How to Raise European Nightcrawlers 

I've viewed 5 other videos this afternoon on this topic. Thank you for being the most informative and best of the lot. Good video, good information.

Thank you! Your video helped me answer a lot of my questions!

Very good. Straight to the point. I learned a lot.

Good video and i liked how you answered every ones questions. You made it so simple i'm going to do it.

I'm just starting a10 gallon worm bin for night crawlers here in the mid-west. I was going to try the shredded paper method, until I saw your video. Think I'll try your way. Thanks:)

Thank you soooo much for your help, as you can see this is something very new to me!

Thank you for sharing this video. It will be a good project for the boys.

What's the maximum European nightcrawlers you can manage with that bin? How quickly do they multiply?

darn, i should have started in the winter. thanks a bunch. great video by the way.

Thank you so much! So excited to start this!!😊

Good job, informative and short Thanks

Thanks for peat moss tip. I would have thought it would eventually mix on it's own.

thanks for the great info.

Thank you for the info. So helpful.

I recommend using coconut coir because even though it's more expensive it doesn't tend to compact into a solid block like peat moss. also coconut coir is PH neutral which is good for worms whereas peat moss is more on the acidic side which can be bad for worms if it's not treated properly to balance the PH.

Thanks so much for the info! I'm going to try it!

Covered well for the keeping of worms for fishing, etc. It might be interesting for some of use worm keepers to know about the simple routine of farming, disposing of food waste, etc. Another thing I would find out about is the use of the remains of keeping the worms this way, as the recycling of the old worm base of peat moss. Would be interesting to know what could be done with the making or using of 'worm tea'. Thanks for taking time to make this presentation. Would like to see more.

bottom of your bin has no drain holes, I raise euro my self and find them to be the best all around worm to raise and fish with . mine are in a bath tub Outside under a tree that provides shade, I feed them grass clippings and old lettuce at times . I know that Coffee grounds and Corn meal works great for them to. Good luck fishing

I found a person selling them on eBay. I don't remember the price, but it think it was something like $50 or so for a box of 500. You'll probably want at least 500, or more if you plan on using a lot for fishing right away. Once you get through the first season, they will be reproducing fast enough that you'll be able to harvest more and more and still keep your population up.

Yes, it is! My wife makes use of all my old worm bedding for her flowers when I put new bedding in the bins.

Glad I could help. Good luck!

I've heard of other folks using them, so I know it's possible. The bedding near the bottom of any bin of any kind can get packed pretty tightly, so I like to turn over the dirt now and then. With a five gallon bucket, doing this may be a little harder, but other than that I don't see a problem.

Thanks for your reply omment. I've also noticed I am getting somewhat dyslexic in my old age. No matter, 'ues' or uses the worms still understand me and just love communicating with me - Hah, ha. Boris

Old video but still relevant. Thanks.

Made to order explanation ❗️ Thanks❗️

It is finely ground corn that is used to feed chickens. Some chicken mash is more finely ground that others. For worms, the finer the better. I found some local that is so fine it is "powdery". It has a few big junks too, but the small holes in the lid of my re-purposed peanut jar filter most of those out.

Good video and info. Thank you

@ima14yearoldmechanic I used paper shreds for one of my bins a while back. It worked fairly well - I dunked the shredded paper in water, but that actually made them a bit too wet. After a day or so there was some standing water in the bottom of the container that I dumped out. As for changing the material - you have to use your judgement. The paper will begin disappearing as they consume in and "worm manure" will take its place.

I split them between two containers like that one. It might be possible to put 500 in a single container, but I played it safe and used more than one. The thing to remember is that if they are crowded, you will need to change out the dirt or bedding more often.

where did you get the european nightcrawlers? i have had big red worms and they keep dieing and i have red wigglers that are just out of control they love everything that i feed them especially the corn on the cob .

@MrGglolgg Glad you found it helpful!

