Question 1

I Have Ants In The Wormery, What Should I Do?

Accepted Answer

Whilst ants don’t harm the worms as such, they will take the worm eggs—this will obviously affect future generations, so you need to get the ants out.

An effective treatment is Diatomaceous earth (DE) Powder. it’s non-toxic to kids, birds, and pets. And yet it effectively sorts out ants in your worm bin. As they move across the powder, it sticks to their feet and legs only to get into their joints and exoskeleton.

Buy DIATOMACEOUS EARTH here: https://www.wigglywigglers.co.uk/products/diatomaceous-earth

If you can find and remove the queen, the rest should follow her. Watering the wormery, to keep it damp, often encourages ants to evacuate the kit.

You can help keep ants out by smearing some Vaseline on the legs of the wormery.

Question 2

My worms are not moving up into the next tray - Help.

Accepted Answer

Many worms like to remain in the lower trays of stacking tray systems. In fact they are unaware of the tray system really as there are holes in each tray so it's fair to say it is not an exact science. Most worms will move up. Not all will.

Realistically the whole food thing is not really understood by the worms either. They actually munch on the microbes that break down what we call food. In the process the also ingest the "food." If there are still microbes in the lower tray (hint: there are LOTS of them!), the worms will still find plenty to eat down there.

So it comes down to some worms preferring to move up out of their waste in search of decaying organic matter to munch on, while others are content to stay in their own waste looking for microbes there, usually this is newly hatched or younger worms.

The main learning (as usual) is for us humans. We need to ensure that the kit is not waterlogged, not too hot or too cold, has plenty of air circulating and a pH level of around neutral. The clue as to whether or not your worms are working well are a: Can you see flecks of brown compost - and particularly up the sides of the tray you are adding waste into (if so obviously they are working there) b: If the waste is just rotting is it too wet (add shredded cardboard) c: Is it smelly (add lime mix) d: Are they working to the top layer (add a moisture mat) e: Do the worms need a boost? The best additive for this is to add a small amount of rock dust which really encourages growth and a healthy population. (Adding an extra tray helps as well as this gives them more space to work in and so more worm capsules tend to hatch out).

Question 3

HELP! My Worms are Escaping.

Accepted Answer

Worms in a wormery sometimes try to escape. If it’s just one or two adventurous worms, it’s best not to be concerned – all just part of life in a worm bin really. However, if you see worms clumping near the top of the bin, or escaping, there may be a problem brewing…

When you first get your kit the worms need to establish in the bedding so when you are introducing worms to the bin the best way is place them on top of the bedding. Let them dig their own way in. They build little tunnels that provide oxygen. Dumping lots of bedding or waste directly on worms can suffocate them.

IMPORTANT: Worms are sensitive to the weather. If a low pressure system or thunderstorm is moving in, the worms might start clumping and climbing. Watch for a while and see if this is the pattern. If so, do not worry.

Worms need OXYGEN!

Worms breathe through their skins. If they don’t have enough air, they will try and escape. Lack of oxygen could be caused by:

Overfeeding
Insufficient ventilation**

To check for overfeeding, dig around. Is there a lot of undigested food in the bin? You can take some out. Wait until they have worked through most of the food in the bin before adding more. If you have excess scraps, you can freeze them until later.

Your worm bin should have a lid. Keeping the lid on discourages escapees.

Excess Moisture

The cure for a wet bin is to add dry bedding. Shredded newspaper is perfect; so is peat moss, coconut coir and shredded cardboard. Add and stir gently. Lime mix and worm treat also absorb excess moisture.

Recent Changes

If the worms are in escape mode, reduce nitrogen-rich foods, which includes grass clippings and acidic foods (tomatoes, onions, pineapples, excessive coffee grounds, tea bags citrus). Once you have the balance of the worm composting back to normal you can increase these types of waste again.

Sometimes people forget to feed their worms. Starvation will drive the worms to greener pastures. If you go on holiday for several weeks it’s worth saving up some scraps in the fridge or freezer. Ask a friend to feed the worms twice a week or so. Maybe you’re eating out a lot and aren’t generating any kitchen scraps. You can always ask a neighbour save their kitchen scraps for you, and save left-over salads (wash off the dressing).

Your worm composter pH

Baby Worms

Quick Fix: TURN THE LIGHT ON!

Question 4

What can I do about slugs in my wormery?

Accepted Answer

Slugs can be a challenge in your wormery so good to address them

Food Competition: Slugs do compete with worms for food resources within the wormery. Significant numbers of slugs can reduce the efficiency of your composting process by consuming a large portion of the organic material intended for worms.
Competition for Food: Larger slugs may predate on worm eggs and juveniles, potentially reducing worm populations over time.
Balance: A few slugs might not pose a substantial issue and can contribute to decomposition. However, an overabundance can disrupt the internal ecosystem of your wormery.
Disease and Parasites: Slugs can carry diseases and parasites that may not affect them but could impact worms or the plants where the compost is used.

Action:

It’s a good idea to check your wormery at night, to gauge slug population and activity.
Directly removing slugs can be effective for managing small populations.
Putting the legs in water or using copper tape can prevent slugs from entering the wormery.
Avoiiding excessive moisture can help deter them so adding a layer of cardboard is helpful.

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