How to CONTROL MITES in your WORM BIN
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- Опубліковано 18 тра 2021
- In this video I discuss how you can control mites in your worm bin. I talk about how I keep them under control with different types of organic methods, to remove them manually, or using different types of products to remove them. I discuss what worm bin mites are and how they can help your worm farm, and if you have to many how to remove them from your bin.
Here’s what I’m doing as a newbie to worm farms and mite problems.
I started by researching, and using methods found combined with “common sense”
Step one: remove as much infected bedding as possible - for me it was solely the bottom compartment as the top has a bunch of paper (going to move it to my regular compost so it’s still used, however specifically going into the giant pile of leaves that gets a lot of sun instead of the turn composter)
Step two: make sure all worms living in the affected area and are temporarily moved to a container capable of holding water
Step two: (Carefully!) fill the container with enough water to cover the worms
Step three: use a flat (ie not pointy or sharp) object that you know can pick up worms. Go for something a bit bigger than what you’d usually use when they’re just in the dirt (I upgraded from popsicle stick to plastic spoon for example) as the wormies will be anxious to get out of the water. Do not leave the worms in the water for more than a minute! Do not use soap!
The water makes the mites / mite eggs (they are so tiny that I can’t tell which are which) float and come off of your worms. When you pick up the worms, they will be mite free!
Step four: carefully remove the wormies from the water and put them back in their home (be sure to drain off any water you picked up if your used a spoon so you don’t end up putting it in the worm bin)
Step five: implement preventative measures
Regarding the water, worms can live in solely water for something along the lines of 15 minutes, so rinsing them for a few seconds will be fine - Do not rinse directly under running water, the wormies will slip away from you and fall into the sink. You do not want worms in your sink.
Thank you for helping this community. This is excellent advice!👍 I have pinned your comment to help others with this issue!
@@TheWormWhisperer I’m glad my advice was solid! Thank you for the video!
Thanks bro years later I promise you new people are hopping into this hobby and your video helps a lot to those who have started and just got this problem
It a great hobby and a useful one as well :) Thank you for watching and you kind words for the channel! :)
another good video. thank you for the info. much appreciated. have a blessed day.
Glad it was helpful!
Great video, thank you!!
Love the video. Just want to say that I heard an entomologist I believe on a podcast say you don't want to add DM to a worm bin because it can get in-between their segments and cause problems.
Thanks Man! I appreciate the positive review! Interesting I have never heard that before. It has never seemed to bother my worms but who knows. I will watch the worms a little closer next time I put some on. I don't want to be accidently hurting them without even knowing. Thank you for the inside info! 😀
I read their thick mucous layer protects them from being harmed. I use it sparingly and mine are also doing fine. I will keep an eye out on the days after I sprinkle a bit in. Thanks
Excellent advice!
Thank you! 😀 I spend two days trying to get that to compile in Premier Pro ugh lol. 😬
Agree with everything. Mite population will self regulate and don't worry about it unless you think it's too many and is affecting your worm population.
I've also noticed that mites are attracted to any type of grease but not worms. So even something like butter works well as bait. But it's important not to leave your baits longer than 24 hours or it becomes a source of reproduction and you'll actually be increasing mites. If you have a lot, I'd recommend less than 12 hours.
Thanks for sharing Brian. These are some great tips for getting them out of your bin. I have never heard of using butter before next time I run into a mite issue in the bins I will try this out. Thank you for helping out! 👌
Thank you for the ok information
Thanks!
To raise pH in worm bins use calcium carbonate or natural pulverized lime aka dolomite lime which will kill the mites. Crushed oyster shells are used for orchids and for feeding chicken, it also does raise the pH.
Thanks for this great info Paul I appreciate your thoughts on this subject!👍
Does dolomite harm worms?
@@aimanrahim7312 no its all over the earth's soil naturally
I would think the problem with adding lime is that your worm castings would then have the lime in it and when applied to your garden soil they would alter your garden's PH in a permanent way you might not want. No?
