Looking good!! I have a feeling they will or already have multiplied fast with all that aged manure!! Looks like you have a great space for it just under that awning and the layer of leaves is perfect for a top cover in my opinion!! Thanks for showing us how you fashioned the tub into a giant worm bin!!🪱🪱🪱
I used some leftover screen to cover it, then a sheet of leftover plywood, and a few small bricks to weigh down the edges further in case of a severe storm. Black soldier flies will lay eggs on the screen, and after hatching,they will crawl down into the scraps to join the worms. I have a trough under the drain pipe that I will dip into from time to time.
Hey Dustin, thanks for sharing. I'm not sure I've ever seen a black soldier fly, but I've heard a little about them. They are good for breaking down decaying materials, right? Do they provide other functions such as castings like the worms, or is it that they eat the larger foods whereas as the worms may eat the more broken down stuff?
@@WestTexasGardenExperiment the worms will also eat the excrement of the black soldier fly larvae. Black soldier fly larva's eat the decaying fruit and veg just as house fly maggots eat decaying flesh. They look very similar in the larvae form. The soldier fly is more flat and grayish looking whereas the maggot is more rounded and white. You still get a liquid fertilizer from either of them and they both eat the fruit and veg so there is that and black soldier fly larva will go through the scraps a lot quicker than the worms will. I was just letting you know in case you did get some larvae in there you don't have to worry too much about it, and if you want to, you could rig up a bin or a catchment for the larvae to drop in to feed the chickens or you can have a black soldier fly trap situated above the feeding area or the area that you want the chickens to scratch. It provides another food source.
@@WestTexasGardenExperiment no problem. If you look up the black soldier fly picture it looks somewhat like a small black wasp, though it isn't. It looks nothing like a housefly, which is what I thought it looked similar to at first.
I got a similar setup but I used a 170 gal stock tank. I used wild Asian jumping worms that I caught. I know they can be invasive but they have been here in Texas for over forty years. I know because I have been using them for fish bait. This past winter hit them hard but I found about 200 tiny ones and now they are big enough for bait. Also dug up 2 huge European night crawlers and they seem to be doing good. I dug up more but the chickens won the fight. You got some good videos, keep it up!
@@WestTexasGardenExperiment I got these from north east Texas but I’m pretty sure they have them in Louisiana and Arkansas. I’m sure they are all over the south because they make good fish bait. I’ve seen them on the Internet for sale, some people call them Alabama jumpers. They are all the same just a different name. I think they are getting started up north and they are trying to stop the spread. I tried raising a Texas native worm a long time ago because they are tough and you could catch several fish from one worm and they were about as big around as your finger. I didn’t know what I was doing back then and I didn’t have good info tool like the internet. We called them river bottom worms but the scientific name is diplocardia fusca. I have seen them about a foot long. The jumping worms I have now are between 3 to 6 inches and still growing they are doing great in the tub. We always called them milk worms because when you put them on a fishhook they give off a slimy milky substance, the catfish love it. Usually find them in upland wooded area with heavy leaf loads. There is true and I don’t think so true info about the jumping worm on the internet. If your interested I will try to help ya out and tell you what I know to be true.
Wow, a foot long worms! I wonder if those jumping worms do better in sandy or acidic soil or areas with higher annual precipitation than we get here. The only worms I see in the dry soil here are pretty tiny.
@@WestTexasGardenExperiment I have only seen them in areas that are sandy loam but that’s the only areas I have looked. You being in west Texas, your area looks like Abilene/ Sweetwater or Midland/Odessa area. Semi arid desert environment is hard on a worm. Everything where you live pokes ya, bites ya or stings ya. Jumping worms would probably do good in a enclosure but might not live in the wild where your at but that could be a good thing.
Dude nice. My wife and I just built one very similar (based on Geoff’s video) on our new homestead in Wales. I’m excited to watch the worm population explode exponentially.
Hey Alexander, that’s awesome. My tub is doing great, and the worm population is incredible in the year that I’ve had it. I noticed something growing out of my tub this morning, so I had the idea to plants a bunch of random seeds in there to see if anything would grow.
Hah nice. Sounds like you started with only a handful of worm? How quickly they multiply and how many do you think you have now? Did you find the worm juice runoff to be a valuable liquid fertilizer like Geoff says it is?
