Steaming hot worm bin!

[MustangStudFarm]

I mixed a new worm bin and the temps have really started to climb and last night, I saw steam coming off of it! I am worried that it will get too hot for my worms, most of them are cocoons. I ran out of egg shell and I had a few things on hand, tell me if I fucked up! I used a little basalt, oyster flour, and crustacean mix for PH buffers. I also put a little kelp in there and a bunch of pulp from the juicer.. I had some old corn meal and oats from the cabinets also.
Maybe, I should have let it compost a little before I added the worms? 40C and close to 110F is too hot for worms!

 

[Wetdog]

Well yes, you fucked up, which is just another term for "learning experience". I'm 99.9% sure that is a mistake that will NEVER be repeated.

Some may survive, especially the cocoons. You'll see when things cool down and then, go from there.

BTW, I was told never to bury laying mash as it would go sour. Basically cracked corn, but it might also apply to corn meal and such. IDK, but corn is pretty much corn. Just a thought.

Wet

 

[calliandra]

I mixed a new worm bin and the temps have really started to climb and last night, I saw steam coming off of it! I am worried that it will get too hot for my worms, most of them are cocoons. I ran out of egg shell and I had a few things on hand, tell me if I fucked up! I used a little basalt, oyster flour, and crustacean mix for PH buffers. I also put a little kelp in there and a bunch of pulp from the juicer.. I had some old corn meal and oats from the cabinets also.
Maybe, I should have let it compost a little before I added the worms? 40C and close to 110F is too hot for worms!
View attachment 3612833

You can try and save them by getting the temps down.
They probably rose because your ingredients (seeds have hi nitrogen/low C:N ratios, nit sure about kelp but I think I've read it tends to heat up things, so hi nitrogen) are great for bacterial activity -- and that makes temps rise and the whole thing start to go anaerobic.

I've been recovering a friend's wormbin over the winter, she did it to her living worms -- most of which died
I ended up throwing most of the materials that had gone anaerobic out as they were past saving (=foul smells!) and most of the worms had died anyways, so it was easy to fish the last 10 or so out and put them into fresh bedding.

If I understand your case correctly though, you have cocoons, which I imagine to be near impossible to pick out of the bin.
You could try the following to get temps back down:
- turn the material in the worm bin to reduce temperature.
- mix in something low nitrogen, such as dry leaves, or better yet in terms of physical aeration, shredded cardboard (without color print on it)

Hope that helps!

 

[MustangStudFarm]

 

[Wetdog]

WOW!!! I *think* that might be a bit much even for the cocoons.

Like I said, a learning experience. I've killed plenty of worms learning what NOT to do and a shit ton of plants when starting out. No internet then (1972), and not all that much printed stuff. Mostly trial and error, plenty of dead plants and tons of hard earned experience.

What I do now, for the worms, is mix up a batch of worm bedding a month or 2 before needed, put it in 5gal buckets, with drainage and just let it age/cook. It's easy to do stuff well in advance with worms. Usually. LOL

That stuff will be fine once it cools down in a few weeks and the worms should love whatever got it so hot. No weak kneed food there. Just make it in advance for next time. No worries.

Wet

 

[Tyleb173rd]

Is the thermometer calibrated?

 

[iHearAll]

Well what breed of worms are they? Red wigglers may be getting composted, africans may be ok though.

But yea always compost your worm bed before it becomes a worm bed. Otherwise your meaty worms are protien in a compost pile.

Is it an open bottom bin? Like a farm bin? Or a tub type deal?

 

[iHearAll]

Well yes, you fucked up, which is just another term for "learning experience". I'm 99.9% sure that is a mistake that will NEVER be repeated.

Some may survive, especially the cocoons. You'll see when things cool down and then, go from there.

BTW, I was told never to bury laying mash as it would go sour. Basically cracked corn, but it might also apply to corn meal and such. IDK, but corn is pretty much corn. Just a thought.

