Hi Jayne, I once put 80 dry egg cartons at the bottom of Gilligan when I re-filled him after a harvest. Other than watching for any glue that may have been used on the lids to hold down those paper labels, I have no concerns about using egg cartons. If you stack them, the worms love hiding in the layers! ~ Sandra
Hi Sandra! I know you did! It was my inspiration and I totally forgot to give you a shout out 😩. I’ll do that in the next check in 🪱❤️. Good tip on the stacking. I did it as a random pile of torn up pieces. In my video we can see some worms making a home in the cups 😍. Thanks for watching 👍🪱
I pour my blended fruits and veggies in my empty egg carton tops and bottoms and place them in freezer.. works out great. Just pull from freezer to feed the worms.
I use the cardboard 18 egg cartons rip the top off and make 2 trays with my blended fruits and veggies.. the bottom of the cartons breaks real well for smaller uses and the tops are like a tray.I put a couple hands full of my prepared bedding and fits really well in my 2 vermihuts.
That is what I’ve started to do. I blend two big buckets full of blended fruit and veg. I dehydrate one bucket full into powder and the other bucket I put into egg cartons and freeze. I feed food one week and slushes and powder the next it works out great 👍🏻
Hi Alfonzo! You are right - there’s a gazillion young worms in Big Boy. And he’s not the half of it. I have my fingers crossed for the spring sale season! ❤️🪱❤️
Hi Jayne, from Windermere Florida zone 9b USA ❤ Pretty darn happy says it all!! I think putting them in dry and adding moist foods, etc. Good video ❤ ❤Peggy❤
This was so interesting to me because I get bottles shipped to me (no, not alcohol!, Torani flavors for my coffee) and the packing looks like egg carton material, just perhaps a little heavier. Ive been saving them wondering if I can try them in my bins, and now I feel confident to try them. Great video!
Hi Katie! If you’re pretty sure they’re formed cardboard then yep! Go ahead 👍. If your bin is nice and moist you may not need to soak the forms first. If you decide to soak them, consider using worm tea! 😎
I get wine bottles packed with that same type of material and it works fine in my bins. Don't judge me! The wine is for others to drink, I'm a beer guy.😊
@@ausfoodgarden Hi Gerry! Thanks for sharing that you’ve been using the same type of packing material successfully! It’s always nice to hear multiple success stories when trying something new. No judgement here! I have my own predilections - Pepsi, chocolate, terrible awful instant tea, etc. 🤣🤣🤣
Hi Jayne, my first cocoons are hatching, and there are tons of them. So I picked them out of the big bin, placed them all in their own bin. Question now is how long will it take till they are adults?
@@PatriciaHall-cw2ks Congratulations !!🎊 4-6 months can be expected. Some worm wranglers say they can get adults at 3-4 months with active care, feeding, and space. Mine have always been in the 5 month range 😊. 🪱🪱
What size screen do you use? Is it a 1/4 inch or smaller? I've been struggling to find some the right size to try the burrito method for my bins. Thanks again Jane I love your videos and have learned so much from you
Hi Frank! I use standard window screening for the burrito. Home supply stores should have it in stock. The fine mesh keeps the shred out of the tote and makes it hard for bigger more mature bugs to get thru the tiny holes and into the tote once it cools down. 👍 Thanks for your kind words Frank!❤️
When I decided to look for a shredder, I checked the "worm farmers" here on UA-cam, since I figure who would know better. I ended up with an Amazon shredder, and its a workhorse. I really enjoy it.