Awesome awesome video.. I'm gonna start today:)

Glad I could help. Good luck! :)

great video

How do you change out the bedding? Please keep in mind that the old bedding (known as worm castings) are great for your plants so don't throw it away. Thanks

I have european nigtcrawlers, and the are doing fine, but I got a million baby worms and no big ones for fishing. How is that possible? Was I sold a different worm?

Thanks for the info. I think your solution would be less work than what I've done. It is a lot of work switching them when the containers need the bedding refreshed. Plus, I finished my basement recently, so now it isn't as cool for the worms down there, and we really don't want the worms inside anymore.

I see newspaper being used with red wigglers. I guess it can be added to the European crawlers also?

With an indoor bin like mine, I can control the moisture level without drain holes. Sometime moisture can settle to the bottom, though, so I stir the soil from time to time. Is your bath tub buried in the ground, or just sitting on top?

I've been enjoying your video, I have some very large nightcrawlers in my yard which I'm considering putting in a band, they may be some nightcrawlers I've released some time ago. Coming back from fishing. Can I use these nightcrawlers to start my been and if so, can I leave them outside during the winter?

Thanks! I hope it goes well for you.

I have studied red wigglers for a long time. My intentions are to raise worms to sell as fishing worms. Now I realize that this worm you raise would be the obvious choice. Now for my question. If I were to make a worm tea and use that to prepare my peat moss as bedding do you forsee any problems using that method ? I believe the worms would feel and adjust to there new home faster. The micro organisms I presume. I just have not seen anyone use a method on RU-vid like that. If you try my suggestion please let me know as I am not yet set up to start farming. I believe it could help to avoid rejection. Thanks.

Can you show how you separate the worms from the castings and how you repopulate the bin?

You're welcome - glad I could help. :)

Don't worry, I've never wasted any. My wife uses it for flower pots and flower beds - good stuff!

You got me there - I don't know if they'll be OK or not. What kind of worms? red worms? night crawlers?

I have viewed other videos on worm farming and they say if you are using peat moss you need to sweeten it by adding oyster shell or finely ground egg shells or better yet, add garden lime. However if you use coconut coir, this is neutral and does not need lime. What is your opinion? Also, the worm poop is the BEST fertilizer that you can feed your plants.

Can you use kitchen scraps such as lettuce, carrot peels etc. in place of the chicken mash?

Leaving the light on in the room will usually keep them in - worms don't like light. However, I normally have to do that only the first day or two after I put them in there. After that, as long as I keep the moisture level correct I don't have a problem. Not to say a rebel worm doesn't crawl out once a week or so, but for the most part they stay in the bin.

I have two bins, so I transfer all the worms to the other bin as I remove the dirt from the one that needs refreshed. Once the bedding is refreshed, I transfer some of the worms back.

will corn meal work ok ?

How many worms do you put in the bins? How do you switch out the bedding, getting most of the worms into the new bedding? What is your favorite source for getting your first batch of worms?

I don't sell worms but I do see some listed on eBay and elsewhere on the web from time to time. When I started, I just went to my local Agway and asked for peat moss. They didn't ask what kind, so I'm assuming that there's just one kind.

Is there any reason why you don't use a renewable resource for bedding. It is my understanding that you can raise Europen night crawlers with red wigglers together. If so, they should be able to eat the same things and live in the same type environment.

How do you change out the peat moss just add new.

I'm using these for a science fair. Since I'm making compost, I want to have a transparent bin so people can look inside. Will the worms be able to tolerate the lighting?

Not sure I have a solid answer for this one. It's hard to know from observation, because so much happens below the surface where you cannot see it. I think I read some where that it takes about 3-4 months for a worm to grow into adulthood. After they are full, grown they will lay an egg every 2-4 weeks and each egg contains several (maybe 3-5 small worms). But that is all from memory of some information I read some time ago.

I haven't really explored that option. Do European night crawlers do OK in freezing temps? How deep into the ground do they have to be allowed to travel to escape the cold?

Thanks!

@jamisonbrooks I assume eals=eats. :) In that case, I've heard that they will eat dried leaves, although I haven't tried it. It makes sense because they will eat paper and cardboard slowly over time.

