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Next to my shed I've got a black Darlek type compost bin that I've been feeding for the past year.  During the recent high winds it got blown half over spilling half the contents out of the bottom. So I pulled it off completely so I could fork the contents back in.

I was amazed to say the least! Crumbly, sweet smelling, rich almost black compost crawling alive with beautiful creamy yellow striped Brandling worms, 100's of them.

I'm so proud of it and it's far too good to use, I'm thinking of having it hermetically sealed and hanging on my shed wall to look at...

Anyway, to make a short story even longer. I've just recently finished digging my three plots, 30 square rods in total.  I've found 100's of the little red worms, 1000's of common or garden lob worms. But in all that digging I've never ever dug up a Brandling in the bare soil. In fact I don't ever remember ever digging one up EVER!

Now My compost bin is crawling alive with them... So my question is, who the bloody hell put them there?

Do the just live in compost bins, migrating from bin to bin in the dead of night when they smell a fresh one being constructed?

Does the compost fairy sprinkle them in there when no one is looking?

Why have I never found one in the open ground or underneath anything even with the amount of digging I've done in my lifetime?

Why is the Brandling the only type of worm I find in my compost bin?

Most of all, how do they get there and how do they manage to evade capture in anywhere other than a compost bin?

 ??? dunno!

My dalek is always full of them too. It is on patio slabs, and I was advised that no worms would get in.

Stealth worm army ::) Today, compost bins....tomorrow, the world ;D

cj :)

They must migrate through the soil. Once one or two arrive, they soon multiply.

Couldn't little ones be invisibly attached to the roots of weeds you throw into the compost bin?
Good thing they're not hookworms.

Brandlings (Eisenia fetida) are an epigeic earthworm species,they are found in the natural environment in the upper topsoil layer where they feed in decaying organic matter. Epigeic worms build no permanent burrows, preferring the loose topsoil layer rich in organic matter to the deeper mineral soil environment. Even in nature these worms are found in highest concentrations in the forest duff layer or in naturally occurring drifts of leaves and organic debris rather than in soil. We duplicate the preferred environment of these worm species in the composting process, and it is largely for this reason that it is epigeic worms only that are used in vermicomposting and vermiculture systems.

They wander off in search of new food sources during the night if you have a pile of leaves around they will find it within a day or 2. However if you were to dump them on a lawn they would be dead before the day was out as they wouldn't have access to the humus they rely on.
They breed according to how much food is available to them if there is a limited quantity of food then they may stop breeding completely until more becomes available or some of the older worms have died so there is enough food around to feed their offspring.

Specific info on Eisenia fetida

Temperature range: Minimum; 38°F, maximum; 88°F, ideal range; 70°F 80°F.

Reproductive rate: Approximately 10 young per worm per week under ideal conditions.

Average number of young per cocoon: Approximately 3.

Time to emergence from the cocoon: Approximately 30-75 days under ideal conditions.

Time to sexual maturity: Approximately 85-150 days under ideal
conditions.

Life expectency: 2-5 years under ideal conditions.

General info on earthworms.

Oxygen requirements:
Earthworms are oxygen-breathing animals that absorb oxygen directly through their skin. Oxygen is dissolved into mucous coating the worms skin and the dissolved oxygen passes through the skin and the walls of capillaries lacing the skin where it is picked up by haemoglobin in the worm blood and carried throughout the body.

Moisture requirements:
Moisture is critical to the survival of all earthworm species because it is moisture within the worms body that gives it shape, enables it to move, and aids in the worms ability to absorb oxygen. To facilitate the absorption of oxygen the skin is very thin and permeable, meaning that the moisture within the body cavity is easily evaporated off, particularly in dry environments. The moisture range for most worm species is from 60-85%, which ensure the worm can absorb as much moisture as may be lost.

Temperature requirements:
Specific temperature requirements and tolerances vary from species to species, though the ideal range for most epigeic worm species is between roughly 60-80°F. The worms ability to tolerate temperatures outside of ideal is highly dependant on the level of moisture in the system, with hot, dry conditions being the most lethal combination.

