Twice now since we began vermicomposting about nine months ago, we’ve had a mass worm escape. The first time it happened was only a few weeks after we started vermicomposting. I found myself frantically saying “Why are my worms escaping from my worm bin?!” I was baffled as to what causes worms to escape from a worm bin so I started doing some research.
Once I figured it out and fixed the issue, you would think it wouldn’t happen again. But oh no! Life got busy and it happened again a few months ago. Today I’m going to explain reasons why worms try escaping from a worm bin and what we did to stop our worms from escaping from the bin.
Causes for worms escaping from a worm bin
There are several things that could cause worms to escape their bin. If the conditions aren’t just right for them, they’re going to try to escape. It is instinctual for them just like any living creature. If they’re too hot, they’ll seek coolness. Hungry? They’ll seek out a new food source. Usually it will be just one of these things that is “off” and causing what I like to call “The Great Worm Escape”. Here are the main things that may cause your worms to escape from a worm bin:
- Too much acidity or food worms don’t like in the bin. Worms don’t like too much acidity so try not to feed them citrus fruits, onions, and garlic.
- Too wet. If the worm bin is too wet the worms will seek out dryer conditions. The bin should be damp, like a wet sponge, but not soaking wet. I always put a new layer of shredded newspaper on top of our bin every time I feed them each week. This layer can help soak up any extra moisture if the bin seems a bit too wet.
- Too dry. Worms need some moisture in their bin to thrive so if it is too dry they will try to escape to find moisture. I have a little spray bottle of water near the bin that I spritz down the top layer of newspaper in the bin if it seems too dry.
- Not enough food. Worms can eat up to half their weight in food per day so if there is not enough food in the bin, they will try to escape to find a food source.
Why our worms escaped from the bin
Curious what caused our worms to escape the worm bin both times? Not enough food in the bin! The first time it happened, we were still new to vermicomposting and figuring out just how often and how much we needed to feed them. I went outside to check the bin one morning and was shocked to see a massive pile of worms on the ground behind the bin! From then on, I made sure I fed them a large ziplock bag of food scraps once per week.
Now the second time it happened a few months ago, I took the lid off the big worm bin (we’re using a simple homemade worm bin made from one of these AND also have the Worm Factory 360) and was shocked to see hundreds of worms congregated along the top edge of the tub. The inch deep and three inch long handle groove on either side of the tub was packed full of worms. Yes you read that correctly, it was a giant blob of slimy worms packed in there!
This second “Great Worm Escape” was also caused by not enough food. I had been feeding them once per week and hadn’t had any issues with worm escapes. Then I realized as I was digging around in the bin that we had WAY more worms in there than what we started with. That’s a good thing since worms reproduce more quickly when conditions are good so our worm bin proved to be a good home for them. What I realized is that a once per week feeding isn’t nearly enough with this many worms. So I increased their feedings to twice per week and so far no more worm bin bail outs!
Have you ever had worms escape your vermicomposting bin? What caused your worm bail out? Any tips to share?
Are you using this for composting only, or feeding the worms for feeding to the chickens.
When we got the worms last spring, our intent was to have them just for composting since our outdoor compost pile is frozen 6-9 months out of the year. Then the worms started reproducing much faster than we expected so we got a second worm bin to expand. The next time we feel like we have too many worms, we’re going to feed some to the chickens!
I gave up the worm bin and just do “on the ground compost bins”. The worms regulate themselves from the ground to the top of the bin. When one bin gets full I just pull off the plastic bin container and put it in it’s new spot and put a couple tarps over the compost material and anchor it with boards and blocks to keep the tarps from blowing off. I have about 5 bin spots and just go around and around. Reminds me of the lyrics from Donovan, “First there is a mountain then there is no mountain then there is”.
I realized wasn’t feeding my worms enough by not liquifying the food. It wasn’t breaking down fast enough for them. The food was molding (another reason for worms to move out). I zip the scraps through the Magic Bullet with a tiny bit of water and no longer have the problem. Thanks for the tips!
