Which Will Attract More Red Wiggler Compost Worms? + Mite Time Lapse | Vemicompost Worm Farm

Dry Oats vs Food Scraps Worm Bin Experiment Day 1. Four years past their expiration date these oats were blended in my magic bullet blender & put to one side while food scraps were put on the other to see which will attract more compost worms to feed while making natural fertilizer & soil amendments in the form of worm castings for my garden!!
In this video I also revisit the last feeding including half of a banana which attracted a bunch of mites...I filmed a time lapse capturing their movements in vivid detail! And of course the burlap sack is still here looking just as intact as last feeding. This bin is past the 50/50 castings to bedding mark and is getting pretty full so I will probably use less or no bedding from here on out so they can concentrate on the bedding that is left as it transitions to mostly castings.
Epigeic worms or composting worms are fascinating natural composters & fertilizers that are in most homesteaders bag of tricks to make free organic fertilizer & soil amendments as well as fishing bait. If you've ever thought about vermicomposting or composting with worms to make organic fertilizer & natural soil amendments with your plant based kitchen scraps or food waste, this is the channel for you. I have 3 worm composing bins which you can watch from start to finished worm castings on the 3 playlists following each worm bin. If you haven't started yet, get started now and vermicompost with me!🪱🪱🪱 Visit my Channel at / vermicompostlearnbydoing
Happy Vermicomposting Everyone!!!🪱🪱🪱
Below are some of the items I use for vermicomposting & my channel's videos. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you if you use these links. Thank you for supporting this channel!
Worm Bins I use:
Vermihut 5-Tray Worm Compost Bin amzn.to/3Xs1eGe
Urban Worm Bag V2 amzn.to/3XE9QsT
20 Gallon Fabric Grow Pots amzn.to/3EBYhdr
3 gallon Rubbermaid Roughneck tote amzn.to/3eKDLhO
Other Worm Bins:
Worm Factory 360 3-Tray Version amzn.to/3AHnjqK
Worm Factory 360 5-Tray Version amzn.to/3tYfWY4
Bus bins amzn.to/3fd8AvP
Equipment I use:
12 Sheet Cross Cut Micro Shredder (I use it to shred cardboard) amzn.to/3xYZKYu
Magic Bullet Small Blender (to pulverize egg shells) amzn.to/3gwEzb4
Indoor Outdoor Wireless Thermometer for worm bin amzn.to/3wIdXbO
Additional thermometer sensors 433 MHz amzn.to/41juD7v Please make sure Thermometer & sensor are the same MHz
Additional thermometer sensors 915MHz amzn.to/3WTFgua Please make sure Thermometer & sensor are the same MHz
Kitchen scale to weigh worms & food: amzn.to/3HnOQjg
Blue gloves amzn.to/3XsBg5n
Spray bottles to mist bedding amzn.to/3Fq23rN
Digital handheld Thermometer amzn.to/3EWfC2j
Compost Tea Bags amzn.to/3fCb5o1
Solar powered light amzn.to/3nOucAq
Reusable Keurig Coffee K-cups amzn.to/3FNXvt6
Other useful equipment for worm farming:
5 stackable sifter with different sized mesh: amzn.to/3S2k184
Cameras & camera equipment I use:
GoPro HERO11 amzn.to/3jkRpLa
Flexible Tripod amzn.to/3CGTjcF
Insta360 GO 2 camera amzn.to/3oxCc80
Insta360 One X2 camera amzn.to/3nqV6hp
iPhone 13 Max Pro amzn.to/3nq52aU
Canon EOS Rebel T8i amzn.to/3HcBuX6
4 Ocean bracelets I wear
Multiple colors to chose from bracelets amzn.to/3HMbHEx
Books on worms & worm farming
Worms Eat My Garbage amzn.to/3L4FXN2
Where to buy worms: www.TheGardenAndWormLady.com
#Vermicompost #wormfarm #tinywormbin #redwigglers #selfsufficiency #homesteading #vermiculture #wormcastings #baitworms
00:00 | Intro What to look for
01:04 | Banana + mite time lapse x2
02:24 | Conditions of bedding & castings
03:23 | Burlap sack revisited
04:41 | Experiment setup
05:28 | Expired oats added
06:40 | Food scraps added
07:42 | Wrap up & discussion

