Worms Escaping!

[katkatkat]

After rats got in to my compost bins last winter and left me with very little in them, I got a little pot of worms from a relative that I split between two bins. They've done pretty well over the summer and I've tried to ensure there's a good mix of greens and browns. Over the last month or so, every time I lift the lid on the bin, more and more of them are trying to escape (there was always one or two on the lid).

What am I doing wrong? Why don't they like their home?

[Aberdeenplotter]

maybe they think the grass is greener on the other side . Seriously though, it's probably what worms do and how they spread and repopulate

[katkatkat]

I guess I always figured worms would just go down in the soil to get away but then I don't know much about them to be honest.

[veggiechicken]

Older threads about Escapee worms!!

https://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gr...dom_61797.html
https://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gr...hlight=wormery

[katkatkat]

Thanks VeggieChicken. I tried searching but obviously wasn't putting the right words in.

[veggiechicken]

I remember a post with images of worms spilling out in every direction! Turned my stomach to be honest.
Fortunately, I think that image has been "lost".

[ameno]

This happens with my compost bin all the time. I think it's overpopulation, as there never seems to be any shortage of them in the bin.
Every time I empty it (it's a tumbler, so it has no contact with the soil) I just leave a couple shovels full of compost in the bottom. The worms in that are more than enough to repopulate the entire compost bin, and the cycle continues.

[burnie]

As an aside, re the previous rat problem, I have been assured if you use human wee as an accelerator in your compost, it has the added benefit of scaring rats away allegedly.

[rary]

I remember a post with images of worms spilling out in every direction! Turned my stomach to be honest.
Fortunately, I think that image has been "lost".

Must post a photo of my wormery
KKK try covering your bin with a full sheet of cardboard rather than bits of cardboard as compost worms prefer it to be dark and don't really burrow down that deep