One of the questions I’m commonly asked is, “Do cocoons REALLY Hatch”? I always smile when I’m asked this question. If not from Cocoons, where do you think we get more worms?
What the customers are really asking is “Will cocoons hatch for ME”?
The simple answer is, “Absolutely”. Mother nature did a fantastic job when she created cocoons. They are very durable and can withstand harsh environments. The system we use to hatch cocoons is very scientific. A certain amount of bedding, a certain amount of moisture, a certain amount of food, and a certain temperature will result in a reliably measurable hatch rate. We found that heating the cocoons in an incubator improved hatch rates to about 95%! It doesn’t get much better than that.
Will cocoons hatch without this controlled environment? You bet. They have for millions of years, and will for millions of years more. Should you expect a hatch rate of 95%? Probably not, but when you receive cocoons from us, you’ll actually receive about 1/3 more than you paid for. This makes a 95% hatch rate irrelavent for most hobbyist.
Just remember this….Like ants and bunnies….worms willl make more.
*The Worm Inn as shown on an Optional 5 Minute- No Bend, No stoop Stand.
INTRODUCING THE NEXT GENERATION OF HOME WORM FARMING…THE AWARD WINNING, THE WORM INN!
Why is The Worm Inn better than traditional Home Worm Composting Systems?
If you have ever used a rubbermaid tub as a worm bin, you know there are definite limitations. Plastic does not breathe well, making it difficult to keep your worm bedding damp, yet not muddy.
The Worm Inn is a true flow thru processor - Worms, bedding, and scraps go in the top… crumbly castings come out the bottom.
No more time consuming harvests. Simply release the toggles when you’re ready to harvest. Collecting your flakey castings is automatic.
The Worm Inn is made out of breathable, yet extraordinarily durable material. The same material used in high end backpacks.
Air flow is a key component for healthy worms. The Worm Inn is the most Breathable continuous flow composting system available.
Air flow is the key to avoiding “Stinky Worm Bin Syndrome”. The Worm Inn’s breathable construction helps to avoid anaerobic bacteria growth.
The Worm Inn can fit almost anywhere. With a footprint of only 18″ x 18″, The Worm Inn processes LOTS of scraps, yet easily fits in a laundy room, a closet, a garage, even a classroom.
The Worm Inn easily fits on a laundry hamper stand, the back of a door, or build a 5 Minute Custom No bend, No stoop stand.
Available in 6 Colors and Patterns – Unlike unslightly black bins, The Worm Inn Looks GREAT!
Cut List and instructions for a 5 minute, Custom No Bend, No Stoop Frame - available with purchase.
I’m sure this question has been asked before, but I couldn’t seem to find the answer, so sorry if it’s a repeat!
I got my 2 pounds of red wigglers on friday (from you), and they seem be be doing great! I REALLY don’t want to kill them anytime soon! I’d like to be one of the success stories
Anyhow, my question is: how often and how much do I feed? I plan on feeding them vegetable scraps from my kitchen, I have some on reserve “ripening” for the worms. I have about 2 small handfuls of scraps, in two different corners, in the bin right now. Do I wait until what is in the bin is gone? I know that the rule of thumb is a pound of food per pound of worms (correct?), but how long should that last? I really don’t want to overfeed them, but I have to say, I am very anxious to get things up and running! (Plus, I’d like to get the rotting veggies out of my kitchen)
Thanks for your help, and thanks for the worms!
Hi Jylnn626,
Thanks for writing in. I also want you to be successful. I pride myself that most of my customers come back to get more worms because they WANT more worms, not because they NEED more worms.
The Feeding question is something that can be debated for hours. Because overfeeding worms is the #1 way to kill your worms, I tend to go on the conservative side. Why push the boundaries if you do not need to? My rule of thumb is to feed your worms equal to amount of worm mass. You have two pounds of worms you are starting with…..you can be comfortable putting in two pounds of scraps. As long as you keep your worms alive, they will grow in population. Because you are monitoring the feed situation (As opposed to just dumping food throughout the bin and having NO idea how much food is actually in the bin), you will notice that the scraps are processed quicker as your worm mass grows.
