Frequently Asked Questions Q. What is organic waste? A.  Organic waste is also known as biodegradable waste, and typically originates from plant or animal sources which may be broken down by other living organisms. Q. Can I use earthworms from my garden in a worm farm? A. Earthworms found in the garden are not suited to composting.  You need to use Red Wrigglers (Eisenia Foetida) or Red Earthworms (Lumbricus Rubellus), as they are best suited to the special conditions in rotting vegetation or manure piles. Q. How much will the worms eat? A. This depends on how many worms you have.  If you have around 1000 mature worms in your farm they will eat up to 250 grams of waste a day.  Baby worms won't eat much, and take up to 3 months to mature. Q. How can I help my worms eat more? A. Worms will eat at a faster rate once they have adapted to any new food source.  The smaller kitchen scraps are the more worms will eat.  Controlling the temperature to around 24 degrees C will also improve the overall performance of your system. Q.  What shouldn't I feed my worms? A. Meat, dairy, anything from the onion/garlic family, citrus and pineapple.  Be careful if you feed your worms manure, as it often has vermicides still active in it that were designed to kill parasitic worms in animals.  They can kill all your worms in a day.  It is recommended that you allow the manures to age for about a month before you use them. Q.  What should I feed my worms? A. Vegetables, fruit (not citrus or pineapple), crushed egg shells, egg boxes, shredded newspapers, loose tea, tea bags, coffee grinds, cereal and oatmeal (no milk).  Plate scrapings (no fatty gravies, meat or bones).  Remember the smaller the pieces the quicker your worms work through them. Q. Should I add water to my worm farm? A. Because worms are made up of more than 90% water, they need a moist environment to survive. Always make sure that the farm is damp - not soaking, or the worms will drown.  Periodical watering of your farm will also enhance the production of the vermiliquid.  Should you over water your farm put a few handfuls of dry shredded paper inside the farm on top of the compost to absorb extra moisture. Q. What about temperature extremes? A. Worms will tolerate a wide temperature range from about 10 degrees C to 30 degrees C.  If it gets much hotter than this then make sure your worm farm is in a cool shady place.  Wrapping bubble wrap around the farm in colder temperatures will help to insulate the worm environment. Q. Will my worm farm smell? A. The only smell associated with a well maintained worm farm is an earthy rainforest odour.  If your worm farm does smell it is an indication that anaerobic bacteria have built up in the system in uneaten food wastes.  Stop feeding the worms for a while and lightly stir the wastes on the top with a fork.  Start feeding again when the smells have gone. Q.  What about holidays? A. Leaving an established worm farm for 3 to 4 weeks without constantly adding food is not a problem.  Just feed the worms a good quantity before you leave and put the farm unit in a cool place.  Putting a soaked newspaper on top of your Hessian will give added protection against their bedding drying out. Q.  There are other "things" not just worms in the worm farm, are they supposed to be there? A. There can be a lot of other organisms that live in the worm farm.  Here is a short list:  Bacteria, fungi, protozoa, micro-arthropods, springtails, sow bugs, fruit flies, pseudo-scorpions, mites.  These form part of the ECOSYSTEM in the worm farm and they all work hard at decomposing what you feed your worms.  Their only interest is in decaying organic matter - they won't bother your house or garden plants.      Home I Products & Services I About Worms I About Vermiculture I FAQ'S I Leave a Message I Contact Us