Yes, I only put a small quantity of worms in the tub initially, but added a few more each time I added what didn’t get fit through my sifter from my smaller worm system. I really have no idea how many are in there now, but I see quite a bit everywhere I dig in there. I have yet to harvest any castings from it. So far I’ve only collected the liquid, and that’s after I add water to the tub. The liquid comes out dark brown. I honestly cannot say that the plants I pour the liquid on look any different than if I hadn’t poured it. I’d probably need to set up two potted plants exactly the same and only give one of them the worm liquid to see if it makes a difference. Maybe I can do that here pretty soon.
Could you make an update video showing your worm density now? I think my worms are struggling. I’ve found at least a couple dead on the surface and a couple washed out into my drainage bucket and drowned. My manure bedding was very fresh when I first put them into it and they have only recently dispersed into it. I think I should have aged my manure longer…
Hey Alexander, what type of manure did you add? Was anything else added to the tub? I'd be interested in seeing a video if you want to upload one showing what you've got going on. From what I remember from Geoff's video, his manure was pretty fresh too, but I think he added a lot of food scraps to the surface. Perhaps his worms lived in the food scraps until the manure cooled off/aged? I'm not sure, but I can tell you that the manure I had was not fresh. Another thought I had was could the animals have been treated with like a dewormer possibly? The manure I got was from a local donkey rescue facility, and I think they require deworming every few months. However, I never noticed any dead worms in my tub. I may have had some fall into the bucket before, but it would be hard to tell with the dark color of the liquid.
Good point. Might need to keep it more insulated for sure. I wonder if the worms slow down in the cold temps, and possibly migrate towards the center where it is warmest.
@@WestTexasGardenExperiment from what I’ve read the worms do best between 10c and 30c and things slow down in the cooler weather, and freezing weather could kill the worms. I’ve got my small bought farm set up under the carport. I needed to protect it from the heat and sun during the summer and now we are heading into winter and have -1c or -2c coming up in the early mornings soon a couple of times. Once the sun is up of course it’s warmer. I cover my farm with an old blanket at night and take it off during the day. We don’t have winters as cold as yours I think. I haven’t had my farm long, so am only going on what I’ve read.
I'd love to know the actual nutrient content of your worm drippings. You can reach out to your local Department of Cooperative Extension and ask them where you could send it to get tested. BTW if you don't know, every public University (pretty sure) has one of those departments and part of their mission is to assist agricultural producers with knowledge and networking opportunities.
I have no idea how nutrient dense the worm products are that I have. I’d really like to get a microscope and learn more about the bacteria in the castings and tea. Elaine Ingham has an online course about that, but it costs $5,000! I don’t think I want to learn that bad, lol! That’s a good idea about reaching out to a local extension or university to have it analyzed. Thanks!
Probably not a well known celebrity, unless he had a nickname such as 'Tubs', or maybe like Little Richard who (I think) sang "Splish splash I was taking a bath"...
@@WestTexasGardenExperiment Well I suppose your worm-bin-bath is a good trial practice run, but by now you really should be looking to move up in the world and make one in a small swimmingpool built into the back of a limo.
Hello, I really noticed a plant growing out of the tub. That gave me an idea to plant other stuff in there, so I planted a bunch of various fruits, veggies, and such. So far I’ve got several sprouts popping up. I think I’ve only had to add one more bag of donkey manure to give the worms more to eat. Their population has increased quite a lot, though I don’t know how to measure the increase. I harvest dark brown juice out of the bottom as I add water to the top, and use that around my trees. Other than that, I haven’t done anything different. Still haven’t harvested any castings from the tub since I have a steady supply from my smaller worm system.
Hi James, I’ve added another bag of manure into the tub, and I add worms on a weekly basis from my small worm bin. I also spray down the contents once every weekend and get about two gallons of brown liquid out the bottom. I just put that around my trees. As the population of worms grow, the manure should get processed a lot quicker. I also have a high quantity of roly-polys in the tub in amongst the leaves helping to break stuff down.
@@WestTexasGardenExperiment hmm how does the moist tub not freeze solid during 0°F? Does the overhead roof help? Or does the weather not stay below freezing very long?
Looking good!! I have a feeling they will or already have multiplied fast with all that aged manure!! Looks like you have a great space for it just under that awning and the layer of leaves is perfect for a top cover in my opinion!! Thanks for showing us how you fashioned the tub into a giant worm bin!!🪱🪱🪱
Thanks for the feedback! So far, the tub and worms are doing great from what I can tell.
I used some leftover screen to cover it, then a sheet of leftover plywood, and a few small bricks to weigh down the edges further in case of a severe storm. Black soldier flies will lay eggs on the screen, and after hatching,they will crawl down into the scraps to join the worms. I have a trough under the drain pipe that I will dip into from time to time.