@@katiem9644 Thank you Katie for your recommendation for the Amazon basic shredder. I’ve heard lots of good things about it as well. Here’s my affiliate link to that cross cut shredder: amzn.to/4bh5Eqf And to the micro cut shredder: amzn.to/3SyCQlI I have and use the Aurora 12 page micro shredder and really like it. Here’s my affiliate link to this specific shredder: amzn.to/3OfEOoQ Please note that I bought mine used off of Facebook marketplace and I always recommend shopping used when it makes sense 😊
Hey Bobby! I use an Aurora micro cut shredder the most. Please see my response the Katie below as I included some links there. Here’s some general advice regarding shredders. There is no standard for how wide the feeder slots are! One brand’s 10 page can be wider than another’s 12 page slot 😡. When at all possible take a bunch of paper with you and test how many (thickness) pages the shredder actually can handle. Different thicknesses of the kind of cardboard you normally get work as a tester too. Micro cut shredders are generally more expensive. More blades. Both micro and cross cut work well. Micro cut tends to be eaten by worms faster as it’s tiny and gets broken down faster. Buy USED or secondhand when you can to save a lot of money. But only if you can test it out before purchase!! 👍🪱
Hello! Thanks! They’re doing good. Playing in the dirt has been scientifically shown to release stress so we are helping out win health by raising worms this way too! How cool is that?!😎🤗
Hi Jayne, great video as always. This has reminded me that I need to do an experiment that I've had in mind. I have been saving many egg cartons, ripping them in to smallish pieces, ready to put in to a blender to mash them in to a fluffy pulp. I then want to use the resulting egg carton pulp in place of the shredded cardboard that I use under the wet feedings to soak up some of the moisture. 1; what is the difference in the moisture absorbency? 2; which will be eaten fastest by the worms? It's just a bit of fun as cardboard is far more abundant in my home than the egg cartons. Have fun, Mark : )
Hey Mark! Great experiment idea! I’d love to see that 👍😍. A woman had commented way back that she uses a grinder or mill and runs her cardboard thru that to make it a fine particle. I’ve wanted to try that with my grain mill but haven’t yet 😩. Please let us all know (link to a video is perfectly fine) when you do this 👍😎🪱
Hi Kyle! How are you? I can’t honestly say but I do have thought on that 🙄😊. Firstly, I have the tote on the patio so flying things come and go and I’m not out there watching much. I did not see any fliers come out of the tote when I opened it up though. My guess is that yes, it would help. The egg laying adults would have to get thru a thick dry layer (not a favorite thing of theirs to do) to get to the moist bedding they want for egg laying. I’d say try it! And report back too 🤗. Lots of worm wranglers struggle with gnats and fruit flies 😡
Hi Jayne, bin looks fantastic, you're obviously doing things right. I've one question, when I start a grow out tray, as I just have, should I be feeding the worms or wait till they've ate all the bedding? I used your recipe for bedding but without any manure. I'm feeding them and they love the boiled sweet potatoes and chow, but the bedding seems relatively untouched. Thanks again for your work and advice Jayne.
Hi William (Bill right? I’m sorry I can’t recall right now 😳). For grow out bins you can feed as you want / chow, food scraps, or biota laden materials like pre-compost or prepared bedding. They may very well prefer the foods you’re giving them rather than the bedding and eating that first 😆👍. As long as your worms are healthy and growing as you want them too (aka you want fat worms for fishing or chonky worms for larger cocoons) then don’t worry too much about how much bedding they’re eating. If you are following my bedding recipe and not using manure then it’s all pre-compost? Are you making one cycle or 2 cycle pre-compost? That does make a difference on how fast the worms eat it. The manure isn’t necessary but is an additional food source. Only feeding pre-compost should be done. I haven’t done only 100% pre-compost bins yet, technically, but I have gotten pretty close with doing quick refresh feedings of only pre-compost in mature bins that are almost only castings at that point. 🪱
@@RockinWorms hi Jayne, Bills fine. I cycled the pre compost twice. I'll continue to feed and the bedding will get consumed eventually. I only want castings for my garden and allotment so I'm in no hurry. I've already got loads of castings ready for the spring. I recently started using a 1/8" sieve after using a 1/4" since I started. the difference in the castings looks amazing. I really enjoy this hobby, thank you so much for your help and advice.