Wet

Corn whisky mash? Shoulda been great actually. Itd be a fermented smell but being that it's partially eaten by microbes the rest of the microworld SHOULD have eaten it faster than normal. Iv used beer mash with success. I fermented it in EM first.

 

[iHearAll]

You can try and save them by getting the temps down.
They probably rose because your ingredients (seeds have hi nitrogen/low C:N ratios, nit sure about kelp but I think I've read it tends to heat up things, so hi nitrogen) are great for bacterial activity -- and that makes temps rise and the whole thing start to go anaerobic.

I've been recovering a friend's wormbin over the winter, she did it to her living worms -- most of which died
I ended up throwing most of the materials that had gone anaerobic out as they were past saving (=foul smells!) and most of the worms had died anyways, so it was easy to fish the last 10 or so out and put them into fresh bedding.

If I understand your case correctly though, you have cocoons, which I imagine to be near impossible to pick out of the bin.
You could try the following to get temps back down:
- turn the material in the worm bin to reduce temperature.
- mix in something low nitrogen, such as dry leaves, or better yet in terms of physical aeration, shredded cardboard (without color print on it)

Hope that helps!

Bed screening. Like, pile 5 gallons of the current bed on a large hanging screen and shake the small stuff through. Discard the large into the compost.

 

[calliandra]

Bed screening. Like, pile 5 gallons of the current bed on a large hanging screen and shake the small stuff through. Discard the large into the compost.

yeah sounds cool, would aerate AND reduce temps at the same time too

 

[GrowerGoneWild]

I mixed a new worm bin and the temps have really started to climb and last night, I saw steam coming off of it! I am worried that it will get too hot for my worms, most of them are cocoons. I ran out of egg shell and I had a few things on hand, tell me if I fucked up! I used a little basalt, oyster flour, and crustacean mix for PH buffers. I also put a little kelp in there and a bunch of pulp from the juicer.. I had some old corn meal and oats from the cabinets also.
Maybe, I should have let it compost a little before I added the worms? 40C and close to 110F is too hot for worms!
View attachment 3612833

Yes you should have let the compost cook until it returns to ambient temp.. Vermicomposting is usually done cool, regular hot composting is well.. Hot.

 

[MustangStudFarm]

Or a tub type deal?

It is a tub, and it returned to normal temps today. I mixed more carbon, leaves and straw...

yeah sounds cool, would aerate AND reduce temps at the same time too

I think that the straw is helping to allow air into the pile?

 

[greasemonkeymann]

It is a tub, and it returned to normal temps today. I mixed more carbon, leaves and straw...

I think that the straw is helping to allow air into the pile?

well shit man... your compost is too cold and your wormbin is hot as hell!
Ahhh don't sweat it though..
the straw is simply getting the pile closer to a carbon pile as opposed to a "compost"
the ratio of nitrogen to carbon is what dictates the temps and smells, so on.
And I personally I don't add a thing to my wormbin that isn't their food, just old soil with old rootballs, and a 4 inch layer of leaves on the top.
And I apply my philosophy of "less is always better" in regards to the worms feeding.
Same theory I have with nutrients

 

[Crab Pot]

I've been adding addmendments (crab, shrimp, kelp, neem, Karanja, basalt, glacial, gypsum and oyster shell) to a 65 gal Geopot worm bin as I fill it up and letting the worms incorporate it all into the castings.
The Geopot will hold approximately 6 cuft of castings and another 2 1/2cuft of pumice mixed in for airation. The 6 cuft of castings will make 18 cuft of finished soil. I mix in the addmendments at the rate Coot suggests over time or as the bin gets filled up. The following will eventually get titrated into the bin to make 6 cuft of castings (18 cuft soil):

9 cups crab and shrimp meal
9 cups kelp meal
9 cups néem and Karanja meal
36 cups basalt and glacial rock dusts
18 cups gypsum
18 cups oyster shell

The biggest challenge I have is raccoons.. Those suckers ate a bunch of holes through the sides of my geopot going after the worms...