[@Vermicompost]

Below are some of the items I use for vermicomposting & my channel's videos. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you if you use these links. Thank you for supporting this channel! Worm Bins I use: Vermihut 5-Tray Worm Compost Bin amzn.to/3Xs1eGe Urban Worm Bag V2 amzn.to/3XE9QsT 20 Gallon Fabric Grow Pots amzn.to/3EBYhdr 3 gallon Rubbermaid Roughneck tote amzn.to/3eKDLhO Other Worm Bins: Worm Factory 360 3-Tray Version amzn.to/3AHnjqK Worm Factory 360 5-Tray Version amzn.to/3tYfWY4 Bus bins amzn.to/3fd8AvP Equipment I use: 12 Sheet Cross Cut Micro Shredder (I use it to shred cardboard) amzn.to/3xYZKYu Magic Bullet Small Blender (to pulverize egg shells) amzn.to/3gwEzb4 Indoor Outdoor Wireless Thermometer for worm bin amzn.to/3wIdXbO Additional thermometer sensors 433 MHz amzn.to/41juD7v Please make sure Thermometer & sensor are the same MHz Additional thermometer sensors 915MHz amzn.to/3WTFgua Please make sure Thermometer & sensor are the same MHz Kitchen scale to weigh worms & food: amzn.to/3HnOQjg Blue gloves amzn.to/3XsBg5n Spray bottles to mist bedding amzn.to/3Fq23rN Digital handheld Thermometer amzn.to/3EWfC2j Compost Tea Bags amzn.to/3fCb5o1 Solar powered light amzn.to/3nOucAq Reusable Keurig Coffee K-cups amzn.to/3FNXvt6 Other useful equipment for worm farming: 5 stackable sifter with different sized mesh: amzn.to/3S2k184 Cameras & camera equipment I use: GoPro HERO11 amzn.to/3jkRpLa Flexible Tripod amzn.to/3CGTjcF Insta360 GO 2 camera amzn.to/3oxCc80 Insta360 One X2 camera amzn.to/3nqV6hp iPhone 13 Max Pro amzn.to/3nq52aU Canon EOS Rebel T8i amzn.to/3HcBuX6 4 Ocean bracelets I wear Multiple colors to chose from bracelets amzn.to/3HMbHEx Books on worms & worm farming Worms Eat My Garbage amzn.to/3L4FXN2 Where to buy worms: www.TheGardenAndWormLady.com

[@peggyhelblingsgardenwhatyo7920]

I've given the worms oats and they seem to take it in quickly. And you are correct in spreading it on thinly. It clumped when I did it as a narrow furrow. Great job, Patrick 🪱🪱🪱

[@Vermicompost]

That’s great to hear! Yes, lesson learned on the clumping!! Did you notice the worms getting chunkier? I here a lot of talk about worm chow made of oats getting them fatter??!? Thanks so much for all your support Peggy!!🪱🪱🪱

[@gardeningmadeeasywiththeol3945]

Fascinating video as usual, and the time lapse photography is incredible. Love your videos!

[@Vermicompost]

Thank you!! Those mites looked like they were floating when sped up x4!! I really appreciate you stopping by!!Thanks for watching!!🪱🪱🪱

[@gardeningmadeeasywiththeol3945]

@@Vermicompost Good Luck!

[@AJsGreenTopics]

The bin looks great. 😎

[@Vermicompost]

Thanks AJ! It is a little hard to film & work in because it is so tiny...I need some of your size bins!!🪱🪱🪱

[@BudsBackyard]

Awesome worms, love the time lapse

[@Vermicompost]

Thanks so much bud! Those time lapses really give some perspective on how much the mites move!! It’s creepy😂 I really appreciate you stopping by to watch & comment!!🪱🪱🪱

[@BudsBackyard]

I could watch time lapse for hours just so interesting 🤔 have a great Monday 👍

[@deewormsvermicomposting]

Those mites on the banana peel look like their floating during the time lapses! Oh my 4 years to long!! I would be happy if the oats in my pantry lasted longer than a week! As always the tiny bin is great to watch!

