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Ah, what you always wanted to know, but were afraid to ask....
The breeding habits of the Red Wiggler earthworm.
After the worms reaches about 3 months old, there will be a "breeding band" (there is a nice scientific name for this, you can look it up) it will develop about one-fourth way down from the head. It will be a lighter color and quite evident. As the worm matures this band will become thicker and wider...
The earthworms have both the female and male sex organs, when they breed they can each grow and deposit an egg capsule... thus is why they can and do multiply so quickly... each breeding can result in 12-20 babies, hatching every two - four weeks...With these babies reaching breeding age at about 3 months... Population explosion....they are said to double every 90 days. Which is fine if you have one bin and want two... but when you have a hundred and are looking at finding a hundred new bins within 90 days, and then four hundred 3 months later. Well anyway, you do the math.....
Breeding stock
Everyone that starts into the business wants "breeding Stock" my thoughts on this are:
 | The larger breeder earthworms are harder to get adapted to the new bedding, growing conditions and will have a higher mortality rate, besides costing more in the first place.. and actually in the long run will probably produce less. |
| Bed run earthworms are: "as they are found in the bed," which will be different ages and sizes... these seem to do better at surviving the new conditions and will reach "Breeding age" quite quickly...and do their best to repopulate their new environment. |
I haven't read anything on this, but my experience has shown that when the earthworms are stressed they seem to produce more egg capsules and go into the "survival of the species mode".
Things to do:
For those of you that have your worm kits up and running for a week or two.
| I'd like for you to Post on the blog what your earthworms and kits look, smell and feel like... that's right put your hand directly over the bedding and hold it there, is the bedding cool, warm, etc... |
| What does it smell like, and don't say coffee (if it does you have been drinking too much!), we need to start adding food to the kits, they should have some of their bedding gone now, just start putting in a little kitchen scraps... "no meat or milk products." I don't recommend chopping these up yet, just let them decompose naturally. |
| Toss in a brown paper bag that is torn up, you can wet this and put it over the top and a few egg shells if you have them, lightly crunched. If you have any problems let me know or post them on the blog. |
Quiz for lesson 2.
1. Is the bedding getting eaten yet, is it turning dark?
2. What do the worms look like, healthy or other.
3. How do you like worm growing so far?
Post on Blog or email me the answers if you want to: Judy
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T-Dome Homes Basic Manual