I also suggest that you bury your produce scraps in the corner of your bin (Under as much damp, fluffy bedding as your bin will hold), and just check the progress every few days. Add more when gone, or nearly gone.
TIME TO PROCESS
Though you will read worms process about half their weight a day in optimum conditions, this can vary so much that this rule of thumb becomes worthless. How much your worms can process is determined primarily by how broken down the food is, and bin temps. If the food is solid, and temps are cold….activity slows to a….Crawl(Sorry, had to say it) ;) If you are feeding them broken down mush, buried in the corner, they can jump on that right away. If the temps happen to be around 70+, they eat even more actively!
SHORTCUTS TO SUCCESS
Keep your bedding misted with a spray bottle
Do not overfeed (1:1 ratio of food to mass will prevent overfeeding)
Make sure the scraps do not reach the top of your bedding to avoid bugs
Do not leave your bin in direct sunlight to cook your worms
While browsing the internet this evening, I found this unsolicited You-Tube video. Good stuff, especially because this was a review on a completely random worm shipment. It also represents what you should expect when you purchase Red Wigglers, regardless of if they were picked up or shipped.
Some Background….A few months ago, Gaia (The woman that made this video) called me to tell me she was extremely pleased about the worms she received from me. She said she was doing a comparison among several companies, and these were the best looking and most active worms she had received. She was surprised because she did not expect the worms to be in such great shape after traveling across the country.
I’d like to take this opportunity to clear up some common misperceptions regarding shipping of worms. I’ve often wondered just how these misperceptions originated as most of them have no factual basis. I’ve never spoken to a worm (Yet), but based on thousands of customer responses about how great their worms look when received, I’m pretty confident in offering my supported opinion here.
Misperception #1 – Shipping causes great stress on Worms
Here is what I know. Poor packaging, bad shipping bedding, unhealthy worms, all would give the impression that it’s SHIPPING that causes worms to arrive dead or next to dead. Great product, carefully packaged results in you receiving great worms. The random sample in the video above speaks for itself. The reality is, I could hand you a bag of near death worms, and you would then own a bag of near death worms. Bad worms are bad worms…shipping (done right) is just some extra time spent in bedding.
Occasionally, (we’re talking much less than 1% of the time), a box of worms can get left in a hot mail truck or a freezing cold mail truck. In these cases, yep, poor handling killed the worms. These cases are so rare, they are basically a non issue. More commonly, worms arrive doa due to roasting in a hot mailbox all afternoon (This can easily be avoided by asking for a post office hold on your order).
Misperception #2 – Shipping great distances causes great stress on Worms
I’m one of the few companies that successfully ships worms into Canada. How is it that we have such great success doing so? Great product, carefully packaged results in you receiving great worms. When shipping across borders, worms are held up in customs. When shipping to Canada, you can expect an extra 4-6 day customs delay in addition to the 1-3 days most orders take to arrive. I’ve seen extreme cases where an order has been sent back due to a bad shipping address…in some cases up to 3 WEEKS in transit. Incredibly, the worms were alive when we the bag was opened! Why am I sharing this? As much as we gripe and moan about the USPS, the reality is, they do a pretty darned good job most of the time. Especially when you consider the magnitude of freight they move every day!!! Unless something really goes haywire, a box of worms takes no more than 3 days to ship coast to coast. If the worms are healthy and packaged properly, a 3 day trip is like a nap to a worm. Can I prove it? Thousands of happy customers makes me pretty confident in my statement.