Hey Dustin, thanks for sharing. I'm not sure I've ever seen a black soldier fly, but I've heard a little about them. They are good for breaking down decaying materials, right? Do they provide other functions such as castings like the worms, or is it that they eat the larger foods whereas as the worms may eat the more broken down stuff?
@@WestTexasGardenExperiment the worms will also eat the excrement of the black soldier fly larvae. Black soldier fly larva's eat the decaying fruit and veg just as house fly maggots eat decaying flesh. They look very similar in the larvae form. The soldier fly is more flat and grayish looking whereas the maggot is more rounded and white. You still get a liquid fertilizer from either of them and they both eat the fruit and veg so there is that and black soldier fly larva will go through the scraps a lot quicker than the worms will. I was just letting you know in case you did get some larvae in there you don't have to worry too much about it, and if you want to, you could rig up a bin or a catchment for the larvae to drop in to feed the chickens or you can have a black soldier fly trap situated above the feeding area or the area that you want the chickens to scratch. It provides another food source.
I’m always learning new things, thank you!
@@WestTexasGardenExperiment no problem. If you look up the black soldier fly picture it looks somewhat like a small black wasp, though it isn't. It looks nothing like a housefly, which is what I thought it looked similar to at first.
It worked great for us. How are you enjoying yours?
The bug tub has been great so far. Worms are thriving, and I get a pretty steady supply of juice out the bottom. Very low maintenance.
I got a similar setup but I used a 170 gal stock tank. I used wild Asian jumping worms that I caught. I know they can be invasive but they have been here in Texas for over forty years. I know because I have been using them for fish bait. This past winter hit them hard but I found about 200 tiny ones and now they are big enough for bait. Also dug up 2 huge European night crawlers and they seem to be doing good. I dug up more but the chickens won the fight. You got some good videos, keep it up!
Thanks! Interesting, I’ve never heard of jumping worms before. Which part of Texas are you in where those are located?
@@WestTexasGardenExperiment I got these from north east Texas but I’m pretty sure they have them in Louisiana and Arkansas. I’m sure they are all over the south because they make good fish bait. I’ve seen them on the Internet for sale, some people call them Alabama jumpers. They are all the same just a different name. I think they are getting started up north and they are trying to stop the spread. I tried raising a Texas native worm a long time ago because they are tough and you could catch several fish from one worm and they were about as big around as your finger. I didn’t know what I was doing back then and I didn’t have good info tool like the internet. We called them river bottom worms but the scientific name is diplocardia fusca. I have seen them about a foot long. The jumping worms I have now are between 3 to 6 inches and still growing they are doing great in the tub. We always called them milk worms because when you put them on a fishhook they give off a slimy milky substance, the catfish love it. Usually find them in upland wooded area with heavy leaf loads. There is true and I don’t think so true info about the jumping worm on the internet. If your interested I will try to help ya out and tell you what I know to be true.
Wow, a foot long worms! I wonder if those jumping worms do better in sandy or acidic soil or areas with higher annual precipitation than we get here. The only worms I see in the dry soil here are pretty tiny.
@@WestTexasGardenExperiment I have only seen them in areas that are sandy loam but that’s the only areas I have looked. You being in west Texas, your area looks like Abilene/ Sweetwater or Midland/Odessa area. Semi arid desert environment is hard on a worm. Everything where you live pokes ya, bites ya or stings ya. Jumping worms would probably do good in a enclosure but might not live in the wild where your at but that could be a good thing.
Dude nice. My wife and I just built one very similar (based on Geoff’s video) on our new homestead in Wales. I’m excited to watch the worm population explode exponentially.
Hey Alexander, that’s awesome. My tub is doing great, and the worm population is incredible in the year that I’ve had it. I noticed something growing out of my tub this morning, so I had the idea to plants a bunch of random seeds in there to see if anything would grow.
Hah nice. Sounds like you started with only a handful of worm? How quickly they multiply and how many do you think you have now? Did you find the worm juice runoff to be a valuable liquid fertilizer like Geoff says it is?
Yes, I only put a small quantity of worms in the tub initially, but added a few more each time I added what didn’t get fit through my sifter from my smaller worm system. I really have no idea how many are in there now, but I see quite a bit everywhere I dig in there. I have yet to harvest any castings from it. So far I’ve only collected the liquid, and that’s after I add water to the tub. The liquid comes out dark brown. I honestly cannot say that the plants I pour the liquid on look any different than if I hadn’t poured it. I’d probably need to set up two potted plants exactly the same and only give one of them the worm liquid to see if it makes a difference. Maybe I can do that here pretty soon.