@@funnysods Hi Bill! You are right - they’ll eat the bedding eventually. Mine other the 2 cycle pre-compost pretty fast but to get almost every tiny bit does take longer. When you add the pre-compost, do you see lots of biota specks? I too really like how the 1/8” castings look and feel vs the 1/4” sift. 🪱🪱👍
Hey. I guess it could be but I think it’s more to do with the general moisture level in the specific bin. I can live in a super dry are but keep my bin super moist. I’d have to work at it more than someone else in a humid area but that’s not really the question, right? It’s down to what the moisture in the bin is at the end of the day. I try to run my bins in the middle - not too wet, not to dry. But some bins end up wetter than others! And sometimes they’re right next to a dry bin 🤷♂️. So the ambient humidity can’t really be the effecting factor. It’s what’s going on in that specific bin and what I do to manage it. Ok? 🪱🪱👍
Hi, freezing the fruit breaks down the cells of the fruit making it smaller particles, which is then faster to decompose and available to the worms sooner. Allow to thaw before putting in the worm bin, unless it is mid summer and you need to bring the temperature of your bin down. Hope that makes sense and is helpful. Have fun, Mark : )
Hi Sue! What Mark said 👍🪱. I have seen worm wranglers add frozen food directly to their worm bins and I’m not sure it was summer. If you scoop your worms away from where you’re adding the frozen food then it’s ok. If you let the worms dive down away from the light for a few minutes before adding the frozen food then that’s ok too. What I do is freeze the food then take it out to defrost in the fridge. But of course I don’t always remember to do that! So I mostly do the scoop away from the food zone action 👍🪱❤️
greetings jayne. about your concern with critters getting into your burrito shred topping have you tried bti &/or diatomaceous earth ??? we re-use our egg cartons so i don't have a lot of them going into my compost or my worms but when i buy something that uses egg carton like cardboard for packing i usually will save it until i make jms and then i put whatever is left over in my teabag from making jms into/on the cardboard to really beef up the microbial activity and then, depending on its size, will either go into my worm tower or my outdoor compost. i thought when i first did this that it might possibly slow down my compost but that wasn't the case at all. in fact, i think it speeded up the process.
Hi Ron! I’m talking about critters as in ants, geckos, roaches, even snakes, etc. plus random beetles and things. It’s the wild kingdom here! 😆. I don’t think BTi or DE works on them 😊. What is jms? Is that JADAM? I reuse the styrofoam egg cartons for my hen’s eggs. I get them out of the store recycle bin 🙄. This frees up the cardboard ones for composting in its various forms. If you’re increasing the microbial load in a compost pile then you’re are golden! If you’re doing it in a worm bin that’s good too as long as you keep an eye on potential heating up. 👍🪱
@@RockinWorms oh, true. i keep my worms indoors and forget that not everyone does. in that case you might want to try some jadam herbal solution. it works great taking care of visiting creatures in my garden. easy peasy. korean natural farming has an answer for everything, i tell ya !!!
By the look of it the dry cartons has mad it that any extra moisture that may end up pooling in the bottom…. It’s mitigating that. So that’s good too see. I think the dry shred on top is doing the same thing, and will continue to do that. The craft paper didn’t work all that well so if it was me I would forget it. I would either stick with the shredded cardboard like you gonna do and see how that goes, if you want something in between it would need to be thicker, like cardboard. But again it will still be some time (don’t know how long) and need changing for new dry stuff again…. So really depends how you wanna go forward. I’m guessing you feeding these guys wet food(not dry chow) and that’s possibly where the extra moisture that the egg cartons are helping with .