[@Vermicompost]

It's so good to hear from you!!! Thank you! Mites are so mesmerizing on time lapse!! The sad thing is the package of oats wasn't even opened!! I felt pretty bad when I found them...what a waste, but at least they will eventually fertilize my garden through worm castings!!

[@deewormsvermicomposting]

@@Vermicompost It's still going to a good place so not totally a waste :)

[@flowerfolkfarm3553]

Hellooo my friend! Ohhhh they loved those strawberries 🍓 gosh it was all completely gone 🙌🏼 yikes those mites 😬 they were everywhere on that banana!!! They don’t bother the worms?? This is gonna be another great experiment with the 4 year old Oates 😂🙌🏼 take care and hope you have a brilliant day!! 🪱🪱🍓🍓🌮🌮

[@Vermicompost]

Thank you!! The mites help the worms break down the food and are just another bin critter helper, but I have noticed when they swarm a food, the worms tend to go somewhere else if there is other food to eat. Typically a newish worm bin will cycle through a high mite population but this isn't too bad and pretty isolated to just the banana...but it does look frightening in fast motion😂 The worms really do like their strawberries and whatever good treats I put in that little burlap sack! Thank you so much for your wonderful comments and for taking the time to watch!!🪱🪱🪱

[@davejefferynf]

Looking good.

[@Vermicompost]

Thank you!!🪱🪱🪱 I appreciate you stopping by to watch!!

[@clivesconundrumgarden]

Really interesting. Crazy how they got into the burlap sack ate everything and left. Super cool experience. Eventually I hope I'll be watching your harvesting worm castings vids ;) Cheers Jason and Colleen 🌱🪱🌱

[@Vermicompost]

That little burlap sack has me fascinated!! They seem to like to drop cocoons in there as well as have their private dining area!! I’m debating whether to sift and count every worm again when I harvest or do a migration to one side and pull them out in mass!! Thank you so much for taking the time to watch & leave such a nice comment!!🪱🪱🪱

[@clivesconundrumgarden]

@Vermicompost Learn by Doing wow very cool. I see a worm cam in your future lol 📹🪱🎬🤣

[@Vermicompost]

@@clivesconundrumgarden 😂😀🪱

[@WDWormsnGarden]

Can't wait to see which one they prefer. I've found that even when spread thin it still can clump but at least it's much easier for them to consume than when it's bulky.

[@Vermicompost]

That's good to know! I have a lot of oats so I'll try to go as thinly as possible while still getting some in there! I am really interested in these results...I'll probably check it at the three day mark to see how it's doing. Thanks so much for watching!!!🪱🪱🪱

[@WDWormsnGarden]

@@Vermicompost you are welcome.

[@A-V]

You've got the right perspective on the mite activity in your system. About a year ago I found myself completely obsessed by the mites in my systems - leading me down numerous fruitless tries at combatting them. I have a feeling that the oats are going to be very popular (not to say that the traditional style feeding will be ignored).... 👍🏻 Good idea to layer/feather the oats into the bedding. They're gonna love it

[@Vermicompost]

I remember you trying all kinds of different thing. I learned a lot from it because I think you experimented with everything I had ever heard of to combat mites!! I'm kinda in your chestnut situation with my oats...I found a whole unopened container that expired in 2017 : D So it's oats for everyone for a while! I learned my clumping lesson from dumping the ground up taco into one pile, I figured it applied to the oats as well!! It should be interesting!! Thanks for taking the time to watch!!🪱🪱🪱

[@A-V]

I found some old oats in the cupboard too recently... and I placed it amongst the various things I started collecting for the day when I finally get around to trying the creation of some worm chow. The ground-up oats you used is a staple of nearly every chow recipe that I have seen. Some day I'll get around to trying the chow feeding too (for now I'm desperate to use up coffee & stuff accumulating in my freezer).... :)

[@Vermicompost]