Thank you for this video. I'm from the Netherlands and i don't understand what you feeding these worms. How do you call that? chicken mass?

If you use warm water it absorbs better but just be careful to let it cool off before you put worms in it ... Also long enough for the chlorine to get out of it . Your hands work too... just an option

i am using paper shreds does it all applie the same as in the water amount and food and changing thanks :)

I read that peat moss is pH 5.5 which is too acidic for earth worms so you have to add lime.

what eals can i feed my night crawlers that i may have in my back yard

Where do you buy that small thing of chicken mash feed?

do you get them to reproduce or do you have to replace them?

If you start with full-grown worms (they need to be full grown or nearly so before they breed), I'd say you'll double the population in three months or so, but the little ones will take a month or two to grow before they can breed. These are only estimates. I was always taking worms out to fish, so I didn't get a good read on how fast they reproduce.

whats the most amount of worms should you have per bin

Could I feed Canadian crawlers compost items such as apple peels, food scraps, or leaves? Thanks

What size totes do you typically use for the European Night Crawlers? I've hear to make the totes deep for the worms to dig deep and I've heard make the bins short because the worms don't like to dive deep. What's optimal?

A chicken after a car drives over it! :) Just kidding. Chicken mash is finely ground corn used to feed chickens. You want the finest you can get - the stuff that is almost powdery.

Thank you brother, from Denmark EU!!!

Eldon: I have read here you no longer raise worms. I am wondering why? Too difficult? Lost interest? I am planning to start and really enjoyed your video. You use peat moss as your growing medium. Did you ever use or considering using actual compost? Some videos I have seen mention using coffee grounds, fruit and vegetable scraps, etc. Did you try any of these? If so, any luck with any of these? Thanks. Scott.

Most night crawlers purchased in my locality (Pennsylvania) would be Canadian. I'm told they are harder to raise, and need a pretty cool environment (like a refrigerator, or actually underground). However, this is all second hand info - I really don't have any experience except with European crawlers.

I got some finely-ground chicken mash at my local Agway - that has kept my worms alive for years. What type of worms are you trying to raise? Mine are European night crawlers. My understanding is that Canadian night crawlers are much harder to keep alive, and much of the advice in this video may not apply.

How can you tell if they have multiplied? If I take all the big worms out for fishing......will the little ones still grow and breed in overtime?

I got mine at my local Agway feed store.

i have many small worms no big ones how do i fix it

The first sign you'll see is eggs - they are about the size of BBs and look a little bit like those semi-transparent fish-oil capsules. Once they hatch, you'll see tiny worms crawling about. You have to look twice to even see them at first. And yes, once they are full grown they will produce more babies.

Chicken mash is a term that can mean different things to different people. Basically what you are looking for is finely ground chicken feed - preferably ground to a power nearly as fine as flour.

That worm manure is excellent for gardens and potted plants..

No problem... stop back again if you come up with more questions. I'll do my best to answer them.

Thanks for the info. How many worms did you put in each bin?

I put about 40 worms into a bin with organic mushroom compost. Do i have any chance of them reproducing?

How fast will they breed?

no problem - good luck!

the worm sewer as you say is the best garden fertilizer there is so don't throw it out. use it or give it to someone for their garden.

"Worm sewer" is what I'm here for.

Did u put all 500 on the black container

mine keeps getting out of the bin.. what should i do...

awesome video thanks! i raise redworms and i don't have to change the bedding for them so my question is what do you do with the worms when you change the bedding?

How much do they reproduce?

Can you use corn meal

where can you get chicken mash ?

What exactly is chicken mash? I have not seen it at my local feed and seed store.

This is porbably a very dumb question...but where do I get the first worms to start this project and how many do I need?

Could I use a five gallon bucket for raising worms or no?

How many in container? And you don't cool in summer? Mine die in fridge even?

where did you you get your starter supply of European nightcrawlers? I'm having great difficulty getting a good price for around $50CD shipping and tax included. Also having difficulty finding something with large enough supply that they can meet all their orders. any ideas?