Day 4 Of The Great Worm Factory 360 Pumpkin Feeding Experiment

[Sandy Christenson]

It's Day 4 already in the Great Worm Factory 360 Pumpkin Feeding Experiment! I have four pictures up today. Personally, I like number 3 the best. Can hardly wait for the experiment to be over so I can take care of some of those mites! I know they don't hurt the red wiggler composting worms, but I'd like there to be (much) less of them anyhow! Adding some powdered eggshell is nearly guaranteed to help.

I am embarrassed to say that no matter how long I raise red wiggler composting worms in Alaska or anywhere -- I just never get tired of them! I have the hardest time keeping myself from poking around in the bins just to take a little look at what the worms are up to. Does anyone else have this problem? I sort of thought it might subside once I went into business raising and selling worms -- but nope -- I'm still just as much of a nosy parker as ever!

Hope you are enjoying the updates. I think it is a great excuse for me to "have to" check on one of my bins!

http://www.wormsandstuff.com/2013/02/13/day-4-of-the-great-worm-fac...

[George]

Looking good Sandy.

What I did to get rid or minimize the mites was to put in a couple of avocados cut in half.

My mites preferred them and when the avocados got covered I took them out.

Hmmm, next time I think I will try and reuse the avocado by washing it off and putting it back in.

[Sandy Christenson]

That is a great idea! I love avocado. When I lived in Texas, I ate them nearly every day. Unfortunately the price of avocados in Alaska is sky high! But, if I can justify it as a business expense... :)

[Sandy Christenson]

I would definitely recommend washing them off and reusing them. The mites do not live long outside of their environment.

[Sue]

I get bread end cut offs from a breakfast & lunch place where I also get eggshells and the (great) trays. Mites will cover the bottom of these slices in no time once the bottom is damp. Some people dip the bread in milk to get the mites move faster. By letting the bin dampen the bread, it's easy to pick up that slice w/o breaking and shake the mites off outside the bin. Works great for me.

[Sandy Christenson]

Thanks, Sue! I will have to try that method, too!