I use the Vermihut system with 5 trays, and I just spent yesterday and today harvesting two trays. I like to start with a spare tray with fresh bedding for the worms to move into. I put this one second from the top, with the tray I want to harvest on the top. My trays tend to get really full, so the trays all sit in full contact with the layers above and below each one. I simply remove the lid and toss the compost a bit to get the worms to move down, away from the light. I do this under the covered porch where they are in the shade. I don't use bright lights or lamps or anything. I have discovered, however, that they will only move about two inches down before they stop, so it works best if I only have about two inches of compost in the bin. My bin had about 5 inches of compacted compost in it. I took most of the compost out of the bin and put it into a bucket (worms and all)and left only two fluffed-up inches in the top tray with the lid off. After a few minutes, they had almost all disappeared into the tray below (to fresh bedding and food). There were a few stragglers, there always are. I took the now worm-free compost to the sieve and then put another two inches from the bucket to give the worms in the second batch time to migrate to the tray below while I sieved out the first batch of compost. It took three batches to de-worm and sieve the entire tray. It worked great because one batch was about all the sieve could handle at a time, anyway. Two things that slowed me down were: 1) being slow to figure out that the worms would only go down far enough to escape the light, and then stop....they will not exit the tray just because I wanted them to. I learned only after my third attempt that I had to remove all but two inches of compost if I wanted them to exit the tray. 2) Carefully hand-removing the casings from the finished compost. My 7 yo nephew helped me pluck the cocoons from the first batch. It is tedious work, especially because I tend to be a soft touch and don't want to lose any of the little cocoons. By batch three, I just threw the gallon of sieved compost (with bazillions of eggs in it) into the little worm hatchery I've started, and figured I'd get the compost in a few weeks when they've all hatched. I think in the future I'll follow the advice posted elsewhere in this forum and simply send all sieved (and worm-free) compost to the hatchery instead of spending hours trying to hand-sort the cocoons. I realize that initially this may mean a longer wait before I can use the compost in my garden, but if I harvest regularly, then the hatcheries will start finishing in regularly-timed batches. I hope that you will find something in my experience that will be helpful to you. Good luck with your worm bin!

the worms in the bottom catch tray is normal to curb deaths do to drowning add a few dry paper towels or dryer lint to the bottom catch tray. yes by all means scoop the worms and put them in the top tray, you could also add some bedding dry to the catch cup it prevents drowning if any of the worms drop into the catch cup as for the bedding shrinking well thats what the worms are suppose to do eat the food and the bedding I usually add more bedding once or twice before I add a tray and when I add a tray I start in the middle with a little food and bedding and work outward till the tray is about 3/4 full then repeat. peace

Maybe in the "bottom sump tray" put torn up egg carton or other dry bedding material. When it becomes wet use it as bedding in your next feeding tray. You do not say how you harvested it but to dry your vermicompost if you are using a tray system, put a tray of brand new, dry bedding material such as torn up egg carton right under it (or not) and put this tray on top. Maybe crack the cover a bit so it will dry out. You want to give the worms a place to crawl to safety and time for any eggs to hatch. The best way to store them is to NOT store them. To use then right away. It is a living substance with wee beasties your allies, do not suffocate them, they want with all their hearts to do serious work for you in your gardening. Please do not kill them by zapping then into an air tight bag. Bad things will then happen to that material. The bad galls will then begin to grow. They will be mean to your plants. Maybe to store your wet vermicastings pour them from one bucket to another every two weeks to two months. This will put the wet bottom on top and the dry top on the bottom. The good wee beasties can live in the middle with plenty of oxygen.

The 360 is designed for the worms to move easily up and down thru the bins. If they are going down when they are normallyup then something is not to their liking in the bin, you need to figure out what it is. The worms should be happy if the temp is between 50-80 F. There should a balance of greens and browns too much green could cause the bin to heat up. Another remedy might be to put a layer damp newspaper on top of your upper bin bedding. I currently have 3 working trays and 4th with just dry paper to deter fruit flies, before that I had 4 working trays but Im now using 3 . . The system seems to self regulate itself production and moisture wise and am quite happpy with it. I dont have any liquid drainage at all with mine. Ive been running the 360 for at least 3 yrs. I have even taken some worms from it and started another bin with 10 gal rubbermaid and that bin seems to be doing well too.