Earthworm eggs

CherryBlossom

CherryBlossom

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I was feeding my critters last night and found soil in the small tub I bought them in laced with what looked like little sacks. I googled them and they appear to be eggs :)

Super excited as as sad as this sounds, I have never seen earthworm eggs. I had planned on starting a worm bin/farm so this seems the perfect time to start. Any advice on this would be perfect.

I know I need a container which must provide ventilation, allow drainage, and minimize escape... what do you think would be an ideal size of box for them? I live in an apartment so it has to be fairly small... but not too small for them.

What should I be using for bedding material?

I have a bag of compost in my cupboard that is unopened... am I safe to line the box with that? Its chemically untreated etc.

I read that fruit scraps are ideal and they especially like banana peel...is this true? If so then thats awesome as my middle child should have been a monkey.....bananas is practically all she eats!

I also read that crushed eggshells mixed through reduces acidity. Am I best to add some too?

Sorry for the questions. Im just trying to make sure I get everything right :)

Finally...when I start setting all this up today, do I remove the eggs and just put them in? Or would a worm or 2 be beneficial too?

I bought the worms 15 in the tub.....most have been used and they were huge thick worms....but last night I found 2 very very small and thin worms too...so I am thinking that they were eggs that have evolved to worms recently?
 
Starting with eggs might proof a real patience trial...xD
I would start with a good amount of worms, and add the eggs too, because, well, it´s not like they are going to hurt. Make sure you are using an apropriate species for indoor composting.

You can use a small container, but i would recommend a minimal capacity of about 30-40l. That way you can provide sufficient space so that if something goes wrong, it won´t foul and kill everything. It´s very easy to make mistakes initially, and the smaller the container the easier to loose everything.
The ideal bedding is a mix of moist cardboard, egg-crate, paper, with some soil (not that much) and some leaf-litter. Mix it up well with a small amount of vegetable scraps (if you use too much it will rot and foul the substrate), preferably shreded. It should be moist, not wet.
Let it sit for a week or so (so that bacteria, protozoans and fungi have a chance to grow), and then add the worms.
Powdered egg-shells or old calcium supplements will serve a double purpose. Used in moderation they will prevent the pH from going mental, and will also ensure that the worms are rich in calcium (otherwise cultured worms can be lacking when compared to wild ones).

Once they settle, it´s a matter of adding more cardboard and vegetable scraps as they consume it. If you get problems with humidity or scapees, just add lots of cardboard, it usually stops the problem right away.
 
Thanks so much :) I checked with the bait-shop guy he gave me tips on how to start brandling worm bins etc. Basically much the same as you have just said! Im gonna give it a bash :) Thanks!
 
I raise them on a small scale for my four Axies. I did as Azhael suggested and just got a few pet shop tubs of worms and dumped them in a showbox size plastic container with some organic peat, paper from a paper shredder, some cardboard and news paper. No food scraps or drainage. Most soil is a must... but not wet soil. I leave the lid off and the soil covered by moist paper towels. I keep them in a well ventilated drawer out of sight. I "till" it daily with my hands. If you are worried about escapees then use an opaque container and leave them in the light. They hate light and will stay under the soil mixture.
I use Eisenia foetida( We call them "red wigglers" but that common name is applied to many different species) right now because they are the most common "small" worm available in my area and I'm trying to avoid chopping. My guys were all eating them just fine but lately they turn up their noses on occasion as they emit a foul tasting substance when stressed.... an apparently they find being eaten alive stressful..
Some animals don't like E. foetida but they are easy to raise.
You'll need to figure out what worms you have as care can vary between worms species. And there are LOTS.
I separated the eggs and put them in a similar mixture to hatch because I wanted to be able to gauge "yield". I really couldn't without dumping them out and counting each one. There are typically multiple worms in each egg. It's pretty cool
I have recently located a guy within driving distance of my home who will sell me a pound of Lumbricus terrestris (We call them "night crawlers"....also a common name given to more than 1 species) from his "newly hatched" worms. I may do this and then raise a busload of worms and feed only the small ones. I'll have to set up a bin system with multiple trays, drainage etc. for that and I'll end up with a lot of castings. I don't have a yard
 
Lumbricus terrestris is not suitable for composting (which means they are no good for culturing either), specially not indoors. Their behaviour and slow reproductive rate make them a real pain. They also require low temps, they can die in mass at room temp.
 
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Good luck with the worm farm, Cherry!

I used to be involved in the Irish organic farming/growing scene a few years ago.
Banana skins were one of the few things that we didn't compost because of the amount of pesticides they contain.....:eek:

Organic bananas weren't available at the time, and my son would eat bananas like a starved monkey!!! (The peel rather than the fruit contains the nastys)

Go for organic bananas if that's an option ;)

Here's a link Banana peels Good or Bad - vermicomposters.com that you might find interesting

All the best :happy:
 
You said they were large worms, but did the package say what kind they are? Canadian nightcrawlers? Troutworms?
 
The man who owns the local bait store said the large worms were Lob worms. And he gave me, this time round, smaller worms he said were called brandling.
 
I may well be very much mistaken, but i think i´ve heard that name being used for Lumbricus terrestris.
 
Yeah lob worms are also known as Lumbricus terrestris...which is why the bait shop man gave me brandling worms. He said they are better than the lob worms for worm farming.
 
Indeed they are. However, if by brandling worms he means Eisenia foetida, you might have some difficulties getting your animals to accept them. They breed VERY well and very fast, but their foul secretions can be tricky.
 
ok thanks :) I will read up some more on them and see what's what! I will try the newts on them once the tub of other worms has finished. See how they take to them :) Thank so much xx
 
Azhael said:
Lumbricus terrestris is not suitable for composting (which means they are no good for culturing either), specially not indoors. Their behaviour and slow reproductive rate make them a real pain. They also require low temps, they can die in mass at room temp.
Click to expand...

Azhael! Would you stop saying things that are right whenever I say things that are wrong! :D

If I try "nightcrawlers" it'll be in a complicated setup. Probably a prebuilt "Worm Bin" thing like "Can O Worms" or something. :happy:
 
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