Nutritional requirements:
Earthworms lack teeth and sufficient digestive enzymes of their own, relying instead on microorganisms to begin to rot and soften organic matter so it can be ingested, then relying on naturally occurring bacteria and fungi in their gut to digest their food. In the process of taking in this biologically active pre-digested organic matter the earthworm also ingests small particles of sand and soil, which lodge in their gizzard. As the organic matter and microbial life coating it move past this gizzard they are ground against the gritty particles lodged there and fragmented into smaller pieces, making them easier for the gut organisms to digest.

Researchers now understand that it is not from the organic matter itself, but from the bodies of the microbial life rotting the organic matter that epigeic earthworms derive the bulk of their most vital nutrients. Once thought to be detritus (debris) feeders, we now understand that the earthworm is actually a predator of microbial life, relying on microscopic bacteria, fungi, protozoa and algae as their major sources of nutrition. Thus, anything that will support microbial activity, that is, anything that rots, is potentially suitable food for earthworms. Materials that support the greatest level of earthworm activity are those that support the greatest and most diverse populations of microbial life.

PH requirements:
As micro organisms break down organic matter it goes through a series of naturally occurring changes in pH. Because earthworms thrive in environments rich in decaying organic matter they are adapted to tolerate these pH fluctuations with little or no change in their activity levels. In nature worms are found in environments with a pH range from 4-9, with processing and reproductive rates being no different at an acidic 4 than they are at an alkaline 9. In fact, all things being otherwise equal, earthworms actually prefer an environment with a pH of 5 to 5.5, contrary to the popular belief that they prefer a neutral pH.

With a pH tolerance this wide it is highly unusual for pH to be a limiting factor in any worm system. Further, the radical and artificial adjustment of the pH through the addition of buffering agents like lime can actually have a detrimental effect on the system. The organisms present in a given environment of organic debris are there because they are suited to that environment and whatever fluctuation may naturally occur through the process of decay. When the nature of the system is suddenly and radically altered it forces many of these organisms into dormancy and sometimes kills them outright, thus reducing the availability of nutrition to the worms and potentially slowing the processing rate of the organic matter.

The addition of lime to any worm system is generally discouraged except in those extremely rare circumstances where the pH has dropped well below the worms? level of tolerance.

Ultra-Violet light response:
All earthworms are photophobic to some degree, meaning they react negatively to bright light. The severity of the reaction depends on the species of worm, how bright the light and the level of light to which the worm is accustomed. For example, earthworms accustomed to some light exposure will react less negatively to sudden bright light than will worms accustomed to complete darkness. Some species of worm react negatively to bright light but are actually attracted by dim light.

Earthworms sense light through photoreceptive organs along their back and on the prostomium (sensitive lobe of tissue overhanging the mouth that the worm uses to probe and sense its environment).

Reproduction:
Earthworms are hermaphrodites, meaning each worm possesses both male and female reproductive organs. Some earthworm species can be self fertile, meaning they can fertilize their own ova to produce young, and some species are parthenogenic, meaning fertilization of the ova by sperm is not necessary to produce young. Most earthworm species, however, require that two worms exchange sperm in order to produce young.

When worms mate they lay side by side with their heads pointed in opposite directions, making close contact along the upper segments of their bodies. They excrete a mucous that coats both worms and binds them together, preventing them from being easily pulled apart and ensuring environmental conditions like rain or dew do not interfere with the exchange of sperm.

The worms exchange sperm, storing the received seed in a pore on the skin surface just above the clitellum (the differently coloured or thickened band that encircles the worm body). Once they exchange sperm, a process that may take hours, the worms move apart and eject their own ova into a pore on their skin surface near the sperm pore. They secrete a thick mucous around the clitellum, which hardens on the outside but remains sticky underneath, forming a band out of which the worm backs, drawing the band over its head. As the band passes over the pores holding sperm and ova they are picked up and held on the sticky underside. Once the worm has backed completely out of the hardened mucous band the ends close forming a cocoon with sperm and ova inside where fertilization takes place. Each worm will continue to produce cocoons until they have used all of the sperm received from their mate.