Hi Cheryl! Since the cartons were the bottom most layer I think good old gravity was a big help 😆. And then it was the absorbency of the foam material that wicked the moisture around. I simply do not have any pooling liquid in my worm totes or bins 😊. The shred on top is damp due to respiration condensation. Maybe some wind blow rain. I often have a large plastic lid on top of the cardboard shred, just lying on top, to keep the shred from blowing off. It’s always more moist there - again because the respiratory moisture hits the lid, condenses and fall back into the shred. Similar to how the plastic bags/sheeting work on my other worm bins. I don’t know that I’ve fed this bin any food scraps, chow, or veggie powder at all since the reset 3 weeks ago. I’ll have to rewatch my videos on it to see if I did 🤣! I ended up putting the damp shred directly on the old bedding surface, then the piece of craft paper (I had it so why not) and then the screening. I didn’t have time yesterday but will be putting new dry shred on top of the screening. Still no other sources of food added! The tote is holding good moisture all on its own and with all the pre-compost that went in at reset time, the ecosystem is well established. It’ll be interesting to see how fast the worms blow thru that cardboard shred! 👍🪱❤️😎
@@RockinWorms that’s incredible that there’s been no food as such put in there and it’s just the precompost. Very interesting. I plan to reset mine next week…. Counting the beepers out and doubling them like you said into precompost and then combining the bedding so any babies can continue to hatch in the trays. Gonna bring them to where it’s a bit warmer in the bedroom by radiator and see if they hatch quicker from some bottom hear and leave them be for 3 weeks, hoping they hatch and that so I can then look at what’s what. I will put some precompost in with them so when they hatch there’s some more stuff for them to crack on with straight away and I will just check them for moisture….. I’ll put some layers of vey newspaper in the bottom of the tub to protect them from the heat of the radiator I think???? Well they will be on the windowsill…. Or maybe on the floor under it. Not sure. Just thinking what is do able.
@@cherylhowker1792 The pre-compost is a great starter food for wisps. It doesn’t go bad for one thing! It’s natural food for them so they’re already programmed to love all that biota, and it’s super easy on the worm wrangler! The newspaper covering on top an easy visual to indicate cocoon hatching and wisp presence and growth. Warm locations plus the pre-compost bedding/food source will have them hatching and growing fast! Do be very aware of moisture levels in your worm bins when near heat sources such as radiators, boilers, etc. and check often 👍. Check the bedding temperature often too so not doesn’t get too hot. Nothing over 90F. You’re just going to have to test and move the bin(s) as needed. 🪱🪱
@@RockinWorms know this maybe tomorrow I will start a new bin with precompost and sift the caccons out of the bedding I do have them in. And will move them into the precompost and maybe put them where I have them atm and add the heat mat on top- as it is already. As you say they will be better in there as and when they do hatch. Better then they are where they are with coir.
Hi Jayne, my first cocoons are hatching, and there are tons of them. So I picked them out of the big bin, placed them all in their own bin. Question now is how long will it take till they are adults?
Hi Patricia! I could have sworn I replied to your question. But in case it didn’t post: my worm take 4-5 months to mature, which is considered normal. Some worm wranglers claim they get adults in 3 months. 🤷♂️. You’ve got wisps so you’re on your way! 🪱🪱🪱
@@RockinWorms yes, you did give me an answer, and I thank you. Where do you live ? I know it’s south Florida. I don’t think it’s too far from me. One day I’d like to take a day trip and visit you. Buy some of your worm food!🥑🚘
Hi Jayne, I once put 80 dry egg cartons at the bottom of Gilligan when I re-filled him after a harvest. Other than watching for any glue that may have been used on the lids to hold down those paper labels, I have no concerns about using egg cartons. If you stack them, the worms love hiding in the layers!
~ Sandra
Hi Sandra! I know you did! It was my inspiration and I totally forgot to give you a shout out 😩. I’ll do that in the next check in 🪱❤️.
Good tip on the stacking. I did it as a random pile of torn up pieces. In my video we can see some worms making a home in the cups 😍.
Thanks for watching 👍🪱
I pour my blended fruits and veggies in my empty egg carton tops and bottoms and place them in freezer.. works out great. Just pull from freezer to feed the worms.
Me too! It’s great for portion control in my small bins.
Excellent idea Richard! Thanks so much for sharing that!! You use the cardboard foam ones so it can all be popped into the worm bin, fight? 🤩🤗🪱
I use the cardboard 18 egg cartons rip the top off and make 2 trays with my blended fruits and veggies.. the bottom of the cartons breaks real well for smaller uses and the tops are like a tray.I put a couple hands full of my prepared bedding and fits really well in my 2 vermihuts.