@@JWHealing you can just dilute the amount to a larger area or not use as much if worried but I dont think it would add up to much in a small bin..maybe some indoor situations but I woukdnt be putting mite infested worm castings into indoor plants, Im too chicken to try 😆
When I have mite problems I always add more carbon, or take lid off of bin. The latter makes mites dive into castings to stay hydrated. Also as food sources dwindle their numbers will be brought into a rough balance especially if bin doesn't have excess moisture.
Great advice for mite issues. This is a really good way to combat mites in your bin!👍
Thank-you for the Advice on Mites...... just had a discovery on this Topic Today. I wasnt sure about what to do........ I am brand new to the Worm arena. I just wanted to say thank you for the Help. I grind / bake my egg shells and am sprinkling them in my Bin and Fluffing the bedding. I Sometimes grind my banana peels which I also bake 'til Crispy.
My coffee grinder has come in Handy !
Hi Cynthia, no worries it's all about learning and getting started. That's half the battle and it only gets easier once you get going with your worm farm. It's one of the most rewarding farms you can have! If you need any help feel free to ask and thank you so much for checking out the video. I appreciate the support! :)
@@TheWormWhisperer Sorry, one Question- my gnats from the bin look like fruit flies? Are they fruit in origin ? What can I do to stop more from emanating- inhabiting the bin?
@@cynthiadalessandro4509 Hi Cynthia, no problem happy to help, normally fruit flies will come from eggs that have been laid on the fruit that has been added to the bin. Best thing to do is make sure you cover the fruit or other veg like lettuce in the bin really well with your worm bedding. This will keep the flies from getting at the food and feeding and will not stop the worms from getting their dinners! Hope this helps out! Thank you for your question!
1:43 just started my first bin. Found a buncha mites and LOST IT 🤣 panicked and threw away all the top cover newspaper 😩😩😩 I’m sooooo grossed out. Thanks for started the video out that way!
Hi happy the video could help you out!
Yeah I had heard that there are "bin helpers" that can appear but it still freaked me out to see them, so little and so many. It's an indoor bin and it seemed like an icky concept. I will work on adding more cardboard to dry out my bin somewhat and add more ground eggshells & oyster flour.
I like your video 👍 just startet wormbin myself.. I am from denmark and its cold at vinter .. so i keep them inside at vinter time
Thanks I appreciate the support! It's cold here in the winter east coast Canada. Been a cold Spring here so far.
Greetings from Windermere, Florida zone 9b and I've been keeping a Pot-O-Worms going since 2009.
If I see mites in the lid I just take the lid outside and wash it off. It really reduces the population.
Get tip thanks you for sharing this with the channel!
@@TheWormWhisperer My pleasure. Your channel is very informative 👍
Yes I find their eggs are all on the lid of the bin too. I wash the lid then it's all good. For a few days at least
@@gwi8373 Good to know GW.🪱
I'm gonna try these tips
Best if luck let us know who it goes!😁
Hi from Switzerland :) Isn't diatomaceous earth rendered ineffective when it gets wet (it works by drying out the insects)? Can't imagine it performing well in the moist wormbin environment for too long. I've read and seen people recommend neem cake to get rid of mites
I could be wrong but I believe it cuts into the exoskeleton of the pest. I think as long as there is a thin layer of it on top of the soil the bugs will not go though it. Thanks for the great question! Something to look into!👍
@@TheWormWhisperer Yes because of the DE's sharp edges they will cut into an insect's exoskeleton, but DE is ineffective /useless when it gets wet; i.e., no more sharp edges
I was panicking 🤣
Hi 👋 thanks for the video. I run carbon only bins and I’m seeing a lot of little white mites (or springtails?). I start my bins out with shredded paper, peat and crushed leaves. They do get coffee grounds, sanitized pulverized egg shells and pulverized biochar. I’m thinking about adding some organic kelp meal too...to boost my castings even more. I’m ok with them in the bins but how do I remove them from my castings??? Thanks in advance!
I have the same problem. After separating the castings I still have mites in the castings. I’ve been luring out with melon peels but that doesn’t get them all. Just afraid of using them in house plants and getting them in the plants.
They are fine, they are also helping to compost your food for the worms. I wouldn't worry about them.
The small white insects you're seeing are springtails. They are beneficial due to them out-competing other pests such as fungus gnats. In fact ,a good springtail culture costs a bit of money. Adding them to your potted plants is highly desirable.
