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shyspook

Got my bins,Got my worms,Got my cocoons, NOW What!?!

17 years ago

I ordered my worms Friday, 11/2/07. I expected to wait a long time for the information and the worms to arrive. I purchased three 27 Qt.(24 L) containers from walmart with lock-tight lids and prepared them as per Vargas (How I made my tiered bins) instructions. As I had to re-order worms on the following Monday, I expected to have to wait another week for my red-wigglers to arrive. Suprise! This Friday,11/09/07, everything arrived in good condition all at one time!

The first real suprise I had was when I opened up the worms and put my hand inside to feel the dirt they were bedded in. It was like putting my hand into a luxurious texture of tiny black pearls. I was so shocked at my own reaction to the "feel" of that bedding that I could scarcely breath. I wanted to put my entire body into that soil! I hope and pray that what my new worms produce will be as beautiful as that bedding they arrived in. I have never in my entire 61 years seen such beautiful soil (dirt). They also sent me a sample of worm castings in a separate bag, which I have not yet opened to look at.

The second suprise was that I followed tclynx's advice about putting the original container straight into the new bed and let the worms find their own way out. I had no escapees, but the actual suprise was that I could NOT stay away from the little buggers long enough to allow them to find their own way. Every few hours, I would run in and tear the bags the worms came in a little bit more. I seem to be afraid I will hurt them if I rough them up, so, I gently tore the paper into strips until half the original home has been opened into the new bed...ah that soil they make is mixing with the shredded paper and I did not put it there...the worms are moving around! I have Worms!!!

I decided that the paper bags they came in could also feed them a little bit, but by this, the 3rd day after putting them in their container, I could not resist putting 1/2 cup of corn meal sprinkled on top and making damp with spray. I think they might be hungry by now, but I know about the results of over-feeding things...Just look at my ex-husband and my son! Fat worms would not be so bad, but dead worms won't do at all! So, I will hold my hands together tightly, when it seems that there isn't enough food in the container, until I learn better.

The biggest suprise is that I want to look at them, constantly. I want to run in and check them to see what they are doing. I want to touch them and play with them. How on earth am I ever going to sell, or give them away, or for goodness sake, use them for bait? So, if I can restrain myself enough to allow them to actually re-produce, (1000 worms in a 27qt container) when can I start to harvest, or check for harvest into another bed?

I also have cocoons in bedding that I must prepare a bin for and haven't got a clue about how to go about it at the moment. Do I prepare the baby bins like I would the adult bin? The cocoons were meant to be spread outside on the ground, but I am going to put them in bins to make more worms...are there temperature things I must know in order for the cocoons to hatch, or will they just hatch? I have about 500 or more cocoons that came in a lb, I suppose. perhaps I should put them in 2 bins instead of one? It is much warmer here in Texas than it is from where the worms were shipped. I won't need to cool them, but in my house, the temperatures are irregular because of the weather conditions throughout winter. Hot one day to upper 80's then sometimes cold to around 20F. Will this irregularity be harmful to my new worms? Any suggestions for any of my questions will be of great assistance to me, plus, it will keep me looking at my computer instead of the worms. Thanking You ALL for the information and instructions which has lead to my commitment to growing worms. =o)

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