@@richardchappell8490 That is freaking perfect! Thanks again for sharing that and I hope others can use this great tip 😍👍🪱❤️
That is what I’ve started to do. I blend two big buckets full of blended fruit and veg. I dehydrate one bucket full into powder and the other bucket I put into egg cartons and freeze. I feed food one week and slushes and powder the next it works out great 👍🏻
Thank you for responding 🙂 going to try both ways
Please let us know how the experiment goes! 👍❤️🪱
Huge volume of livestock in that big boy bin, even when you go deep...Keep do-ing what your doing...Love your content
Hi Alfonzo! You are right - there’s a gazillion young worms in Big Boy. And he’s not the half of it. I have my fingers crossed for the spring sale season! ❤️🪱❤️
Hi Jayne, from Windermere Florida zone 9b USA ❤
Pretty darn happy says it all!!
I think putting them in dry and adding moist foods, etc.
Good video ❤
❤Peggy❤
Thanks Peggy! You do basically the same thing when you add in the toilet paper rolls, don’t you?
@@RockinWorms yeppers, I do 👍
Your worms are loving the shredded paper and cardboard 🪱🇳🇿
Hey! Hi! Yes I think they are too. I’m loving it as it’s being a very easy system to maintain 😍
This was so interesting to me because I get bottles shipped to me (no, not alcohol!, Torani flavors for my coffee) and the packing looks like egg carton material, just perhaps a little heavier. Ive been saving them wondering if I can try them in my bins, and now I feel confident to try them. Great video!
Hi Katie! If you’re pretty sure they’re formed cardboard then yep! Go ahead 👍. If your bin is nice and moist you may not need to soak the forms first. If you decide to soak them, consider using worm tea! 😎
I get wine bottles packed with that same type of material and it works fine in my bins.
Don't judge me! The wine is for others to drink, I'm a beer guy.😊
@@ausfoodgarden Hi Gerry! Thanks for sharing that you’ve been using the same type of packing material successfully! It’s always nice to hear multiple success stories when trying something new.
No judgement here! I have my own predilections - Pepsi, chocolate, terrible awful instant tea, etc. 🤣🤣🤣
Hi Jayne, my first cocoons are hatching, and there are tons of them. So I picked them out of the big bin, placed them all in their own bin. Question now is how long will it take till they are adults?
@@PatriciaHall-cw2ks Congratulations !!🎊
4-6 months can be expected. Some worm wranglers say they can get adults at 3-4 months with active care, feeding, and space. Mine have always been in the 5 month range 😊. 🪱🪱
What size screen do you use? Is it a 1/4 inch or smaller? I've been struggling to find some the right size to try the burrito method for my bins. Thanks again Jane I love your videos and have learned so much from you
Hi Frank! I use standard window screening for the burrito. Home supply stores should have it in stock. The fine mesh keeps the shred out of the tote and makes it hard for bigger more mature bugs to get thru the tiny holes and into the tote once it cools down. 👍
Thanks for your kind words Frank!❤️
Hi Jayne. Another interesting video. Thank you for sharing. I want to buy a shredder. Any advice. Thanks Bobby.
When I decided to look for a shredder, I checked the "worm farmers" here on UA-cam, since I figure who would know better. I ended up with an Amazon shredder, and its a workhorse. I really enjoy it.
@@katiem9644 Thank you Katie for your recommendation for the Amazon basic shredder. I’ve heard lots of good things about it as well. Here’s my affiliate link to that cross cut shredder:
amzn.to/4bh5Eqf
And to the micro cut shredder:
amzn.to/3SyCQlI
I have and use the Aurora 12 page micro shredder and really like it. Here’s my affiliate link to this specific shredder:
amzn.to/3OfEOoQ
Please note that I bought mine used off of Facebook marketplace and I always recommend shopping used when it makes sense 😊
Hey Bobby! I use an Aurora micro cut shredder the most. Please see my response the Katie below as I included some links there.
Here’s some general advice regarding shredders.