@@nholms its so hard to know whats beneficial and what is not!
Got myself millions of grain mites in my superworm bin sadly. Maybe from the oat or bran I used as bedding. They are going outside now and walking on the table and such. How is best to fight them? They are so small!
Hi Oren thanks for turning into the channel! Check out diatomaceous earth for taking care of too many mites.
@@TheWormWhisperer thanks for the reply. It won’t hurt the superworms? Also, do I put it in the substrate and mix? Pour on the top only ?
@@orenrez655 I would just add it to the top of the bin to start see if this will cut down there numbers.
@@TheWormWhisperer thanks. What’s your thought about pea flour? It looks cheap and very easy to find around here in organic stores. Will it harm superworms on the way?
@@orenrez655 I have never used pea flour so I am not sure if that would work or not.
I have a grain mite problem.. a big problem...will they eat my beetle eggs? And also cricket eggs??
Hey thanks for watching! Sorry I don't have those only worms so I am not much help in that department.
@TheWormWhisperer thank you for the reply I super appreciate it !!
I have red mites that is attacking my small worms.. The worms react by trying to shake them off but is unable to do so.. I have my bins under strong lights when I work in them so I can examine exactly what Is going on.. The mites prey on the worms and eggs and is very predatious towards the worms
The mite population isn't to big yet so I think it's fine for now but red mites will attack your worms and suck the juice out of them especially the small worms and I just hope they don't manage to kill them
Typically they don't harm the worms but if you want them gone it can be hard.
Why do the mites look like they are attacking the worms?
I imagine because, they are crawling all over them! But they will not hurt the worms, I get them every summer and it's fine.
my mites are tiny red and fast. They never stop running around. I'm hoping they're predatory and killing tiny pests
Thanks for watching, most will just eat the food that is placed in the worm bin.
@@TheWormWhisperer The dematiaceous earth eliminated most of them pretty quick. Thanks for sharing!
How do I get rid of fire ants in my worm bin?
Is it outside? If they're in there they should hurt anything, if they are a big problem you could try baiting them before they get into the bin. That might at least cut down the amount of them getting in there.
I have so many mites 😭 In my worm bin . I'm new to vermicomposting
I wouldn't panic too much any mites in the bin can be taken care of and won't harm your worm farm. I found just keeping the bin as dry as you can helps a ton.
How do you keep fire ants out of your worm bin? I live in Central Florida. Started a worm factory 360 and on day two I discovered a trail of fire ants to the bin on my screen room. The ants were killing and eating the worms. It was like a horror movie.
If your bin is outdoors try putting some diatomaceous earth around the outside of the bin. Normally they will not try to get over it and keep them out of your bin good luck!
Hi Mites kill my worms right?
No they will not hurt your worms.
To piggyback off this, do they eat or harm the eggs?
Why do you believe it's important to get food grade diatomaceous earth? I have a bucket of gardening grade on hand. From what I understand, the food grade is only if you want to ingest it or for your pets as vermifuges but for gardening the gardening grade kills pests on contact anyway? The food grade is so much more expensive.
Hi thanks for watching! I like to treate my little worm friends like my pets!
So why would anyone want to get rid of mites? They don't do anything bad
Hey thanks for watching Jayden! Some people don't like them in the bin I guess. If the bin is going well there usually not many of them anyway or any at all. I haven't had any all winter so far. Just more helpers as I can see. 😉
D.E Doesn't work when it's wet
Hey General thanks for watching and the tips!
480p..?
Ya I had a heck of a time getting this one to compress without errors in Adobe. Ugh.
Your worm bin gives me anxiety with all those banana peels and grapes exposed to air 😰
Hi Dana well thanks for watching anyway! Have a great day!😉
So you don't want these in your castings, right? Because they'll eat your garden...
Hey, thank you for the question. The type of mites you get in your garden are different then the types you will get in a worm bin. This is because the types you get in your worm bin are the types that live on death and decaying matter in the bin. The types you get on your plant live on living material like leaves and roots. A small amount of mites in your worm bin isn't a big deal and will help to break down organic matter in there as well as the worms!