I have two large bins (4'X4'X8') As one side fills, I start on the other side. It pretty much is a one year cycle. I turn the pile as best as I can. I have a lot of used coffee grounds and the pile stays pretty hot in the core. I have lots of worms in the pile. They move to the edges as the center heats up. When I start the new side, I take a few shovels of compost with worms and throw it in the new pile as starters. I have kept lots of worms in my piles for many years using this method. When I put the finished product in the garden the worms go with it. They are "red wigglers" and I am not sure what happens to them there, but I always say a small prayer that they survive and flourish as they have done in the pile.

"Are BSF timid creatures, or am I most likely going to have them crawling on me or flying around when I'm checking out my bin?" Some people really love their BSFL, as much as we love our worms. They too worry about them when they have to leave them for a few days. My understanding is that when BSFL are about 3/4 inch long and smaller they are white. Then as they mature they turn black and hard like little armadillos. Then they hide. The flys that emerge are like large houseflies but they do not land on poop and then on food. They avoid people, poop and food and want to find a bit of rot to lay their eggs on. They fly erratically. Slow when they are just warming up. Then faster. They are black with some of their leg area white. I think you would like the fly and the mature larvae and not be afraid of them. The thing that is cool about the white larvae is if one puts lets say the remains of a fish that the fillets have been harvest from into the bin, the the BSFL boil over the remains so actively that the remains float over the top of the activity and wonder around the container while getting smaller and smaller until they are all gone. Maybe let your helper know that these types of things in the bin are normal so they will not be startled. There is the cutest youtube that shows a little girl with a handful of BSFL feeding then to her chickens. If they knew that even little girls are not afraid of them then they might be more ok with them. Me I do not even touch my worms except with a 10 inch stick. Not even with gloves on. Maybe the scarriest thing to ever happen was I had noticed a few things out of place around the bin lately. Things were a bit mess with the vermicomost. I thought I was just sloppy. One day I put food in the top of the bin and out of the bottom a mouse jumped and darted off of my leg. I screamed like a little girl. Then I laughed a lot because I screamed. Many people love furry mice as pets. Maybe not me. I wonder if he was eating my worms. I move the material around in my bin to learn what is going on. As I am more confident I know what is happening in there and as vermicomposting is not my newest hobby, and I am not possessed with knowing what is going on with the little guys, I am more likely to leave them alone. Then my activity with the bin would more resemble how sbryce advises. Like him I would flip the bottom material over for the same reasons. Or gain interest in flow through bins like I have. I would think the cloth worm inns would work nice for you. Just put the stuff food by the tons and bedding in at the top. Zip it in. Water frequently. Harvest at the bottom. Supposedly no need to separate worms. They do dry out fast but the activity of adding water is pleasant for some. Others may have fish tank change water they want to use. I would think that maybe the condition of the material might be gauged a tiny bit by just squeezing the bag. I do not have one. Some people sew their own. Having a strong enough stand to hold mega weight is important. I guess like not buying the first year of a car I am waiting for them to come out with the new and improved version. I think mine would dry out. That would be ... ... .,. very bad for the worms. A homemade plastic bin is more resilient in that way.

Pete: Actually, it is hiding in plain sight. I have a cat litter box in one corner and next to it are a couple boxes (beer, cold drinks, etc). I have an empty litter bucket that I use to drop vacuum dust into.. (I use a Dyson so it is easier to drop the trap door over a bucket of some sort than into the trash. Dust stays contained better that way). I figure one more bucket won't be noticed. And if it is, I'll haul it to the back room. This is a simple kitty litter bucket with 7/64 in vent holes around the top edge. I put a little wet shredded cardboard in the bottom. I plan to drop whatever goes into my kitchen scrap collection bucket into this bin as is. No shredding, tearing,blending etc...whole paper napkins and paper towels. Whatever food goes in as is. The only thing I will take outside to precompost is meat and dairy because I don't want it to smell too bad (right away anyway). Albert: You are right-it's a little more difficult to replace an un-cooperative spouse. Especially when she knows the magic word---HALF!!! LOL

Welcome foxtailskies, Worms like the moisture in the condensation on the top and sides of the bin. If it is only a few worms don't worry too much. It will take a few days for the carrot tops to break down enough for the worms to start eating them. And the carrot itself may not break down for quite a while. Any root type plant will think you are planting it and try to grow. To make food more 'worm ready' you can freeze it first. Then thaw and feed. Freezing breaks down the cell walls and allows the microbes into the cells more quickly. It is the micro organisms the worms are going for. For a far better explanation on how that works see the very recent post "Red 'wigglers?'". lkittle did a wonderful job explaining it all 2/3 of the way down the posts. 55F is too cool for the worms. The microbes slow down and the worms pretty much stop eating at that temperature. Room temps are more comfortable for them. Even mid 60's would be an improvement. Here is a link that might be useful: Red 'Wigglers?'