@@A-V I know the feeling!! My coffee piles up quickly & my food scraps are starting to flow out of their designated spot in my freezer!! The idea of worm chow is fascinating to me but only if I can make it out of expired food stuff ...which means I'm wasting food...which means I may need to raid my family's pantries for expired dry food, because I know we all think we are gonna bake more than we do : D

[@oddsquadred]

why those mites usually eat fungal gnats if i have alot of mites i usually dont have the flies id rather them as decomposers and think they also add chilatin to the castings might of spelt ti wrong

[@CultivationCulture]

Nice 👍 #education #educational #composting #compost #banana #peel 🎉

[@Vermicompost]

Thank you!! I appreciate your support!🪱🪱🪱

[@joesoutdoorplaces]

I use both cornmeal and oats in my bins, especially when I’m low on scraps.

[@Vermicompost]

Do you find that it fattens them up when you use the dry food? I’ve heard some folks say they notice a difference. I can’t believe I found that big container of 4 year old expired oats in the back of the pantry…It’s gonna be oats for weeks for my worms!! Thank you so much for watching & leaving a comment!!🪱🪱🪱

[@joesoutdoorplaces]

@@Vermicompost I really haven’t noticed if it fattens them up. I’ll have to start paying attention.

[@elliesherrin3565]

Looking forward to seeing what happens. I had some oats left at the end of the container and thought I’d try giving to the worms but didn’t grind them. Also in another bigger bin I have a burlap sack which I place on the top (bin also has a plastic lid. The sack hold the moisture and seems to always have lots of small worms inside it and on the outside. Each week I try to remove them into the castings and cardboard.

[@Vermicompost]

That's interesting! I wonder if the burlap helps them shed cocoons, I see several cocoon in this tiny sack and they seem to love being around it! How did the worms do with the non blended oats? I was thinking of doing another experiment blended vs non blended. Thanks so much for watching and for your comment!! I love to hear about other peoples worm bin experiences!!🪱🪱🪱

[@thehoodstead1919]

How can you tell the difference between castings and soggy cardboard or pulp? I love your videos. They’re so mesmerizing.

[@Vermicompost]

Thank you! Close up you can tell and the castings pull away from each other. As this bin gets a little further along I’ll feed less and stop adding bedding and it will be almost granular. I really appreciate your kind words!! Thanks so much for watching!!🪱🪱🪱

[@chuffedleupagus]

I would have been excited to find old oats like that to feed to the worms bc I’m crazy like that. I think it helps to moisten the oats. I’ve seen other ppl on KZbin do that with worm chow.

[@Vermicompost]

😂I've gotta admit, I was pretty excited even though I was disappointed in myself for wasting food!! Good point, I might have to try another experiment with moistening the oats down!! Thanks so much for taking the time to watch!!!🪱🪱🪱

[@GardeningwithBarchuckin]

I like that you layered the blended oats. Very good tip. Think the avocado 🥑 should have a bunch of worms and the oats should be demolished 😂😁

[@Vermicompost]

Thanks!! I think that avocado shell might become a little house on the prairie for them, but may last into the next iteration of this bin!! I think I may need to check the oats for a worm ball soon!! Thanks for stopping by to watch & comment!!🪱🪱🪱

[@GardeningwithBarchuckin]

@@Vermicompost someone else I watch would throw avocado shells in an pick them out after a while. Once all the flesh was gone and then crush them and add them back to the bin.

[@Vermicompost]

@@GardeningwithBarchuckin That’s a great idea!!

[@NanasWorms]

If the oats don’t heat up, my bet is they will be the faster and more popular item on this week’s menu!

[@Vermicompost]

I’ll have to take the temperature to check that out! This is my first time feeding this bin dry food so I’m pretty excited to see the results!! I’ve got your bet in for oats!! (That’s my bet too based on what I saw with the taco experiment in my vermihut worm tower) Thanks so much for stopping by to watch!!🪱🪱🪱

[@timmcilraith8762]

I spray the dry food/chow/shredded paper & cardboard with the boiled water left after steaming vegetables. Something is going to like that, surely. Your take on that, please.

