When your new worms arrive,and you put them into your bin, the hope is that they'll stay put and get to work straight away. But unless the worms are moving back into more or less exactly the same conditions they move from- their tendency will be to explore. So how do you avoid getting up in the morning and stepping on your new pets?
The first and most obvious precaution is a worm-proof container. Most commercially sold wormeries are fairly secure and escapees will be kept to a minimum. But even they will need ventilation holes and worms can squeeze through the smallest spaces. With home made containers you may decide to cover ventilation holes with some kind of breathable screen- fine insect screen mesh works, or a piece of nylon from tights. Be careful that any glue you use to keep the screen in place is not giving off any fumes when you add your worms.
A light kept on over your worm farm for the first few nights should stop them leaving home as worms are light sensitive and find light uncomfortable. Some worm growers leave lights on permanently as then they don't need lids on their containers and can farm their worms in shallow, undrained trays which will not run out of air.
You can also place a new worm farm in a large plastic bag loosely tied at the top. Then if the worms wander, take out the worm bin, give the bag a gentle shake, and they'll fall into the bottom of the bag.
A sheet of damp cardboard on the ground near the worm bin will attract worms and you may find them asleep under it the next day.
A layer of dry bedding without food in it - (eg shredded cardboard or paper, coir or sawdust) over the top of your working layer will discourage worms from moving up. In time this bedding will moisten, and be consumed as part of the composting, but can be easily be replaced.
Worms in the leachate collection tray
With tray wormeries, owners often find that worms move down into the drip tray or sump where the leachate collects. If there's no way for them to climb back up they can drown in the tray and if you've ever smelled drowned, rotting, worms, it's not something you'll forget in a hurry. The best way to prevent this is a layer of breathable synthetic fabric close just below the lowest working layer, and above the drainage tray. Or a supply of dry bedding in the sump layer will moisten and provide somewhere safe for the worms to hang out until you rescue them. If you choose this option- check the sump layer often, and make sure that you provide enough bedding so that it doesn't become too soaked in leachate and go anaerobic.
But the best precaution against wandering worms is to make sure you provide them with conditions that will make them want to stay:
Good, safe bedding of pH around 7 or slightly over.
Moisture
Air
Food
Darkness
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