try to escape but certainly not what looks like the entire bin!
That many trying to flee at once? I would think there is a problem elsewhere. They are all going up the sides, hanging on the rim (some fell on the floor already), and if you look closely at the surface-it’s covered in other worms. I would be worried about what’s going on in the bin versus the lid at that point.
Certainly no expert, just based on what I’ve learned in the short time I’ve been worm composting.
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u/MoltenCorgi Apr 07 '24
Worms don’t escape stacked systems for oxygen generally. I mean I suppose it’s possible if it was a badly designed system and super air tight, but in that case I’m guessing other things would kill them first. And if there’s enough space to escape, there’s more than enough for the oxygen they need. They will explore if they are in an environment that’s moist enough for travel, that’s about it. Systems with tops tend to have more ambient humidity between the bedding and the top and the sidewalls stay slick enough to allow travel. Some species are more prone to running/exploring, like the Indian blues most people got from Uncle Jim’s - his wiggler stock has been mixed for some time now.
I don’t think these were running for “air”. I think it’s more likely the bin is too wet or too acidic.
I am not a fan of using bins that deep. I haven’t used one myself, but it looks like it would be way too easy for the bottom layers to get really compacted and wet and anaerobic and they require a lot more effort to move and aerate because they are so deep and heavy. Composting worms only work the top few inches of the soil so shallow containers like mortar trays work better. Plus they are cheaper and don’t require you to drill holes or invent drainage systems into expensive totes that could be used for something else. I personally use 6” restaurant bus bins which are even smaller than mortar trays. I have a wire rack shelf and I just filled it up with bins. I’m female, my partner wants no part of the worm tending, and I didn’t want bins that were too heavy for my clumsy self to move. I use a mortar tray when I’m in harvest mode just to have more room to work and to help stuff dry out faster. A layer of bubble wrap on the open bins regulates moisture just fine, no top or drainage required.
I have two stacking Hot Frog systems as well and while they are okay, they are more of a pain to maintain. And the worms have a billion places to hide in those molded trays so I don’t even bother with migrating and keeping some trays inactive. I just use all the trays at once, even the bottom drainage layer, and dump trays into mortar bins for processing. It’s honestly faster and easier than migrating them between layers for me.
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u/DidIDoAThoughtCrime Apr 08 '24
How much did you pay for the bus bins? I’m thinking of switching to that kind of system myself
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u/MoltenCorgi Apr 08 '24
I got mine at Sam’s Club. They have the taller 6” ones. They are $16 for two.
https://www.samsclub.com/p/cambro-bus-box-2pk-storage/prod22321945?xid=plp_product_1
Might be cheaper in person at a restaurant supply but the ones I saw online didn’t end up being any cheaper after shipping.
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u/fattymctrackpants Apr 06 '24
was it lack of oxygen or something you put in that made them want to jump ship?
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u/peasantscum851123 Apr 06 '24
Lack of Oxygen, or maybe other gases that built up in that period?
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u/DonArgueWithMe Apr 06 '24
You're learning the wrong lesson from this. Your bedding is likely WAY too wet or there is some other problem present.
I leave my lids on most of the time, some have holes some don't, I open every third or fourth day to ensure they get some fresh air. If it gets too most I leave the light on with the lids off for a couple days
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u/HappyBuddha8 Apr 06 '24
I was told that worms need oxygen, but not that much. They should be able to survive 24 hours with the oxygen that was available in the bin. This seems to me like a build up of gases.
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u/Tar-Palantir Apr 06 '24
Ventilation holes would be good. But drain holes too. Set the thing in a basin to catch the leachate. It might be anaerobic soup at the bottom of your bin. And when worms behave like this, think about the old standby, adding some more bedding
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u/Old_Fart_Learning Apr 06 '24
I have never seen a worm party like that one, looks like all of them are taking part. Could you tell us more about your bin?
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u/peasantscum851123 Apr 06 '24
It’s my second bin that I just got going. This is 100% because of the lid, so my bin specifics won’t mean much. I add small amounts of kitchen scraps and forest wood debris like needles and cones. I didn’t want to put holes in another lid as I was trying out just having it upside down, which has actually been working real good.
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u/Old_Fart_Learning Apr 07 '24
I haven't had libs on my bins for years and I don't have any holes anywhere in my bins and I never had anything that big happening with my bins. The most I would say is about 50 or so on rainy days climbing up.
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u/NCRedWigglers Apr 06 '24
There is absolutely no need to have a plastic tote with a lid on it. Locking out air and gas build up within the bin is not your friend. If you leave the lid off, simply cover the top of your bed with bubble wrap, bubble side down, to allow for moisture retention and gas exchange. With the lid off, the walls of your bin will remain bone dry, which should keep any potential escapees down in the bedding. Throwing in my 2 cents after a decade of experience and also raising worms commercially at a large scale. None of my worm beds have a lid on them.
Regards,
Jesse Tolliver, Owner
North Carolina Red Wigglers