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Troubleshooting

Page history last edited by Sue Palmer 14 years, 8 months ago

 

If you've had problems with your worms or bins and have found the solutions, write them here to help others who may be experiencing similar difficuities.

 

1. My worm bin has a lot of white, fluffy mold growing in it.  Seems like too much. 
   Solution:  Not enough air is getting into/through the bin.  Find ways to let more air in.  You can get PVC pipe, drill some holes in the sides, and place it so that it extends from the bottom of the bin to the top, 
allowing more air into the soil.
 

The screen is a good idea on top. With a screen and enough carbon on the top layer the fruit flies should disappear instantly.
Roaches are part of the compost cycle. I see them all the time in my pile. I do know someone who was growing worms in his garage and lost them all to a "beetle infestation".
I don't think those were roaches but some kind of beetle. So keep an eye on them.
You can pile up the pile as long as it doesn't get hot, usually 1-2 ft.
Remember, you're balancing water, air, nitrogen and carbon. Those are the elements to adjust to get the balance you want. Moist is good. Wet is too much. Plenty of air is really good. You might need more air.
Great questions, thanks for asking
Cristal I was off island for a little over 2 months and had a friend feeding and watering my worms. When I returned, the worm row and bin were super flat (the friend hadn't added any carbon material while I was gone). I tried to dig deeper to see how everything was underneath and found a complete mass of avocado roots, which also were very dry. The avo roots completely took over the whole row/bin except the top 1/2 inch. I'm assuming the dryness may be due to the roots taking up all the moisture. So I'm not putting any more avo seeds in my worm bins. Sue (I don't know how to get this writing into the proper placing.)

Comments (3)

Wandalea said

at 10:06 am on Dec 9, 2008

Aloha Worm Lovers...My worm bin is an old plywood box, so for air we made many screen-covered 3" holes on all sides & stuck in a piece of foam tube to reach the center. I put a lid that doesn't completely cover it because it will get really wet from the rain. I haven't dug around yet to see what's happening--I'll let you know. Looks fine on top. Wandalea

Wandalea said

at 12:00 pm on Dec 9, 2008

Hi...Wandalea again. I dug deep into the worm bin & there were some maggots in the kitchen scraps, didn't smell bad tho. I gave some maggots to my chickens, opened up a big hole in the stuff, & left the lid off so it can dry out some. I did forget & leave the water hose mister on too long the other day, but thought it would be OK since there are drain holes in the bottom. So--I learned: in a box, check on moisture levels often!

Wandalea said

at 2:34 pm on Dec 21, 2008

Hi...Wandalea reporting. I added lots more dry paper down deep into the bin--after I had let it get way too wet. Today I searched all the way to the bottom & found a few good-sized beautiful Red Wigglers, so I know I didn't kill them off. No more maggots, just lots of pill bugs (sow bugs), ants & what could be ant eggs--little white ones, all kinds of assorted bugs & activity. So I'm assuming it's healthy. I haven't added water--enough comes in from the rain where the plywood lid has a couple inches on each side where it doesn't cover the bin. What's happening with your bins, everybody?

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