The worm should be in the compost heap so that composting picks up speed. You can buy useful compost worms commercially, attract them specifically or simply breed them yourself. This guide is all about the hard-working helpers from the worm farm with lots of tips for hobby gardeners.
Where can you buy or attract compost worms?
Compost worms, such as Eisenia foetida, Eisenia andrei and Eisenia hortensis, can be purchased, attracted or grown yourself. They are available online at Wurmwelten.de, Amazon, Superwurm.de, Bestwormshop.de, Wurmkiste.at or in hardware stores. Moist cardboard boxes and organic waste are suitable for attracting people.
- Compost worms convert organic waste into nutritious compost as organic fertilizer for plants in the garden and on the balcony.
- You can buy compost worms at Wurmwelten.de, Amazon, Superwurm.de, Bestwormshop.de, Wurmkiste.at or in the hardware store (Obi) at a price starting at 19.49 euros for 500 copies in a worm composter and at a price starting at 35, 04 euros for 1000 copies as a starter set for compost heaps or manure heaps.
- Attracting compost worms can be done in a shady location using slightly damp cardboard over a mix of coffee grounds, rotted leaves and potato peelings as bait.
What are compost worms?
Compost worms eat kitchen waste and vegetable residues from the garden. The beneficial insects process this organic waste into valuable humus within a few hours. With a huge appetite, the hard-working earthworms convert half of their body weight into worm humus every day, thus making an invaluable contribution to composting. A triumvirate of three native worm species colonizes the compost heap in the garden, the manure heap on the farm or the worm composter on the balcony:
| worm species | Eisenia foetida/Eisenia fetida | Eisenia andrei | Eisenia hortensis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Names (German) | dung worm, stink worm | Redworm | Giant Red Worm |
| Coloring | red-brown, white-yellow furrowed | plain red-brown | reddish-blue-gray, pink ringed |
| Body length | 60-120 mm | 60-120 mm | 80-140 mm |
| Diameter | 3-6mm | 3-6mm | 4-8mm |
| Main function | Compost worm | Humus production | Fishing bait, food worm |
| Biological peculiarity | Hermaphrodite | Hermaphrodite | Hermaphrodite |
| Family | Earthworms | Earthworms | Earthworms |
The dung worm is one of three native compost worm species
All three species of worms prefer to live in the litter layer of garden and forest soil as well as in manure or compost heaps. Because compost worms have no teeth, they first crawl over the organic waste and release bacteria for decomposition. The earthworms then slurp up the prepared meal. After 3 to 8 hours, adult compost worms excrete the digested food as fine, crumbly, nutritious worm humus. In contrast to conventional composting soil in hot rot, manure worms compost organic kitchen waste much faster. Furthermore, a compost heap is not laborious to move if busy compost worms are active in the organic waste.
Excursus
Hermaphrodite compost worms reproduce in a meandering dance
Like all earthworms, sexually mature compost worms have male and female sexual organs. When mating, the bodies wrap around each other for close, mutual contact of their sexual organs. These are located in noticeably wide rings (clitellum) between the twenty-fourth and thirty-fourth body segments. Over the next few days, this ring moves to the back of the body and is shed as a yellowish cocoon. After a while, the young worms hatch out of this and are sexually mature within an average of 70 days.
Where can you buy compost worms?
Purchasing compost worms (€19.00 on Amazon) increases the population of beneficial insects in the compost heap in one fell swoop. In the worm composter on the balcony, a starter set with compost worms gets the composting of kitchen waste started. Eisenia earthworms are available from worm farms and online shops. Compost worms are rarely available for purchase at hardware stores because there are no suitable conditions for the creatures. The following table provides an overview of purchasing sources with prices:
| Shopping source | Price (500 pieces) | Price (1000 pieces) | Shipping costs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wormwelten.de | 19, 49 EUR | 35, 04 EUR | from 5.95 EUR |
| Superwurm.de | 19, 80 EUR (0.5 kg) | 34, 80 EUR (1 kg) | flat rate 5, 60 EUR |
| Bestwormshop.de | 19, 99 EUR | 36, 99 EUR | flat rate 5.00 EUR |
| Amazon | from 29.00 EUR | from 32, 90 EUR | from 6.00 EUR |
| Hardware store (Obi) | 34, 11 EUR | 68, 22 EUR | 4, 82 EUR |
| Wormkiste.at | 38.00 EUR | 76.00 EUR | from 4.50 EUR |
Please note that this table is a snapshot of current offers and does not claim to be a representative price list.
The rule of thumb for the right number is: 500 compost worms are enough for a worm composter and worm box, 1000 compost worms are enough for a compost heap and raised bed. The scope of delivery includes live compost worms as sexually mature worms, young worms and cocoons in mature compost as a food supply for the trip and the first two weeks.
Attracting compost worms – How does it work?
