Worm Bin Problems and Solutions

The worm bin is not a static environment, so some worm bin problems are inevitable.

Even the smallest food item may tilt the pH one way or the other and that puts the whole bin out of balance.

It all comes down to carefully monitoring your bin. The smaller it is, the more observant you have to be (as the worms don't have much room to escape if the bin goes into overload).

Below are some of the common problems encountered in worm bins and the solutions to correct them.

SYMPTOM	CAUSE	SOLUTION
Odor	Excess moisture	Avoid adding a lot of moist foods at once or mix with a dry bulking material(i.e.,dry paper shreds)
	Adding wrong food	No meat, dairy, citrus
	Overfeeding	Feed worms less
Dead worms or mass exodus	Temp extremes	Keep bin shaded in summer/protected in winter
	Lack of oxygen	Add more air holes in plastic tubs; more carbonaceous material in bin
	Too much casting material	Harvest bin on regular basis; no longer than 6 months
	Dry bin	Moisten bedding
	Bin too acidic	Retrieve as many worms as possible and start bin fresh. Be sure to layer in oyster shell or egg shell flour to balance pH
Fruit flies	Generally appear with addition of fresh sugary fruit	Remove and add dry leaves/shredded paper mix. Rinse all fruit rinds before adding or freeze fruit waste
	Exposed food	Cover all feedstock with layer of damp leaves or bedding material
	Excess moisture	Add more bedding(4-6" at least)
Ants	Worm bin too dry	Moisten bed
Potworms	Indicates bin is slightly acidic	Add lime (i.e.wood ash)or oyster shell or egg shell flour
Mites	Too much bread products	Feed breads sparingly
Escaping worms	Any of the previous problems	Remedies to previous problems
Escaping worms	After a rain	A gentle brush back into the bin should be sufficient; otherwise, keep lid open and expose the bed to a light source