Worm Farming Concerns
Worm farming is a great way to have a steady supply of compost available for your flowers or vegetable garden. And with a worm farm, you will always have a steady supply of bait to go fishing. Still you may have some concerns about starting your own worm farm. Let's take a look at some of them below.
Bad odor
A smelly worm farm is not normal. A healthy farm with healthy worms will not have an odor. If a worm farm does stink, it is probably due to overfeeding. When the worms are fed, the food and paper is placed on top of the soil so the worms can start breaking it down. If too much food is given and the worms cant eat it fast enough then the food will start to rot which will lead to a spread and build up of bacteria on the walls of the worm bin. This is where the smell comes from. To prevent a bad smell, don't feed worms until the previous meal has disappeared. Stir the soil occasionally to aerate it and to allow the worms more freedom of movement.
Pesky bugs
It is important to keep a tight lid on the worm bin to keep out pest some sometimes they make their way inside the bin. Vinegar flies are a particular nuisance. They don't harm the worms but are attracted to the worm bin if there is an abundance of food. Larger flies are attracted also because of overfeeding. Ants may invade the worm farm but if they do it is usually a sign that the soil is too dry. Eliminate the moisture level to drive away ants. You can also keep your worm farm up on a desk with legs and apply petroleum jelly to the legs so the ants can't climb up to reach the worm bin. You can also try sitting your worm bin on a desk and placing the desk into a tub of water to keep crawling pests away. Maggots might also be a problem if you feed your worms meat. The best thing to do is keep meat out of the diet and you won't have to worry about maggots. If you farm does become afflicted with maggots, you can lay a piece of bread soaked in milk on top of the soil. The maggots will head for the bread and then you can lift it out and remove the maggots.
Escaping worms
If the worms won't stay in their worm bin then they are not happy. Happy worms won't try to leave. You will need to re-examine your worm farm set up to find out what it is that is driving your worms towards a better home. It might be because the soil is not moist enough or maybe you are underfeeding your worms. You will need to fix the problem or you will not get the worms to stay. If your soil is dry, add more water. If your soil is too damp, drain out the excess water and replace the bedding. Make sure you are feeding your worms enough food and that the temperature is kept constant.
Hard to feed
Worms are not difficult to feed at all. In fact they will eat most anything. To keep them healthy, make sure you do not feed them anything that has come in contact with chemicals, pesticides or medications. Avoid meat and dairy products. Chop your food items into small pieces for them and soak paper products in water before putting them into the bin.
By properly maintaining your worm bin and feeding your worms correctly, you can avoid a whole lot of problems with your worm farm.
|
