How do your sort the worms? (con't) by Larry Feltz
part 3 in a series on worm breeding - Sept 2008

When I work outside I like to wait for a warm sunny day On this day, I began by placing an old, much-used, 36 x 48 inch sheet of masonite (size and composition of this sheet of material is not important) to protect the driveway and assist in clean-up.

I put two one-gallon pails (the amount of material is not important) of partially composted stuff (directly from the worm bin) on the masonite in full sunlight. I spread it around to make a shallow pile maybe 1.5 to 2.0 inches high (measurement not critical). To the uneducated eye the stuff may seem unimpressive when spread out on a sheet of wood in the driveway. The worms are normally not visible. They, almost immediately, burrow down to get out of the sun

Waiting is the name of the game.-- Educated, intelligent waiting. Do not abandon the worms in a pile for long periods of time. They can be cooked in the sun. However, it is not necessary to be overly concerned either. The variables include such things as: how dense is the worm population, how damp is the material you are working with, how much material are you working with, how thick is the pile, how hot is the sun, how drying is the wind.

I started with a circular pile about 24 inches in diameter and maybe two inches thick.(measurement are not important).

I took pictures along the way.

Photographing worms is about as exciting as watching grass grow. But, as you remove material from the top and the exposed ends of the pile (material vacated by the worms, because it is too hot, too dry or exposed to too much sunlight) YOU CAN SEE THE PILE GET SMALLER.

The worms will eventually concentrate themselves in the center and at the bottom of the pile –cool, damp, dark.

Your task is to remove the material the worms have abandoned in their attempt to be comfortable.

Try not to be overly concerned – this is not rocket science. You do not want to have the neighborhood dogs, cats, raccoons, or children attack your pile. You do not want it to be cooked in the direct sun. But you also do not want to work too hard at this. The secret is to allow the worms to “separate themselves- naturally”. On this particular day I went out every 30 minutes or so. I removed the material as it became worm free. First I took off the rough, coarse stuff and put it aside to return to the unfinished material in the worm bin .

the end

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