The length of time it takes for the baby worms inside the cocoon to mature and hatch out, and the number of young in each cocoon depend on the worm species and environmental conditions.

Contrary to popular belief, worms are a closed species, meaning they can produce viable young only with sperm from members of their own species. They cannot be hybridized. In those rare circumstances when two worms from differing species have attempted to mate, the result was either no young being produced or, in rare circumstances, babies that were always sterile.

The worm cocoon is an incredibly tough structure, designed to protect the young inside from environmental extremes and even ingestion by other animals. Cocoons can be frozen, submerged in water for extended periods of time, dried and exposed to temperatures far in excess of what can be tolerated by adult worms without damage to the young worms inside. The cocoon can even be eaten by other animals, provided it can make it past the teeth, surviving the digestive process and passing out of the animals body in the manure! In areas of climatic extremes it's likely that the adult members of epigeic worm species do not survive, but the cocoons do, repopulating the environment when environmental conditions return to a range that can support worm activity.

Earthworm cocoons are easy to spot in the worm bed. They are roughly the size of a large grape seed and similarly shaped, with one end rounded and the other drawn out to a point. When first dropped from the body of the parent the cocoon is a creamy, pearlescent yellow, darkening to a cola brown as the young worms within mature and prepare to emerge.

wow thats interesting. i enjoyed reading that thanks

Im going to look for grape seeds tomorrow!

Actually I have seen heaps of baby worms in my compost last week, tiny little white-ish ones

Quote from: gunnerbee on March 05, 2008, 00:34:54
wow thats interesting. i enjoyed reading that thanks

It's nice to be appreciated. If I talked about worms like that anywhere else I would probably be sectioned.

That's so sad, Baccyman. Anyway, slip your arms into this nice little white jacket and we'll go for a ride somewhere nice. ;D ;)

Good info.

cj :)

They are roughly the size of a large grape seed and similarly shaped, with one end rounded and the other drawn out to a point.

Wow - that's what they are.  Really interesting piece, thanks for taking the time to pass that on.

Thank you for all your explanations and scientific facts Baccy Man, it was all very interesting.

QuoteIt's nice to be appreciated. If I talked about worms like that anywhere else I would probably be sectioned.

I bet you've been waiting for years ready to pounce on a question like that  :D

If they only live in the top inch of soil that explains why I haven't dug any up... Quite the reverse in fact,  I've been burying the poor little buggers  :'(

  :o that was brilliant, i really enjoyed reading. Thanks baccyman, you took me back to my biology lessons of long ago.

Thanks for that baccyman - why were my biology lessons never as interesting as that?   We only got to cut up eyes and stuff.......  I suppose we did other things, but that sticks in my mind the most. ;D
Twinkletoes

Where did yopu get the info about the pH tolerance of worms? It doesn't fit with what I've done on soil science, but there could possibly be other factors at work somewhere that I don't know about.

Ain't worms interesting  ;D there's some info on this link too:
http://www.vermiculture.ca/all_about_worms.htm

Sadly the worms had a bad day on our plot yesterday! Perhaps it was the cold ground because a lot of them got cut in half with the spade :(

This last year in my granddaughter's new garden has been fantastic for her, she has lost the fear of spiders, loves to hold a worm and she's great at chasing the cats of the veg plot. She's 4 in a couple of months and learnt  so much in the last 8 months

thanks for the info baccy man

 I remember being in church once.

The Vicar stood there and produced a glass of whiskey and a worm. He dropped the worm in the whiskey and said... "Look, when I put the worm in the whiskey it dies!"

He then dropped another worm into a glass of water and then said... "When I drop this worm in the water it lives. What does this teach us?"

And a voice from the back shouted "It teaches us that if we drink we'll never get worms"

I'm sure the good Lord would wish us to be kinder to worms!