If they are leaving at night you might leave small light on at night so they wont jump ship. This kept my worms at home. Make sure they home isn’t too moist.
I sat up a worm bin earlier this week (about four days ago) and haven’t had much luck yet. We used shredded newspaper and leaves as the bedding. We then put on the layer of dirt and the worms. In the past day, I have noticed a lot of my worms are escaping — it’s not good! I made sure the soil was moist, and I think they have enough oxygen. Is this normal? I know it’s a new bin, but I think there may be some issue. They are clumping around the corners of the bin. Any suggestions?
You don’t need much dirt–only a handful for the microorganisms in it to start breaking down the food for the worms.
I was a vermicomposter before we moved to NY. (We moved in winter from Texas and my worms would have died, so I gave my bins to a friend.)
The only time I had escapees was during Thunder storms. They feel the vibration of the Thunder and know they’ll down, so they had for higher ground. Keeping a light on over your bin should keep them in because they don’t like light either. I assume you have a lid on your bin. For those of you who want to worm compost but haven’t started yet, don’t spend a lot of money on fancy expensive bins. I used Rubbermaid/Sterlite bins ($5-7 each) and drilled four 1″ holes in each side about 3″ from the top for ventilation, then covered them–one with pantihose, the other with window screen material–that I glued to the inside. FYI–the pantihose worked better because it didn’t let as much moisture out and I didn’t have to mist it as much, but stretching the hose over hot glue burned my fingers! In the bin with screen material, I used a piece of burlap that I wet down and wrung out to help retain moisture.
Also, composting worms don’t need a lot of dirt–in fact, it can kill them! Earth worms you find in dirt are a different species than what are used in vermiculture. You DO need about a handful of garden soil, straight out of the yard, for the microorganisms in it that help break down your scraps so the worms can eat them.
One last thing: If you have a regular compost bin, PLEASE DON’T add worms to it! Even if you don’t keep your pile “hot”, when you add green material to it it can heat up enough to cook your worms! We don’t want that to happen!
I have started a european nightcrawler farm with my husband. But we have tried 3 diff bins and they still get out. We got the soil damp and have feed once. We have about 650 nightcrawlers in this plastic tote. It has a lid. We have taped put stuff on top, taped lid zip tied closed and covered it to keep dark and they escape. What do i do plz help
I started my bin with shredded paper, larger pieces of torn paper bag, dirt, and added liquified food scraps, sprayed with water and put in 600 worms. Left bin (13 gallons) open, and worms seemed fine. Covered for night. Next morning clumps of worms on edge of contain on inside of lid and found one alive in outer bin. Drilled 1/2” holes at upper part of bin on all sides and lots on lid. Worms arrived day I put bin together so I didn’t have time and didn’t know how to prepare properly. What should I do now? Have two holes on bottom as they’re too large. I set two inverted bowls inside outer bin and put side with holes on the bowls to elevate. Bin is indoor as weather here is 95-105 outside. Pls help as I don’t want to lose my worms.
I read when I first started vermicomposting that it takes a few days for the worms to get used to their new “home” in a new bin. You should keep the bin open and under a light source for at least 24 hours when they are first in their new bin. Since worms don’t like light, this encourages them to burrow down into their new bin which helps them settle in. I’ve done this every time I’ve started another worm bin and it works great. Good luck!
I have had my worms for two years and have never expanded the bin. I harvest the compost every 3 – 4 months.
My question is that it looks like I have a hugh amount of worms. Should I thin them out or is it ok to be crowded.
If I just put some in the garden would they survive? I do have some trying to escape. I do not want to expand the bin. Can there be too many worms in a single bin or will they self regulate.
You probably should divide the worms as they *can* get too crowded and will start dying. If you don’t want to maintain multiple bins, you could contact your local master gardener and master composter organizations and arrange to give your worms to new vermiculturists to start their bins, or sell them as fish bait or chicken treats.