Question 1

Do woodlice cause a problem in my wormery?

Accepted Answer

No. Woodlice are primary composters so eat organic waste and produce compost so they can live along side your worm population. They can be a sign that your wormery is a bit too dry but not necessarily. By the way one interesting fact about woodlice is that they eat their own faeces for the copper content they contain.

Question 2

How Much Waste Can I Add To My Worm Composter?

Accepted Answer

Volumes of Waste

Question 3

When should I add the next tray to my Wormery?

Accepted Answer

Assuming you are adding your food scraps every couple of days as you lift the moisture mat you will see the worms working just below the surface. (If you have to dig down to find worms you need to ease up on the food addition as you don’t want waste building up without the worms having time to process it.) As the waste gets consumed by the worms the volume reduces and it’s processed into black gold (worm casts) and liquid (which you will use as liquid feed). This means as you fill each tray it sinks at quite a rate so the time to add a new tray on top is when the tray the worms are working on is just about full and when the bottom of the next tray will sit on the compost below. At this point you take off the moisture mat, add the next tray and some waste and replace the moisture mat which always sits on top of the freshest waste.

Don’t worry if the worms don’t appear to move up into the next tray for a few weeks – as long as there are no gaps between the trays and you can see flecks of compost on and around the top tray all will be well. After all worms do not know about trays so as long as they are working on the compost just below the surface all will be well. Just occasionally it’s worth checking that no gaps have occurred between the trays where the compost has sunk as this will mean the worms have more of a challenge to get up and down between trays. If there is a gap – add a bit of waste into it to fill it in.

Question 4

Can I Add Cardboard To My Wormery?

Accepted Answer

Cardboard is great for your worm composter (as is a sprinkling of lime mix) A ratio of 25-30% volume of cardboard or equivalent will ensure speedier worm composting. Avoid the really shiny boxes like soap powder and go for newsprint, egg boxes etc.

Question 5

What to do if there’s white mould growing in my bokashi bin?

Accepted Answer

This is good news. The white mould is actually a fungi and shows that the food waste is fermenting rather than putrefying. Fermentation is precisely what you want in your bokashi bucket. So, if you see white mould on your bokashi food waste, you can be confident that all is well in your bokashi bucket.

Question 6

What is the problem with woodlice in your wormery

Accepted Answer

Woodlice, also known as sowbugs or pillbugs, are crustaceans that are commonly found in damp environments, such as gardens and compost piles. While they are not harmful to the worms or the composting process in a wormery, they can be a nuisance. They can consume some of the food scraps intended for the worms, and their presence may indicate that the wormery is too moist and not draining properly.

Additionally, an excessive population of woodlice in your wormery may indicate that the wormery is overcrowded and not receiving enough oxygen, which can lead to anaerobic conditions and unpleasant odours.

If you find that you have a problem with woodlice in your wormery, there’s a few things you can do:

Reduce the moisture in the wormery by adding more bedding material or by adjusting the ventilation.

For more help with your wormery and frequently asked questions pop on over to https://www.wigglywigglers.co.uk/pages/wormery-faqs. Or if you’re keen to get started or order a wormery please visit https://www.wigglywigglers.co.uk/collections/worm-composting

Question 7

My worm bin has fruit flies - what should I do?

Accepted Answer

Composting is indeed a complete ecosystem but flies don’t need to be tolerated.

The best product for dealing with them is our DE powder

or to sort it inhouse

Make your own fly trap. This can be as simple as setting a little jar containing a mixture of red wine vinegar and dish soap on your counter. Within a day or two, you will start to notice a collection of dead little flies floating on top. If you’d like to try other trap methods, consider making a paper funnel that will invite fruit flies down into the vinegar but make it nearly impossible to fly back out.

Question 8

Which worms are best for composting?

Accepted Answer

Our composting worms are mixture of species (mainly reds and dendras) selected for their composting ability. Available with or without bedding. These types of worms are productive at consuming organic leftovers. Common garden earthworms don't perform as well in the same conditions.

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