Question 1

What should I do about mites in my worm bin?

Accepted Answer

There are a few types of mite that love a worm composting kit and this is all normal and part of the ecosystem. However, as with most things if they start to take over the kit this can become a problem. There are two main types – a reddish brown mite and a white shiny round mite. Both are tiny and if numbers become huge they eat the food and your worms will tend to burrow deeper into the kit and this in turn stops the worms from reproducing as effectively.

If you have a problem with a population of mites which seems to have gone mad the things to look at in your Urbalive or Worm Composter are:

Could it be too wet? Feeding lots of really watery waste (cucumbers melons etc) can cause this or is there a lot of water getting in (wormeries usually let some water in and this is fine but some shelter is very useful. The wormery needs to be damp but not soaking wet.

Leave the lid off on dry days or undercover and expose the kit to the sun where possible to help dry it up.

Once conditions are back to a good balance for your worms then of course they will be less favourable for the production of the mites so normal worm service will be resumed.

Question 2

Can I put dog poo in my wormery?

Accepted Answer

Unfortunately, no. Dog Poo contains Pathogens

Question 3

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 4

What’s the difference between worm leachate and worm tea?

Accepted Answer

We often refer to the liquid that you get out of your worm composter as worm tea but technically it’s leachate – the run off from making your worm casts. Obviously it will have drained through the casts so it’s a great product but technically it’s a bit different to actual worm tea which is made from suspending the worm casts in highly oxygenated water (like when brewing tea.

Worm tea - The end result of suspending worm castings in highly oxygenated water (brewing).

Every wormery has good and bad microbes. This is ok of course, as long as the good ones outnumber bad. Leachate is made when the excess water seeps down through the worm composter into the collection area. The leachate should be drained regularly and if you are getting more than a few cupfuls a week, the composter is probably too wet!

Not only are you feeding the plant, but you increase the number of beneficial microbes in the soil, thus crowding out the bad. It has been proven that the tea, along with the castings, can significantly increase plant growth, as well as crop yields, in the short term (a season) and especially the long term over a period of seasons

Question 5

Are your wormeries rodent proof?

Accepted Answer

The great thing about a tray system wormery is that a: It's off the floor so very unlikely to be attacked by rodents and B: Worms compost waste as you add it so they really help to neutralise the odours. We have had no problems with rodents with Urbalive or other tray system worm composters.

Question 6

How does DE Powder (Diatomaceous Earth) work?

Accepted Answer

https://www.wigglywigglers.co.uk/products/diatomaceous-earth?_pos=1&_sid=fdc3360f1&_ss=r

It works by absorption of oils, waxes and lipids on the coat of insects, to which it is applied, whereby they lose water and of dehydration. It is harmless to earthworms as they do not have a chitinous waxy coat. It could dehydrate other useful insects though, if applied in large enough dry quantities in the garden, but mixed into compost /soil or growing media which then gets watered frequently, in the quantities recommended does not pose a problem.

Our product labels comply with recent legislation and do not claim to control insects the DE CLEAN & DRY product is a Dessicant, Absorbent and Deodoriser.

What should I do about mites in my worm bin?

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I Want My Worms

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Can I put dog poo in my wormery?

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

What’s the difference between worm leachate and worm tea?

Are your wormeries rodent proof?

How does DE Powder (Diatomaceous Earth) work?