[@Vermicompost]

As long as it has cooled down and there is not too much salt in there I think that is a wonderful place to dispose of your boiled water. Any leached out nutrients will be going into your bin and eventually to your garden! It's like a vegetable tea for your worm bin!! Full disclosure, I have never tried this but I may give it a try now that you mention it!! Thanks so much for watching!!🪱🪱🪱

[@wernerbritz7174]

Awesome ive heard oats makes the worms super fat. I checked in on Sunday in my composted chicken manure. I found a lot of worms on the side but not inside they did consume about 25% of it. In my bins where i mixed the chicken manure with the wet food they consumed all of it. It is still early dayd but i noticed some really bulky worms. I can not wait for 21 days to see if it made a real difference on the size of the worms.

[@Vermicompost]

That's great news!! It sounds like they liked the composted chicken manure mixed in! I wonder if you had the same situation as my pulverized taco where they definitely liked it and formed a worm ball underneath it, but it got too clumpy and dry in the center for them to get to anything but the edges? Thanks for the update!! I really am curious to see the final results!!🪱🪱🪱

[@obrscenes]

Why do you put paper on the top? do the worms eat that as well? hehe, so ignorant here haha. I'm very curious what will happen to that avocado peel, if they will also eat it.

[@Vermicompost]

The avocado peel will take a long while to be fully consumed. I usually save them for my much bigger outdoor bin. The paper on the top is not really needed, I just use it to keep the light through the top holes off the surface, to indicate if the lid is dripping moisture down and to see if the worms eat it (as an indicator that they may need more bedding). You have such great questions, I’m sure other people have as well, thank you for asking!!🪱🪱🪱

[@blacksmith779]

It`s a good idea to mix your powdered eggshell with your oats but use it as a surface feed over the whole bin. Having buried it in the bedding in layers will, I think, make it harder to see results. Either way, in no time at all you should have worms which look like they`re on steroids.

[@Vermicompost]

That's great news!! I have a lot of oats to go through so I guess I should have beefy worms when I'm done!! I'll probably check on them at the three day point but the only indicator I might have is the size of any worm balls under the two feeding zones. I'm gonna give surface feeding of the oats a try as well. I've heard a few people say to do that! Thanks so much for taking the time to watch and comment!!🪱🪱🪱

[@CharliePFoogo]

My guess is that the oats are already gone. :) Thanks for posting.

[@Vermicompost]

You might be right, I better get in there quick to check!! I'm guessing the incredible surface area of the powdered oats makes it infinitely easier for them to consume? Lots of people swear by worm chow made in some part with oats. Thanks so much for watching, I appreciate your support!!🪱🪱🪱

[@dorajii-channel]

Hello. It's a very nice video. It will be helpful. I am maintaining my registration. See you again. thank you.

[@Vermicompost]

Thank you!! I really appreciate you taking the time to watch!! Thank you for the nice comments!!🪱🪱🪱

[@karensabolcik2511]

Will the mites get out of the worm bin or aren’t interested? I have started my worm farm today and it’s in a Guinea pig room so hence my concern

[@Vermicompost]

Great question!! The mites that are found in a worm bin are only interested in eating decaying plant mater so they are totally different than the kind of mites that might be found on animals. They thrive in very moist conditions so they wouldn't make it very long out side of the high humidity of a worm bin. Not to worry!! Congrats on starting your worm bin!! I'm so excited for you!!🪱🪱🪱

[@IowaKeith]

I have an infestation of mites in my bin as well. What happens when we harvest the castings? I'd rather not infest my houseplants with mites.

[@Vermicompost]

Fortunately these type of mites only eat dead or decaying material so they will not harm your house plants. If you use the castings, you might see the mites for a few days or weeks as they look for dead or decaying material but they will eventually die off. You can also dry off the castings or set the castings aside and bait them out by putting a piece of banana peel or wet bread on top. Just check back every 4-5 hours and throw the piece away and put another one in its place until the mites are mostly gone. I hope this helps! Thanks so much for watching!!🪱🪱🪱

[@lorikibelkstis1047]

Here I am a newbie one year later watching all your videos to learn stuff. Just wondering if there is an update to this video cos I can't find it

[@Vermicompost]

Thank you so much for watching my videos!! Here is the follow up video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/lZPYdIuabN5jntE Thanks for asking for it! I realized the follow up wasn't one of the suggested videos at the end of the video so I added it to the end screen so folks can see the update. So great to hear you are worm farming!!🪱🪱🪱

[@matthewlittler8387]

Whole wheat oats?