Misperception #3 – Shipping bedding (For Red Wigglers) is only good if it is nice and damp
If you hear this one, it’s either from someone that doesn’t understand the shipping process, or from someone that is about to ship you a package of doa worms! The reality is that when shipping bagged redworms (Different process than a container of bait worms), moisture is the enemy. In hot temps, excess moisture will literally steam your worms to death. In extreme cold, excess moisture will create ice crystals in your bedding, lowering the bedding temperature needlessly. Your shipping bedding needs very little moisture. This has been confirmed thousands of times. If (temporary) dry shipping bedding (Shipping bedding is not meant to be permanent, it’s only meant to support your worms to their destination) was detrimental to worms, the worms you receive would definitely not look like the ones in the video!
The reality is, shipping should not be perceived as an inconvenience. Quite the opposite, as shipping is the ultimate convenience. The fact that you can order worms from anywhere in North America and receive them days later (Shipped to your door happy and healthy) is a testament to modern technology.
Worms are amazing creatures. They are natures eating tubes. Basically, they live their lives, eating, pooping, and reproducing 24/7/365. Because they live underground, we miss a lot of their activities.
Now available, Worm Viewers that enable you to experience the “Wonders of Worms”. Three sizes to choose from:
Small Cedar Redworm Viewer
This is a self contained worm farm (just like the ant farm, except these guys are actually getting something done) that can hold 40 – 50 redworms along with food debris and bedding. The new design is now thicker to allow more food for the redworms to work with. This display is 1/2 the height of the cedar redworm compost display. The top has two pins so it releases easy to feed. The bottom panel will unscrew to open, harvest and clean out. 7″ tall, 11 1/2″ wide, 3″ thick
Medium Cedar Redworm Viewer
This display has been tested for some time to ensure you see the whole decomposition process. This display is tall enough to feed several times, so you can see the worm work being done. It will hold 100 – 150 redworms. The black covers keep it dark so the redworms will work all of the compost inside the display. The top has two pins so it releases easy to feed. The bottom panel will unscrew to open, harvest and clean out. 14”tall, 11 ½”wide, 3” thick
Hardwood Deluxe Worm Viewer:
This is the Rolls Royce of displays. It’s made of various hardwoods with a teak oil finish on the outside. Black covers to keep the redworms working and a steel handle for easy carry. Easily fits 100 to 150 redworms to demolish the food waste quickly. The top has two pins so it releases easy to feed. The bottom panel will unscrew to open, harvest and clean out. 7” tall, 24” wide, 3” thick
Is the place to go for questions about worms. With a current registration of over 2,000 people, I provide same day answers to your toughtest Worm questions.
Bookmark WWW.TheWormDude.Com as your first stop for practical and experienced information about Worms.
Hi Jerry,
We bought the Wriggly Wranch in March and the worms (From you) at one of the San Jose
Composting events. My worms did great up until this last week from all the
rains and the worms were all dead in the bottom tray with ALOT of water. The
bin is under the eves of our house. I want to try them again, how can I
prevent this from happening again.
Thanks
Hi Dorie,
Easy. Make sure you have plenty of drainage in your bin, or shelter the top of your bin so you don’t get so much rain coming in. Fortunately, we don’t normally get rain like this past week! As you have experienced, worms like it damp, but they rot in standing water.
Two other things you can do. Keep the spigot open at all times. That way, excess water drains freely from the base. Problem is, most people have a lot
of muck in the base, thus clogging the spigot.
To keep the spigot from clogging, I would suggest keeping a piece of weedstop (black mesh landscapers put under rocks) in the bottom tray that makes contact with the base. Not only will this help keep worms out of the base, but it will reduce the amount of “Mud” in the base, thus helping the spigot stay clear.
Glad you want to get back in the saddle again. Just chalk this up to a learning experience.
If you think Worms are cool, chances are good you also enjoy gardening. Gardening offers the opportunity to connect to nature, and even better, it offers the opportunity to eat GREAT TASTING fruits and vegetables.
Have you ever thought about the roles Bees play in your garden? Let me fill you in on a special type of bee that you probably have in your neighborhood already, and I GUARANTEE you that you’ll wish you had MORE!
Mason Bees are different than the traditional honey bee, in that they are very docile unless provoked. Their whole purpose in life is pollination!