 

[greasemonkeymann]

I've been adding addmendments (crab, shrimp, kelp, neem, Karanja, basalt, glacial, gypsum and oyster shell) to a 65 gal Geopot worm bin as I fill it up and letting the worms incorporate it all into the castings.
The Geopot will hold approximately 6 cuft of castings and another 2 1/2cuft of pumice mixed in for airation. The 6 cuft of castings will make 18 cuft of finished soil. I mix in the addmendments at the rate Coot suggests over time or as the bin gets filled up. The following will eventually get titrated into the bin to make 6 cuft of castings (18 cuft soil):

9 cups crab and shrimp meal
9 cups kelp meal
9 cups néem and Karanja meal
36 cups basalt and glacial rock dusts
18 cups gypsum
18 cups oyster shell

The biggest challenge I have is raccoons.. Those suckers ate a bunch of holes through the sides of my geopot going after the worms...

damn that's a helluva wormbin.
we seem to have the exact same theory, only mine is predicated on the compost, and yours is in the wormbin.
they don't mind all that neem and minerals?
Is this your first time with that method or have you been doing it that way for a while?
and I feel ya on the worm being eaten..
we have some bluejays and bigass raven/crows that have found my stash of worms... and they are persistent.
but raccoons and their damn opposable thumbs, those bastards can damn near pick locks

 

[Crab Pot]

damn that's a helluva wormbin.
we seem to have the exact same theory, only mine is predicated on the compost, and yours is in the wormbin.
they don't mind all that neem and minerals?
Is this your first time with that method or have you been doing it that way for a while?
and I feel ya on the worm being eaten..
we have some bluejays and bigass raven/crows that have found my stash of worms... and they are persistent.
but raccoons and their damn opposable thumbs, those bastards can damn near pick locks

Yea, our methods are very similar you have many great ideas bother! Been doing it this way for the last three years.. works great.. LOL.. it is a ton of dried minerals and amendments to add but the worms seem to love it all.

For example, add 20% of the amendments/minerals at a time or when the bin is 20% full of organic fruit and veggie scraps (or compost or a combo) add 20% of the amendments/minerals and mix them in. The worms don't enjoy the mixing process but they calm right back down and get to work. Seems like a good idea to have the worms incorporate it all.

I may be wrong but it seemed like a good idea to let the worms incorporate it all in the castings.

I keep a tarp over the top of my bin. It seems to keep everybody out but those f'in coons. They got up under the tarp and you wouldn't believe all the holes they chewed thought the sides of the geopot, going for the worms. Just picked up some fencing to build an enclosure to keep those coons out!

 

[MustangStudFarm]

we have some bluejays and bigass raven/crows that have found my stash of worms... and they are persistent.

I have chickens eating from my worm bin and hawks hunting my chickens... This one was right above the baby chicks and 2 of them were in the tree bangin' when I went out there. The one in the tree is female and the male flew away...

 

[MustangStudFarm]

It is hard to see, but I found a nest of hatched worms today! I think that everything is normal now, only a small part of the bin is warm now and it is close to where I found the baby worms.

 

[MustangStudFarm]

well shit man... your compost is too cold and your wormbin is hot as hell!

You nailed it! This is how everything has been working for me. Hell, I cant even come up with a witty joke for this right now.. I think that it is funny because that is how I have to take these life lessons. People that get upset or angry about failure usually dont make anything for themselves. I am too persistent to give up... Giving myself a pep talk lol

 

[MustangStudFarm]

My wife named 1 baby chick out of 15. Guess what, the fucking hawk in the tree snagged it last month. It was a big fat hen, still a chick, but I could tell that I was going to be a large egg layer. RIP "Goldie"

By the way, Hawks are protected and I dont need to get in trouble over shooting a damn bird!!!