Compost worms usually find their way into delicious compost all by themselves
If you create a compost correctly, numerous compost worms will find their way there on their own. If the population in the compost heap leaves something to be desired, you can specifically attract the hard-working beneficial insects. The following trick invites dung worms and their fellow worms to linger if you want to recruit a starting population for your first worm box for free. Attracting compost worms works like this:
- The best time is when the weather is mild and humid
- Lay out cardboard, newspaper or egg carton in the shady location
- Moisten slightly, ideally with rainwater from the spray bottle
- Spread a mix of coffee grounds and rotted plant leaves under the cardboard box every 1 to 2 days
- Keep the locking area moist regularly
Organic kitchen waste, such as potato peelings, eggshells or withered flower remains, can also be used as bait for compost worms. After a few weeks, the feeding area is pulsating with life, as hordes of Eisenia worms could not resist the temptations. Lift the compost worms out of the ground along with a layer of soil about 10 centimeters high. Now settle the earthworms on the compost heap or in a worm composter.
Tip
Compost worms are useful in horse manure as living compost accelerators. If the dream team of worm species Eisenia fetida, Eisenia hortensis and Eisenia andrei is used with a population of 6000 specimens, a whopping 6 cubic meters of horse manure are transformed into nutritious worm compost.
Breeding compost worms – How does it work?
Worms can also be bred at home
Beginners in their own breeding can order a worm farm from specialist retailers as a complete set including compost worms. The well-known provider Wurmwelten.de sets a good example. The scope of delivery includes a worm bin on legs with three work levels, a side drain valve and a hinged lid, the capacity of which is sufficient for the kitchen waste of a family of four. As a pioneer colony for your own worm farm, 1000 compost worms (Eisenia mix) are included in all stages of development, including worm food, starting aid substrate, mineral mix and hemp mat for shading, ventilation and moisture regulation. To ensure that the meandering pioneers feel comfortable and reproduce as sexually mature compost worms, proceed as follows:
- Assemble the worm bin according to the manufacturer's instructions
- Fill starting aid substrate into the first working level
- Cover the substrate layer with newspaper, cardboard, egg cartons
- Moisten paper with water from the spray bottle
- Distribute organic waste
- Use compost worms including worm food
- Spread hemp mat
The pioneer colony of 1000 compost worms weighs around 400 grams. Since compost worms eat around half of their body weight per day, the maximum amount of kitchen waste to start with is around 200 grams.
In the following video you will see a worm bin in action, in which compost worms multiply and diligently produce worm compost:
Wie funktioniert die Wurmkiste? Teil 1
Frequently asked questions
Which compost worms reproduce the fastest?
The leader in terms of reproduction rate is the red worm (Eisenia andrei). In contrast to the other two types of worms, these compost worms score points with a reproduction rate that is up to 10 times higher (33% versus 3.5%). Furthermore, scientists were able to observe in 2003 that significantly more worms hatch from red worm cocoons than from dung worm cocoons.
What do compost worms like to eat most?
Compost worms love mushrooms that grow on rotted vegetable waste
At the top of the menu for compost worms are all kinds of microorganisms, especially fungi. Rotted kitchen waste is littered with fungal microorganisms and is preferred by dung worms, red worms and other Eisenia worm species.
Can earthworms migrate from the compost heap into the bed and eat the roots?
No, this fear is unfounded. Earthworms, including the subspecies Eisenia fetida and other compost worms, have no interest in living plant roots. All of these worm species feed on dead plant materials and organic waste. In addition, earthworms have no teeth or similar mouthparts that could be used to eat living roots.
Does kitchen waste compost more quickly in the worm composter by adding certain mushrooms?
Vaccinating organic waste with fungal microorganisms to accelerate composting is generally possible. Of course, this measure is far too time-consuming for hobby gardeners and is not necessary anyway. In compost worms, slurped-up organic waste passes through the intestines within a few hours and is excreted as worm humus. This time window is usually sufficient for sufficient production of organic fertilizer in a private worm composter.
What should you do if large amounts of kitchen waste are generated?
After holidays such as Christmas or Easter, mountains of kitchen waste cause headaches for hobby gardeners and vermicompost operators. Under no circumstances should the worm bin be overloaded with organic waste. Even the most hard-working compost worms are overwhelmed by this. Ultimately, the excess waste turns into a smelly, damp mass because the composting process is out of balance. Dispose of the normal amount of organic waste in the worm composter and throw everything else into the organic waste bin or, exceptionally, into household waste.
Can there be an overpopulation of compost worms in the worm bin?
Compost worms adjust their size and reproduction rate precisely to the local conditions. There is therefore no need to fear that dung worms will multiply in a worm box beyond a natural saturation limit.
How can you tell whether a dung worm is sexually mature?
A sexually mature dung worm is 60 to 120 centimeters long with a diameter of 3 to 6 millimeters. The body is clearly divided into 80 to 120 segments. The last doubts about sexual maturity are removed by the puberty bars. These are ring-shaped thickenings between the twenty-fourth and thirty-fourth segments.
Tip
Did you know that traditional earthworms and compost worms are significantly different. The common earthworm (Lumbricus terrestris) is up to 180 cm long, lives in deeper soil layers and cares for loose, fine-crumbly soil. Earthworms are not suitable for life in a worm composter and will not reproduce in it.
