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Worm Facts!!
- Worms don't have lungs and they actually breathe through their skin. Oxygen diffuses through the worm's skin and into its circulatory system.
- Red worms, like the European Nightcrawler and Red Wiggler, have five hearts! These regulate blood flow, which carries oxygen and nutrients throughout their body.
- European Nightcrawlers live between 2 to 3 years on average. Red Wigglers live between 1 to 5 years on average.
- There are over 7,000 species of earthworms, but of those 7,000 only 150 are widely distributed around the world.
- Worms don't have eyes, but they are still photophobic, meaning they're afraid of light. They can sense light through their skin, which lets the worm know if they're getting too close to the light source.
- The largest species of earthworm is the Giant Gippsland earthworm (Megascolides australis). Native to Victoria, Australia, it averages up to 3.3 feet in length, but can reach up to 9.8 feet long.
- Earthworms possess both male and female reproductive organs, but they still require a mate to successfully procreate.
- The bandage-like band you see on a worm is called a "clitellum" and is located near the head of the worm. This is what holds the fertilized worm eggs, which will eventually hatch from a deposited cocoon.
- Worms can eat up to half their body weight every day. So one pound of worms can eat half a pound of food every day, in a well established and healthy bin.
- The largest earth worm ever discovered was an African Giant Earthworm (Microchaetus rappi) measuring 21 feet long, found in South Africa in 1967.
Worm Care Basics
Moisture Levels
Bins that are too wet, or too dry, will make it hard for your worms to breathe. Bedding material should feel about as damp as a rung out sponge.
Bedding Material
Some common bedding materials often utilized by vermiculturalists are shredded cardboard, shredded newspaper (no colored dyes), peat moss, and aged horse manure. Ideal carbon (bedding) to nitrogren (food) ratios for bins can range between 30-50:1.
Temperature
European Nightcrawlers (Eisenia hortensis) and Red Wigglers (Eisenia fetida) can survive in a large range of temperatures. They compost and reproduce best between roughly 60°F and 77°F.
Food
Worms love all sorts of fruits and veggies. Steer clear of citrus, and anything with high acidity levels. Also no meat, dairy, or fatty food. Coffee grounds and crushed eggshells are great menu additions because they help the worms digest other food. An appropriate feeding size should be mostly eaten in 2 to 3 days.