Common Problems
There are several common problems that you might encounter when starting a worm bin. Over time you will find the perfect balance to maintain a healthy worm bin. Here are a few things I have learned that keep the worms happy and healthy.
Strong Odor
When the worm bin has a foul odor the worms will escape. There are a few possible reasons for a foul odor.
- Lack of oxygen: Stir the bin.
- Too much food: Stop adding food.
- Too much moisture: Check the drain holes.
- A stray piece of meat: Get that out of your bin.
Worms need oxygen to survive. Often times a smelly worm bin is from the combination of a lack of oxygen, too much food and too much moisture. First of all you should stop adding food. Allow more air in the bin by stirring the contents to loosen up the material. Most times it will be compressed and feel heavy rather than light and fluffy. While stirring the bin check the drain holes and keep an eye out for that random smelly object such as meat. If the holes are not plugged then you may want to add more holes. Add some extra bedding and make sure there is sufficient bedding covering the food. Stirring some bedding into the material may allow for more air flow too.
Worms Escaping (Crawling out)
If there is not a strong odor and the worms are crawling out of the container, then the soil may be improperly balanced. If the soil is not too wet you should check the PH levels. Adding too may citrus peels can be harmful and you will need to reduce the acid level of the bin. Add fewer items that fall into the acidic category and put in a little lime.
Fruit Flies
The top cause of fruit flies is uncovered food. If you always keep plenty of bedding over your food material you should not have a fruit fly problem. If you are burying the food and do find flies you can cover the bin with a few sheets of newspaper or some carpet. I usually keep a single sheet of newspaper over the top of the bin, under the lid and tucked in like a bed sheet. You can think of it as tucking your worms in. If the flies just won’t go away, you may need to move the bin somewhere else.
