Raising Worms: How to avoid summer problems. Care and Prevention

How To Raise Worms in Summer

The return of summer time heat brings it's own set of problems for worm farmers and worm composters. The good news is, your worms are more active and are laying plenty of egg capsules. These egg capsules are now hatching, producing your next crop of composting or fishing worms.

The bad news: there are potential problems you should be mindful of as you go about caring for your worms.

Growing Worms in the Summer

Whether you believe in "Climate change" or "global warming" or not, the fact is we seem to be in a weather pattern of greater extremes. This past winter set records for the coldest ever in our parts. Then this spring, we set records for the hottest ever.

The fact is, whenever and wherever the temperatures reach 90+, worm farmers and worm composters need to pay attention.

The following list outlines how I handle my worm beds during warm and hot temperatures.

1. Increase Worms' Food:

Increase the amount of worm food you apply when the warm summer months return. Your worms are more active and the eggs are hatching. You will notice the food disappearing much faster, so make sure your worms have plenty of organic matter to eat or they may go elsewhere looking for a meal.
The new hatchlings will develop faster if there's plenty for them to eat. Feed them all they'll eat.
This is the time to watch for larger, more mature worms grouping up in the corners and sides of your worm composter or worm bed. When new worms hatch out, the older worms move away from them. There is a danger of these worms crawling out, so be forewarned.
You may want to asses your worm population at this time to see if overcrowding is starting. Either build another bed and relocate part of your worms, sell them, or go fishing.

2. Maintain Correct Bedding Moisture:

If your worms' bedding becomes too dry, your worms become overheated. Heat will either kill your worms or make them crawl away.
During the heat of summer, it's a good idea to keep your worm bedding somewhat wetter than you do in the cold of winter. While you need to be careful and not make the bedding soggy, a little added moisture keeps your worms cooler.
Run your hand into the bedding in different areas everyday to check the moisture. Changes in humidity can affect your worm bedding.
Heavy rains and high humidity decreases evaporation of the bedding. Bedding can become soggy before you know it and the worms will not be able to breath.
Dry, hot weather with low humidity increases evaporation and the worms' oxygen intake is also affected. Also, the bedding becomes hotter, which is a sure killer of earthworms.

3. Watch for Warm Weather Pests:

Mold: Warmer, wetter weather encourages the growth of mold. While the mold is not that harmful to your worms, it's not very pleasant for you. There's a fine line between keeping your beds damp enough to keep them cool and not encouraging mold growth. That's why worm farming is an art as much as a science.
Mites: Mites, white and red, are more prevalent in the summer months. Keep an eye on the ph of your bedding. Mites love acid conditions. Add eggshells to help maintain a neutral ph level.
For a healthier worm bed and to facilitate the worms' digestion, inoculate your bedding and the food as you apply it with Vermaplex®. Prevention is the best policy in dealing with mold. mites and "acid poisoning".
Ants: Ants are also more active in the summer. Keep the area around your worm bed or composter clean and free of debris to discourage ants from visiting your worm bed.

Spring and summer is a great time to be a worm farmer or vermicomposter with it's new crop of hatchlings and faster growing worms.

Hot weather can be deadly to your worms, however, and requires monitoring to prevent problems from occurring. Keep one eye on your worms, one eye to the sky, and the other on the pests (wait...that's three), and start counting your worms as they hatch.

Worm Composting and Worm Farming Resources:

Red Worms for Composting an fishing.
European Nightcrawlers for Composting and Fishing.
VermaPlex ®soil inoculant for healthy bedding.
New! "Worm Farm Manual: A Step-by-Step Guide to Raising Earthworms for Fun and Profit"

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