A look inside my worm bin. Warning: rotting food - worms...
original content (img.gvid.tv)https://img.gvid.tv/img/3QvmaHBQ.jpgThis is the top tray that's almost full. Worms are 'Red Wigglers'. Rotting food is a mix of various veggies, with crushed eggshells from the duck eggs. If you look closely at the inside lower right, you'll see a baby worm that looks like a tiny white line.
These worms are good at turning your scraps into worm castings, which are a great soil enhancer for your garden. This 'colony' or whatever you call them is a little over 20 years old. The bin itself is a Can-O-Worms. (Random site for info and pics:
https://unclejimswormfarm.com/maintaining-a-can-o-worms-worm-bin/)You see some pill bugs on the right. Couple weeks ago they were overrunning the place, so I genocided 96% of them by sprinkling 1/4 inch of buggy flour over the whole inside, then misting until it was a gunky trap. They didn't avoid it and most ended up sinking into it like quicksand.
Sometimes people get Soldier Flies (maggots) in a worm bin, and I've had them in the past. They're great at composting too, but not that good in a worm bin, in my experience. They tend to make a gooey swamp-like mess, unlike the worms who leave aerated worm castings behind. See the link below for pics.
Red Wigglers "Eisenia fetida, known under various common names such as manure worm, redworm, brandling worm, panfish worm, trout worm, tiger worm, red wiggler worm, etc., is a species of earthworm adapted to decaying organic material. These worms thrive in rotting vegetation, compost, and manure."
Soldier Flies "The soldier flies are a family of flies. The family contains over 2,700 species in over 380 extant genera worldwide. Larvae are found in a wide array of locations, mostly in wetlands, damp places in soil, sod, under bark, in animal excrement, and in decaying organic matter. Adults are found near larval habitats."
https://urbanwormcompany.com/black-soldier-fly-larvae-pest-partner/Recommended if you end up with food scraps and live in a place that doesn't freeze, or have a non-freezing garage you can put them in for the wintertime.
