Worm Compost

[Sue]

Yesterday was the big day, my first tray of worm compost...but then had to spend ages picking the worms out, biggies to tiny ones little bigger that a piece of thread (memo to self - need new glasses) but it was the worm eggs that were a worry. I picked out as many as I could but it was taking forever. I want more worms so didn't want to strew all these worm eggs around the garden.
Do worms lay eggs all year so that you'll always have this problem or is there a certain breeding season so I can avoid this worry in the future?
Sue

[libbyloulou]

I never knew worms had eggs !!!

[Madasafish]

To remove worms , lay on a sheet /sheets of newspaper and wait . They will all migrate to the paper to hide the light.
They can always re-egg later...

[Alison]

Think that worms will breed at any time of year so long as the weather is warm enough ie not during the depths of winter. I always get out as much as I can in the way of worms and then leave it at that and don't get a problem with lack of worms. Not sure what type of wormery you have but if you've got to the point where they've eaten their way through a whole bin or set of layered containers then you've not got a bad population anyway.

[Digger-07]

Worm eggs - yes they breed as long as the compost is warm enough. I keep mine in a shed and they seem to be at it all year through.

Separating worms - as Madasafish, spread the compost out about a couple of inches thich with a wad of damp newspaper in the centre and all the critters will migrate to the shade of the paper. I then put the worms with the small amount of compost back into the wormery to give them a start. Any eggs in the compost I use are a treat for the birds who I hope then move onto the aphids and caterpillars on the rest of the plot.

[Sue]

Libbyloulou
Yes, little yellow to brown eggs, the size of small ball bearings.
Perhaps I'll have a go when its cooler then and remember the tip about damp newspaper, thanks for that.
I have got a good worm population in my can of worms, but I had started up another one and being rather mean, didn't get extra worms in and was intent on using the progeny of the ones I had.
Sue

[Digger-07]

Sue, I thought the selling point for COW was that they always went up to the higher tray and you were left with worm free compost in the bottom tray. Is this not so?

I use a small wheely bin type of wormery and have to tip it all out before I can get to the compost at the bottom.

[Alison]

That's the theory with COW but in reality they seem to be present throughout. When I want to empty the bottom tray I put it on the top without the lid on for a bit and the light drives the worms deeper. That way I can scrape the top surface off, worm(ish) free. Not perfect but much easier than emptying it all out.

[libbyloulou]

Libbyloulou
Yes, little yellow to brown eggs, the size of small ball bearings.
Perhaps I'll have a go when its cooler then and remember the tip about damp newspaper, thanks for that.
I have got a good worm population in my can of worms, but I had started up another one and being rather mean, didn't get extra worms in and was intent on using the progeny of the ones I had.
Sue

i asked this question on here a while back, and was led to believe that these yellow eggs where probably slug eggs!!! spent about 2 hours picking them out of my soil!! time to google i think
EDIT... looks like i'm guilty of 200 cases of worm murder

[Sue]

Libbylou
Me too but not so many deaths to my credit, spent ages googling to find a picture of the eggs and found they were worms. Slug eggs are white and round and often in a cluster in long grass THEY ARE DESTROYED! The worm eggs you find in the soil, mostly in ones.
Sue

[Flummery]

I heard of someone who spent hours crushing little yellow eggs in her bought compost - turned out to be plant food granules!

[wormlady]

Just being a worm pedant here:-) They are actually cocoons not eggs and if you look really closely with a light behind them you might be able to see ikle babby worms inside - normally 3-6 in each cocoon. They will wait in there till conditions are right for them to hatch...

[Digger-07]

Wormlady, welcome to the vine but you really need to get out more if - if you look really closely with a light behind them you might be able to see ikle babby worms inside

[Sue]

Wormlady
Ok cocoons then, but what are the right conditions?
Sue

[wormlady]

Hello:-) Yes I know Im a worm freak! Composting worms self regulate their population so they wont breed if theres not enough food or space and same goes for the cocoons, the babies will wait in there till theres lots of squashy organic stuff for them to eat and its not freezing cold/roasting hot.
In good conditions they should hatch in about 3 weeks.