[@Vermicompost]

😂🤣😂I was waiting for someone to catch that!!! Whole grain is what I meant to say. Thanks for watching and keeping me straight!!🪱🪱🪱

[@dandavatsdasa8345]

My red wigglers keep escaping out of the bottom and so I think the holes in the bin were too big. You did not puree the leftover veggies like you did with the oatmeal. Thank you for sharing helpful videos!

[@Vermicompost]

Thank you!! That is one of the issues with any bin with holes on the bottom, moisture accumulates towards the bottom and worms love moisture so they travel too far sometimes chasing the moisture! You are right! I gave the oats an unfair head start!! I actually ran into issues with clumping when I piled up the pulverized oats and I have had issues in the past with clumping with pureed food...sometimes the worms have trouble getting to the center of the goo😀Thanks you so much for stopping by to watch!! I appreciate you taking time to comment as well!!🪱🪱🪱

[@dandavatsdasa8345]

@@Vermicompost I think that I read somewhere that the worms eat the rot. This seems to mean that the food has to start rotting before the worms can start eating it. In relation to this the mealworms apparently convert old oats to a complete protein with vitamin B12.

[@Vermicompost]

@@dandavatsdasa8345 Mealworms are pretty amazing!! Lots of animals eat them because they are so nutritious!! Worms get a lot of their nutrition from the microbes they eat in the food so they do prefer dead & decaying food scraps but they will eat a ripe watermelon or pumpkin right away!! The softer the food the better for sure!! I read somethings online saying worms don't eat food but rather the microbes. I think they may be using a different definition of "eat" than me😀They definitely ingest or "eat" FOOD through their mouths but they get most of their nutrition from the bacteria, protozoa, molds and other microbes in that food. I guess you could say they have great gut health!!

[@monosek1157]

Can you feed the worms cereal like rice crispies etc

[@Vermicompost]

Yes you can!! They will devour it, especially if you put it in a blender and grind it up! I try to sprinkle it lightly over a broad area so it doesn't clump up. After 3-4 days it will most likely be gone!!! Thanks so much for stopping by to watch & ask a great question!!🪱🪱🪱

[@son_60han]

Do you have any video about your garden ?

[@Vermicompost]

I don't have any videos specifically about my garden but I do have some little video clips or pictures of my garden in some videos. I will put more garden focused videos our in the future! Here is one on seed starting mixes: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oITFlZttmsR3ZpY Thanks so much for watching!!🪱🪱🪱

[@sgransar]

Are mites bad to have?

[@Vermicompost]

Almost all worm bin mites are actually helpful for a worm bin!! They help to shred up the food and bedding & they eat dead worms & other refuse. The issue becomes when their numbers suddenly increase. This usually means a worm bin has become more acidic, (usually due to overfeeding) as the mites like slightly more acidic parameters than worms. I hope this helps!! Thanks so much for watching!!🪱🪱🪱

[@sansarsingh2716]

What is white powder and starting white burid material pl

[@Vermicompost]

I use pulverized egg shell as grit for the worms to use in their gizzards. It also helps to get some nutrients into my soil. And I use ground up oats, flour, and other expired dry pantry items to make a worm chow for them to eat. I hope this helps! Thanks so much for watching and asking a great question!!🪱🪱🪱

[@wernerpanchenko6542]

Can you food them apples

[@Vermicompost]

Absolutely! I feed them all my apple cores. Sometimes they take a little longer than other foods if you feed them lettuce or other fast foods at the same time. But apples are a great compost worm food! Thanks so much for watching!!🪱🪱🪱

[@bretthogan5805]

Whats the point of wearing 1 glove tho

[@Vermicompost]