Mason bees are solitary bees, and therefore, do not swarm or live in a hive. Given the opportunity…they could live in your own cute little Bee Box.
Here are some quick details about Mason Bees:
Mason bees are native to almost the entire continental USA and Southern Canada. Very efficient pollinators, Mason bees work directly upon the reproductive structures of the blossoms, collecting nectar and pollen simultaneously. It takes about 75 flower visits to gather a full load, and an average of 25 loads for an average pollen wad. The female Mason bee visits about 1875 blossoms a DAY!!!!
Orchard Mason Bees do not make wax or honey. Instead, they spend their active life reproducing; gathering pollen, and laying eggs.
Why are bees so important? Bees are the earth’s number one pollinator! Bees pollinate over 1/3 of the food crops we eat, as well as numerous other plants that play a vital role in maintaining a healthy ecosystem.
We tend to imagine insects that produce honey, live in hives, and have a nasty sting. But, only the honey bee fits this description. There are actually 20,000 to 30,000 different kinds of bees in the world. Bees can be divided into two groups…social bees and solitary bees. Honey bees and bumble bees are considered social bees because they live in colonies that are called hives. Each hive consists of a queen bee, a few male drones, and several female worker bees. However, Mason bees are actually solitary, which means they tend to live and nest alone. Unlike the honey bee, solitary bees are non aggressive insects who only sting when being squeezed or attacked. Even then, this sting feels more like a mosquito bite than a wasp sting.
Now that you know the types of bees that you want to attract, WWW.TheWormDude.Com is proud to offer custom Mason Bee Boxes. These Bee boxes not only look great, but they are fully functional. If you can hammer a nail, you can mount a home for these incredibly valuable hard working bees. These make the best gift in the world for a serious gardener! The bee boxes are made by a talented High School Student. Order early, as supplies are limited.
One of the most common questions I get asked is, “Where have all the worms gone? I used to see millions of worms in my soil, now I never see any”!
If this is something you’ve thought about, chances are good that your local water is treated with Chlorine.
Let me tell you a story to convincingly show just how bad chlorine is for your garden……Long ago, when we first bought our home, it had a wooden shake roof. Companies that attempt to extend the lives of these types of roofs use various methods. The first step to extending the life of a roof it to pressure wash it with a Chlorine solution. Why Chlorine? Because it kills all bacteria and fungus growing on your roof. Want to get rid of the moss on your roof….yep, blast it with Chlorine. Think about that for a minute….professionals use Chlorine to kill moss! Is it any wonder why your soil seems dead?
Healthy soil is full of beneficial bacteria. Worms require bacteria to thrive. Take away the bacteria, and you have a sterile environment, not condusive to life. Chlorine is designed to kill living organisms. It does such a great job of killing these organisms that it can be harmful to your plants, because your plants rely on some of the very same bacteria to survive.
The healthier a plant is, the more likely it is to resist pests and disease. Highly chlorinated water can kill microorganisms in the soil that are there to protect the plant and help produce the plant’s source of food.
Healthy plants depend on healthy soil. Healthy soil depends on an abundance of bacteria. If you don’t know if your water has been treated with Chlorine, I suggest you contact your water company to find out. You may have just found the reason why your soil seems sterile!
Times are tough for School Teachers these days. Most schools operate on a shoestring budget, and Teachers often fill the gaps with their own funds for their students.
If you are a Teacher wishing to start a Worm Project, but don’t have the funds to do so, put your Wish List Here: http://www.TheWormDude.com/forums/
Supporters can sponsor a teacher, buying worms, bins, etc.
Supporters will be recognized on the forum as a way of THANKS for helping out. Supporters will also be allowed to leave a love note such as:
To our Grandson Johnny J, We LOVE you – Love, Grandma Jean and Grandpa Joe
To help support the cause, http://WWW.TheWormDude.Com will refund 10% of each donation back to the supporter, or contribute that 10% to the Teacher to help with supplies, making your donation go even farther.
*10% contribution applies to product costs, not shipping costs.