There is no standard for how wide the feeder slots are! One brand’s 10 page can be wider than another’s 12 page slot 😡. When at all possible take a bunch of paper with you and test how many (thickness) pages the shredder actually can handle. Different thicknesses of the kind of cardboard you normally get work as a tester too.
Micro cut shredders are generally more expensive. More blades. Both micro and cross cut work well. Micro cut tends to be eaten by worms faster as it’s tiny and gets broken down faster.
Buy USED or secondhand when you can to save a lot of money. But only if you can test it out before purchase!! 👍🪱
@RockinWorms Thanks for your feedback. Really appreciate it. Second-hand ones are hard to get but I will shop around.
@@brgovender8879 You’re in South Africa, right?
Rockin like always! I like playing in dirt!
Hello! Thanks! They’re doing good. Playing in the dirt has been scientifically shown to release stress so we are helping out win health by raising worms this way too! How cool is that?!😎🤗
Jayne I am in Moultrie Ga about 60 mi from Tallahassee and 40 mi north of Valdosta. . I may have told you this
Hi Larry! You did! We are practically neighbors ❤️. Give or take an 8 hour drive 😆. You are much closer to my daughter who does live in Tallahassee 🤗.
Hi Jayne, great video as always. This has reminded me that I need to do an experiment that I've had in mind. I have been saving many egg cartons, ripping them in to smallish pieces, ready to put in to a blender to mash them in to a fluffy pulp. I then want to use the resulting egg carton pulp in place of the shredded cardboard that I use under the wet feedings to soak up some of the moisture. 1; what is the difference in the moisture absorbency? 2; which will be eaten fastest by the worms?
It's just a bit of fun as cardboard is far more abundant in my home than the egg cartons. Have fun, Mark : )
Hey Mark! Great experiment idea! I’d love to see that 👍😍. A woman had commented way back that she uses a grinder or mill and runs her cardboard thru that to make it a fine particle. I’ve wanted to try that with my grain mill but haven’t yet 😩.
Please let us all know (link to a video is perfectly fine) when you do this 👍😎🪱
Does the protective layer keep out fungas gnats?
Hi Kyle! How are you?
I can’t honestly say but I do have thought on that 🙄😊. Firstly, I have the tote on the patio so flying things come and go and I’m not out there watching much. I did not see any fliers come out of the tote when I opened it up though. My guess is that yes, it would help. The egg laying adults would have to get thru a thick dry layer (not a favorite thing of theirs to do) to get to the moist bedding they want for egg laying. I’d say try it! And report back too 🤗. Lots of worm wranglers struggle with gnats and fruit flies 😡
I’m good! Awesome! Thanks for replying. Fungas gnats are my nemesis of the vermicompost world. An infestation can be a huge pain to get rid of.
@@kylewestrom7849 I’m so glad you’re off to a great start in 2024 👍❤️. Are you going to give a dry shred top a try?
Hi Jayne, bin looks fantastic, you're obviously doing things right. I've one question, when I start a grow out tray, as I just have, should I be feeding the worms or wait till they've ate all the bedding? I used your recipe for bedding but without any manure. I'm feeding them and they love the boiled sweet potatoes and chow, but the bedding seems relatively untouched. Thanks again for your work and advice Jayne.
Hi William (Bill right? I’m sorry I can’t recall right now 😳).
For grow out bins you can feed as you want / chow, food scraps, or biota laden materials like pre-compost or prepared bedding. They may very well prefer the foods you’re giving them rather than the bedding and eating that first 😆👍. As long as your worms are healthy and growing as you want them too (aka you want fat worms for fishing or chonky worms for larger cocoons) then don’t worry too much about how much bedding they’re eating. If you are following my bedding recipe and not using manure then it’s all pre-compost? Are you making one cycle or 2 cycle pre-compost? That does make a difference on how fast the worms eat it.