Good info, I appreciate it.
Alexander, how is the bin going?
Could you make an update video showing your worm density now? I think my worms are struggling. I’ve found at least a couple dead on the surface and a couple washed out into my drainage bucket and drowned. My manure bedding was very fresh when I first put them into it and they have only recently dispersed into it. I think I should have aged my manure longer…
Hey Alexander, what type of manure did you add? Was anything else added to the tub? I'd be interested in seeing a video if you want to upload one showing what you've got going on. From what I remember from Geoff's video, his manure was pretty fresh too, but I think he added a lot of food scraps to the surface. Perhaps his worms lived in the food scraps until the manure cooled off/aged? I'm not sure, but I can tell you that the manure I had was not fresh. Another thought I had was could the animals have been treated with like a dewormer possibly? The manure I got was from a local donkey rescue facility, and I think they require deworming every few months. However, I never noticed any dead worms in my tub. I may have had some fall into the bucket before, but it would be hard to tell with the dark color of the liquid.
@@WestTexasGardenExperiment Ok I made a video showing my setup.
m.ua-cam.com/video/QN-azHEpqYA/v-deo.html
Any comments / ideas would be most welcome.
Looks good, but might need some protection from the cold during the winter months.
Good point. Might need to keep it more insulated for sure. I wonder if the worms slow down in the cold temps, and possibly migrate towards the center where it is warmest.
@@WestTexasGardenExperiment from what I’ve read the worms do best between 10c and 30c and things slow down in the cooler weather, and freezing weather could kill the worms. I’ve got my small bought farm set up under the carport. I needed to protect it from the heat and sun during the summer and now we are heading into winter and have -1c or -2c coming up in the early mornings soon a couple of times. Once the sun is up of course it’s warmer. I cover my farm with an old blanket at night and take it off during the day. We don’t have winters as cold as yours I think. I haven’t had my farm long, so am only going on what I’ve read.
I'd love to know the actual nutrient content of your worm drippings. You can reach out to your local Department of Cooperative Extension and ask them where you could send it to get tested. BTW if you don't know, every public University (pretty sure) has one of those departments and part of their mission is to assist agricultural producers with knowledge and networking opportunities.
I have no idea how nutrient dense the worm products are that I have. I’d really like to get a microscope and learn more about the bacteria in the castings and tea. Elaine Ingham has an online course about that, but it costs $5,000! I don’t think I want to learn that bad, lol! That’s a good idea about reaching out to a local extension or university to have it analyzed. Thanks!
There's probably some celebrity who requests to be buried that way.
Probably not a well known celebrity, unless he had a nickname such as 'Tubs', or maybe like Little Richard who (I think) sang "Splish splash I was taking a bath"...
@@WestTexasGardenExperiment Well I suppose your worm-bin-bath is a good trial practice run, but by now you really should be looking to move up in the world and make one in a small swimmingpool built into the back of a limo.
Hi! Any updates on the bathtub ?
Hello, I really noticed a plant growing out of the tub. That gave me an idea to plant other stuff in there, so I planted a bunch of various fruits, veggies, and such. So far I’ve got several sprouts popping up. I think I’ve only had to add one more bag of donkey manure to give the worms more to eat. Their population has increased quite a lot, though I don’t know how to measure the increase. I harvest dark brown juice out of the bottom as I add water to the top, and use that around my trees. Other than that, I haven’t done anything different. Still haven’t harvested any castings from the tub since I have a steady supply from my smaller worm system.
Update pls sir!
Hi James, I’ve added another bag of manure into the tub, and I add worms on a weekly basis from my small worm bin. I also spray down the contents once every weekend and get about two gallons of brown liquid out the bottom. I just put that around my trees. As the population of worms grow, the manure should get processed a lot quicker. I also have a high quantity of roly-polys in the tub in amongst the leaves helping to break stuff down.
Does it freeze/die in cold\heat?
Not from what I’ve seen so far. We’ve had temps ranging from about 0 to 110 since I’ve had the tub.
@@WestTexasGardenExperiment hmm how does the moist tub not freeze solid during 0°F? Does the overhead roof help? Or does the weather not stay below freezing very long?
Perhaps the contents of the tub do freeze, but I have not seen it happen. I tried not to go outside much when it was that cold, haha.
@@WestTexasGardenExperiment but the worms survived...so that's good!