In the 2 years that I've had a worm bin, I've tried having 2 different bins. The first being an outside bin, the second was in a rubbermaid tube over the winter. When I would take the lid off the rubbermaid bin, I noticed that the worms were all over the place. They didn't just stay in the bedding, but explored all over the sides and the top of the bin. I've read others worried about the same thing here, and it is just a natural thing. Sometimes they could be trying to escape the area of the bin, it is too wet, or even if you've put too much food in and it is heating up too much. Both of which you can watch and control. I'm not sure about the worms you've wrote about though. Wrigglers are top feeders, while others like to burrow and drag their food down into a den. Most of the burrow feeders are night crawlers, which are big and fat. Wrigglers really aren't that big. There are many types of worms, that have different actions. Over time, if you think some aren't wrigglers, you may notice them die out as the conditions aren't right for them.

I would think it is a personal choice. A tote/the lid would both equally well for catching any leachate. As Eric mentioned, having leachate at all, is a sign of too much liquid in the bin. Excess liquid is easily managed sucking it out with a turkey baster, or adding dry shredded paper. I have 4 bins, and none have holes for drainage. You could add holes along the perimeter a couple inches from the bottom for extra aeration though.

It is almost like there is a glass ceiling on vermicomposting. Somewhere around a persons Zillionth millionth worm this thing happens and worms die and even tons of correct application of worming principals do not save the worms. Posters who are serious about vemicomposting are seeing this happen. The same thing happened I think to redhen on another board. I do not see any practice you are doing wrong. You probably know that. And yet this worm dying thing seems to happen to the best. Yet it should not. It is a mystery. Thus your accurate depiction you gave is very valuable. Anecdotal evidence might be the key. This just seems to happen. It is the detailed observation of the armature vermiculturest that may solve it. Just like most observations of new things in space are by hobbyists. Why do these worms decide to die? Is it carbon dioxide? Acid? Lack of bedding? Stress? How does one determine if a worm is "happy"?

Don't trust Bruce's culinary advice! He didn't even know what Fat Tire beer was and he thinks he can make recommendations on worms as snacks?!? The hubris! Worms should be served fresh with a light Chianti... As to the Can O Worms (COW), I am not a fan and never have been. It is, far and away, the most difficult system to manage, has a steep learning curve, and does not process anything near the volume of food scraps suggested by the manufacturer, nor does it support the suggested worm biomass. To be candid, I don't think the unit is worth the powder to blow it to he11. ::grin:: The problem with the COW begins with the fact that the unit design is based on the idea that the types of worms used in vermicomposting are "surface feeders" that will naturally gravitate upward toward new food sources. While in nature these types of worms are typically found in the top 4 four inches or so of organic matter(OM)-rich topsoil, they are happy in any environment of aerobically decaying OM with sufficient moisure and appropriate temps. Soils tend to stratify, with layers much below 4 inches or so becoming more compacted and containing less OM, thus in nature these worms stay in the topsoil. In bin culture, however, where we manage the system to ensure good air flow and consistent moisture throughout, our worms will be found through nearly all layers of the bin, not just on the surface. This being the case, the concept behind the COW is immediately questionable. Another falacy on which the COW and other stacking units rely is the idea that worms will quickly gravitate to new food sources. While this is certainly true, few people, including the COW manufacturers, understand that the earthworm idea of food is not OM, but the microorganisms that decay the OM. The microscopic bacteria and fungi that fragment and soften the OM so that the worm can ingest it are selected by the worm gut processes as the source of nutrient. As such, the worm will be more interested in molding, rotted, decomposing materials in the second tray or at the bottom of the top-most tray than they will the fresh stuff recently added to the top of the unit. Further, earthworm castings are several times more biologically active than are the feedstocks from which those casts are generated. As such, the areas of the bin that contain actively decomposing OM mixed with castings will tend to be the areas where worms will mass in greatest concentration. This is not usually the top of the upper-most tray, rather it tends to be the second and/or the bottom-most tray. Worms remaining in the lower trays pretty much negates any value to the stacking tray concept. Were the unit some three times deeper the concept would have a better chance of working, as this would give sufficient system mass to allow the worms to work in the middle while leaving enough space at the top that new feedstocks could be well buried in carbonaceous bedding, but even were this issue addressed, we would still be faced with the challenge associated with cavetation. What?!? Cavetation, you ask? Yes indeed! As the system processes the OM in each tray the volume of OM is reduced as the molecules are used to grow more microorganisms, more worms, and are off-gassed in system respiration. Volume reduction means that there is an empty cavity between the top of the material in the second tray and the floor of the tray above. The problem; worms have a poor ability to jump! Passing from the lower trays to the upper trays can be a bit of a challenge for them when the material in the lower tray id not in contact with the floor of the upper tray. While some worms will crawl up the sides and across the bottom of the upper tray to find the entrance holes to the tray above, many trials have demonstrated that a significant number of worms will simply refuse to bridge the open cavity, instead simply remaining in the lower trays where there will be sufficient nutrition for them for many, many months. Since the only real benefit to the unit is in its claimed ease of harvesting due to the worms moving upward from the lower trays, cavetation works in opposition to the concept. Now let's talk about the liquid collection tray. It is a solid base in which the manufacturer placed a spigot through which the leachate could be drained. The presence of the spigot, however, left buyers with the idea that there SHOULD be liquid draining from the unit, thus many people literally pour water through the COW in an effort to produce sufficient leachate that it can be drained off. Further, the feeding rate recommended by the manufacturer well exceeds that actually capacity for a COW, particularly at the outset, and feedstocks tend to be high in moisture. The result more often than not is a saturated system that leaches smelly, anaerobic fluid into the collection tray. As the liquid passes through the upper trays it picks up the fine castings particles and carries them to the collection tray where they then plug the spigot, which, combined with a tray or two of wet bedding and feedstock above, completely blocks air from entering this area. The result is a stinky mess that frequently, if not usually, turns new vermicomposters off to the whole idea after only a couple of weeks. No, I am not a fan of the COW. Now, having thoroughly dissed the unit, it is important that you understand that there are many people who use and love the COW. While in my experience far more people fail at management of this unit than succeed, there certainly are success stories, thus, if you want to give the COW a try you might want to talk with those whose opinions of it are more positive than mine. ::grin:: Your enthusiasm for vermicomposting is delightful, -Queen. I feel confidently that you will enjoy it as much as we, but do feel that, as with most things, vermicomposting goes best with either an ice cold Fat Tire, or a steaming cup of freshly ground, French pressed coffee (Starbucks Serena Organic or Mexican Shade Grown Organic, or anything from Camano Island Coffee Roasters)! Kelly S ::major beverage snob::