Worm Farming: Protecting Your Worms
You work hard at keeping your worms healthy and happy. The last thing you want is for predators to get at your worms and eat up the fruits of your labor. You have to keep your worms safe from predators and other dangers as well.
Medication
For example, you need to keep medications away from your worms. Keep that in mind if you add manure to your worm food. Manure from livestock might have traces of medication which could harm your worms.
Children
Children will be drawn to your worm farm and would love to play with the worms but they can be hazardous to the health of your worms. Don't let children have access to your worms without being supervised.
Improper drainage
You need to let excess water drain from your worm bins. Either install a spout in the bottom or drill holes n the bottom to allow water to drain out.
Chemicals
Make sure you do not use contaminated water. Soak your cardboard pieces in clean water from your tap and not water that might be contaminated with pesticides. Do not add grass clippings that might be treated with chemicals.
Predators
Predators will be your fiercest competition when it comes to the safety of your worms. Hedgehogs, foxes, moles, snakes, toads, slugs, birds, leeches, beetles and parasites all love to eat worms. Make sure you keep your worm farm covered with screening with a mesh that is small enough that worms can get out and predators can't get in. Parasites, cluster flies and mites can also be dangerous predators which is another reason you may want to avoid using manure and meat as food sources for your worms. Maggot infestations can eat up the food you intend for the worms to eat. If the worms don't get enough food they will try to escape or become unhealthy. So even if a predator doesn't eat the worm, if it eats the worm's food then your worms will suffer.
Also be prepared to crafty predators such as raccoons since they are notorious for figuring out how to get inside containers! To keep birds disinterested in your worm container, set up bird feeders in another area of your yard.
Thieves
If it is well known you have a worm farm you may have to worry about thieves of the human kind that come and help themselves to some live bait.
To protect your worms from many of the above dangers you may want to place your worm bin inside of a shed that has a concrete floor and which can be locked. You can provide further protection if you can somehow place your worm bin on a pedestal which you can sit in a tub of water.
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