The manure isn’t necessary but is an additional food source. Only feeding pre-compost should be done. I haven’t done only 100% pre-compost bins yet, technically, but I have gotten pretty close with doing quick refresh feedings of only pre-compost in mature bins that are almost only castings at that point. 🪱
@@RockinWorms hi Jayne, Bills fine. I cycled the pre compost twice. I'll continue to feed and the bedding will get consumed eventually. I only want castings for my garden and allotment so I'm in no hurry. I've already got loads of castings ready for the spring. I recently started using a 1/8" sieve after using a 1/4" since I started. the difference in the castings looks amazing. I really enjoy this hobby, thank you so much for your help and advice.
@@funnysods Hi Bill! You are right - they’ll eat the bedding eventually. Mine other the 2 cycle pre-compost pretty fast but to get almost every tiny bit does take longer. When you add the pre-compost, do you see lots of biota specks?
I too really like how the 1/8” castings look and feel vs the 1/4” sift. 🪱🪱👍
@@RockinWorms yes, there's lots of little white dots on the pre compost Jayne. I'm sure it's good stuff.
Would the humidity of your area also be a factor in why the dry egg cartons weren't an issue?
Hey. I guess it could be but I think it’s more to do with the general moisture level in the specific bin. I can live in a super dry are but keep my bin super moist. I’d have to work at it more than someone else in a humid area but that’s not really the question, right? It’s down to what the moisture in the bin is at the end of the day. I try to run my bins in the middle - not too wet, not to dry. But some bins end up wetter than others! And sometimes they’re right next to a dry bin 🤷♂️. So the ambient humidity can’t really be the effecting factor. It’s what’s going on in that specific bin and what I do to manage it. Ok? 🪱🪱👍
What / why freeze fruits and do you just put them straight v from freezer to bin?
Hi, freezing the fruit breaks down the cells of the fruit making it smaller particles, which is then faster to decompose and available to the worms sooner. Allow to thaw before putting in the worm bin, unless it is mid summer and you need to bring the temperature of your bin down. Hope that makes sense and is helpful. Have fun, Mark : )
Hi Sue! What Mark said 👍🪱. I have seen worm wranglers add frozen food directly to their worm bins and I’m not sure it was summer. If you scoop your worms away from where you’re adding the frozen food then it’s ok. If you let the worms dive down away from the light for a few minutes before adding the frozen food then that’s ok too.
What I do is freeze the food then take it out to defrost in the fridge. But of course I don’t always remember to do that! So I mostly do the scoop away from the food zone action 👍🪱❤️
greetings jayne. about your concern with critters getting into your burrito shred topping have you tried bti &/or diatomaceous earth ??? we re-use our egg cartons so i don't have a lot of them going into my compost or my worms but when i buy something that uses egg carton like cardboard for packing i usually will save it until i make jms and then i put whatever is left over in my teabag from making jms into/on the cardboard to really beef up the microbial activity and then, depending on its size, will either go into my worm tower or my outdoor compost. i thought when i first did this that it might possibly slow down my compost but that wasn't the case at all. in fact, i think it speeded up the process.
Hi Ron! I’m talking about critters as in ants, geckos, roaches, even snakes, etc. plus random beetles and things. It’s the wild kingdom here! 😆. I don’t think BTi or DE works on them 😊.
What is jms? Is that JADAM?
I reuse the styrofoam egg cartons for my hen’s eggs. I get them out of the store recycle bin 🙄. This frees up the cardboard ones for composting in its various forms.
If you’re increasing the microbial load in a compost pile then you’re are golden! If you’re doing it in a worm bin that’s good too as long as you keep an eye on potential heating up. 👍🪱
@@RockinWorms oh, true. i keep my worms indoors and forget that not everyone does. in that case you might want to try some jadam herbal solution. it works great taking care of visiting creatures in my garden. easy peasy. korean natural farming has an answer for everything, i tell ya !!!
By the look of it the dry cartons has mad it that any extra moisture that may end up pooling in the bottom…. It’s mitigating that. So that’s good too see. I think the dry shred on top is doing the same thing, and will continue to do that. The craft paper didn’t work all that well so if it was me I would forget it. I would either stick with the shredded cardboard like you gonna do and see how that goes, if you want something in between it would need to be thicker, like cardboard. But again it will still be some time (don’t know how long) and need changing for new dry stuff again…. So really depends how you wanna go forward.