Believe it or not there is a method to my madness! I just use a glove on my right hand because that’s the hand that typically digs into the bin & my dirty finger nails don’t look very good on camera to me. I usually only hold things or pick up things with my left hand so no need for a glove as the finger nails stay clean on that hand. I also figured I'd save more gloves that way! I have no issues getting my bare hands into the worm bin when I'm not filming, it is just for aesthetics on videos!! I know it looks odd to wear just one when my left hand gets dirty anyway! Either way I wash my hands after "playing" with the worms!! Thanks so much for asking a question I'm sure lots of other folks have & of course thanks so much for watching!!🪱🪱🪱

[@leahpitman2731]

Whole Wheat oats???? LOL…

[@Vermicompost]

😂🤣😂Ya, it’s hard for me to think, talk, chew gum & play in the worm bin at the same time!! I made a new plant a cross between wheat and oats…I call it whoats! Thanks for stopping by to watch!!🪱🪱🪱

[@marlenen6130]

That excess moisture was created from the heat generated from the food. If you look at the worms near the mites, the worms behavior is a bit jerky and unusual, and the more I notice large surges of mite behavior in my bins, the more I also note the worms behavior. I have a loose theory that when mite activity increases significantly in an area and there is likely heat that was generated (from the food? Bedding? Mite activity?) the worms 1. most vacate the area and 2. The worms around the area have spastic behavior. I wonder if the mites bite them or sting them? Do they emit a possible substance that can paralyze the worms so they eat them when over taken? It does raise lots of questions to me, especially when I see the worm behavior appear so unlike their regular behavior. I just had to rinse off a bunch of cardboard that was absolutely teeming with millions of mites (from my vermibag lil’ mammoth) and there were very few worms compared to other areas of the bin, with many worms still being young worms. I cleaned everything off in warm water in a bucket, having to constantly pour off the mites that rise in the water. The larger worms and heavier pieces of grit drop to the bottom, so I was able to save them. Very curious what causes this situation.

[@Vermicompost]

No doubt there is a lot of excess moisture in the food I've been giving them! I had the video of the mites sped up 4x regular speed so the worms did look very spastic, but both the mites behavior and worms behavior was definitely affected by the bright lights & me handling the banana. It's too bad I didn't get in their sooner because I bet the worms got in their first, took what they wanted, and moved on. From what I have observed in the past, especially with watermelon, the mites and worms coexist pretty well at first until the mites swarm, but by then most of the food is gone unless I have overfed. Either way I'm not too worried about the mites affecting the worms right now unless I see greater numbers throughout the bin. Right now I see them just on the fruit food scraps. Let me know if anything you do changes what you see as far as worms vacating an area with high mite population, right now switching to leafy vegetables is the only thing I have seen that decreases their population other than letting the normal increased mites cycle run it's course over time. Thanks so much for passing on your observations from your bin!! Mites are a very curious topic for all of us I think!!🪱🪱🪱

[@marlenen6130]

@@Vermicompost Do you notice mites will swarm bread? I tossed a mite covered piece of bread the other day, it was buried a bit, but the mites definitely had taken it over. I don’t see mites swarming the dry worm chow when I sprinkle it on top though. Curious.

[@Vermicompost]

@@marlenen6130 I have dampened a little piece of bread, put it right on the surface and within 2 hours the mites will swarm on it and underneath it. Then I just toss the bread and grab some of the mites from underneath it. You can repeat this every hour and knock a good portion of your mites out if you want.

[@marlenen6130]

@@Vermicompost That’s a great idea, cuz it’s amazing the number that can swarm something and it’s so satisfying to hit it back with removing it. With watermelon if they swarm it, it’s super easy to just rinse them all off it and return the fruit to the bin. I’ve never tried an-every-few hour technique but today sounds like a good day to try it! I’ll keep you posted.

[@samanthawalter5218]

I don’t want mites though

[@Vermicompost]

Me neither!!! But mites are actually a good part of the worm bin ecosystem! It's just when their populations start to explode that it can be an indicator that some thing like pH or moisture is out of balance. The kind of mites that are in a worm bin eat dead and decaying matter...they are totally different from harmful mites that eat plants. Either way they drive me nuts in worm bins even though I know they are helpful in moderation😂🤣😂 Thanks so much for watching and taking the time to comment!!🪱🪱🪱