Question about Red Worms

 In my search on compost bins, I found retail sites for red worms.  Are these
worms really better than earth worms?  I am in zone 4, will the survive our
winters?

I appreciate any advice on these worms.

D~

 

On Sun, 23 May 2004, Annaid wrote:


While I'm not an expert and I am a new person here I have been doing a lot
of reading about this lately.  From what I have read, (no pun...) the
reason red worms are "better" is because they will eat material that
regular earthworms won't.  Redworms will eat almost any organic material.
You can give them kitchen waste, shredded paper, manure, etc.  The
earthworms in your yard basically eat dirt. :)

I bought some red worms from a "live bait" vending machine.  $2.00 for
maybe 10 little worms.  Not the best buy, but it's a start.   I have them
in a big coffee can now with some shredded newspaper (bedding) and blender
compost.  I'm not sure they like it yet, so I haven't added anything yet.
I would like to get a real worm bin at some point.

Just wanted to share this information while it was fresh in my mind
because I've been reading about it so much.  Read on the net
anything you can find about vermicomposting (and the google archives
here).

What I'd like somebody to tell me about is if "regular" earthworms still
have a place in vermicomposting.  Is there any reason to have both?  I
imagine as long as there is suitable material they can still thrive.  I am
trying to be frugal and I would really like to not have to buy more worms
right now!

 

On Sun, 23 May 2004, Annaid wrote:


Forgot to answer your question about winters.  Mostly because I didn't
have an answer, but this person had some things to say:

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/verm/msg0321363431621.html

The comment "Those that hung around are definitely the tough ones" makes
me think about an interesting aspect to vermicomposting that I was
thinking about before... The worms that will survive are the ones best
suited to the conditions you give them, so if you allow them to breed over
the years they would more or less adapt, I think...   Maybe I am being
too optomistic thinking about breeding a secret race of superworms.  :)

 

Here's a link to the worm forum:
http://www.wormdigest.org/forum/index.cgi?#24886

The main difference between earthworms and redworms are that earthwoms live
in the ground and won't survive in a bin. Red worms won't survive in
freezing weather, or extremely hot weather. I keep mine in the garage, to
keep from freezing and also to keep the earwigs out in summer. Many people
keep a small bin under the kitchen sink. If you keep it covered with wet
newpaper strips, it doesn't smell, and it can be very convieniant in the
kitchen.

 The essential difference between the 2 species of worms is that common
earthworms will not increase in numbers very fast.  Start with 10 worms and
next year you may have 10 worms, whereas red worms increase in numbers
rapidly to the limit of their food.  In my experience, and contrary to
another poster, earth worms eat anything, whereas the red worms are fussy
and won't eat tough things like tomato skins unless they are starving.  I
gave up my worm bin about 5 years ago and last year there were still a few
red worms at the bottom of the compost heap.  Some survived in the garden
soil in a spot where I worked in a lot of compost for 3 years, and  I live
in zone 3.