I’m guessing you feeding these guys wet food(not dry chow) and that’s possibly where the extra moisture that the egg cartons are helping with .
Hi Cheryl! Since the cartons were the bottom most layer I think good old gravity was a big help 😆. And then it was the absorbency of the foam material that wicked the moisture around. I simply do not have any pooling liquid in my worm totes or bins 😊. The shred on top is damp due to respiration condensation. Maybe some wind blow rain. I often have a large plastic lid on top of the cardboard shred, just lying on top, to keep the shred from blowing off. It’s always more moist there - again because the respiratory moisture hits the lid, condenses and fall back into the shred. Similar to how the plastic bags/sheeting work on my other worm bins.
I don’t know that I’ve fed this bin any food scraps, chow, or veggie powder at all since the reset 3 weeks ago. I’ll have to rewatch my videos on it to see if I did 🤣!
I ended up putting the damp shred directly on the old bedding surface, then the piece of craft paper (I had it so why not) and then the screening. I didn’t have time yesterday but will be putting new dry shred on top of the screening. Still no other sources of food added!
The tote is holding good moisture all on its own and with all the pre-compost that went in at reset time, the ecosystem is well established. It’ll be interesting to see how fast the worms blow thru that cardboard shred! 👍🪱❤️😎
@@RockinWorms that’s incredible that there’s been no food as such put in there and it’s just the precompost. Very interesting.
I plan to reset mine next week…. Counting the beepers out and doubling them like you said into precompost and then combining the bedding so any babies can continue to hatch in the trays. Gonna bring them to where it’s a bit warmer in the bedroom by radiator and see if they hatch quicker from some bottom hear and leave them be for 3 weeks, hoping they hatch and that so I can then look at what’s what. I will put some precompost in with them so when they hatch there’s some more stuff for them to crack on with straight away and I will just check them for moisture….. I’ll put some layers of vey newspaper in the bottom of the tub to protect them from the heat of the radiator I think???? Well they will be on the windowsill…. Or maybe on the floor under it. Not sure. Just thinking what is do able.
@@cherylhowker1792 The pre-compost is a great starter food for wisps. It doesn’t go bad for one thing! It’s natural food for them so they’re already programmed to love all that biota, and it’s super easy on the worm wrangler! The newspaper covering on top an easy visual to indicate cocoon hatching and wisp presence and growth.
Warm locations plus the pre-compost bedding/food source will have them hatching and growing fast!
Do be very aware of moisture levels in your worm bins when near heat sources such as radiators, boilers, etc. and check often 👍. Check the bedding temperature often too so not doesn’t get too hot. Nothing over 90F. You’re just going to have to test and move the bin(s) as needed. 🪱🪱
@@RockinWorms know this maybe tomorrow I will start a new bin with precompost and sift the caccons out of the bedding I do have them in. And will move them into the precompost and maybe put them where I have them atm and add the heat mat on top- as it is already.
As you say they will be better in there as and when they do hatch. Better then they are where they are with coir.
Hi Jayne, my first cocoons are hatching, and there are tons of them. So I picked them out of the big bin, placed them all in their own bin. Question now is how long will it take till they are adults?
Hi Patricia! I could have sworn I replied to your question. But in case it didn’t post: my worm take 4-5 months to mature, which is considered normal. Some worm wranglers claim they get adults in 3 months. 🤷♂️.
You’ve got wisps so you’re on your way! 🪱🪱🪱
@@RockinWorms yes, you did give me an answer, and I thank you. Where do you live ? I know it’s south Florida. I don’t think it’s too far from me. One day I’d like to take a day trip and visit you. Buy some of your worm food!🥑🚘
@@PatriciaHall-cw2ks I live in palm beach county. Tiny town called Loxahatchee. You’re welcome any time! 😎🪱