Worm Digest - Re:Large Worm Bin and Heat Cycle???

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indianabc
User

A Hatchling Earthworm

Posts: 16

Large Worm Bin and Heat Cycle??? - 2008/08/07 16:21 I have a concrete block structure that is 3 x 3 x 3. It is used for composting horse manure. I want to add worms to these bins to help with the proccess.

I checked with the ag department at our college and they said the horse dewormers are not a problem - so what I am worried about is the heat cycle. When we add manure to the bin, the lower parts that are composting can be pretty hot. Will the worms move around this heat as the cycle happens - or will they die?

Thanks for any help and ideals. I don't want to dump a few hundred dollars on worms for them just to be cooked!

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Swimmus
User

A Mature Breeder Earthworm

Posts: 85

Re:Large Worm Bin and Heat Cycle??? - 2008/08/08 10:11 I have a concrete block structure that is 3 x 3 x 3. It is used for composting horse manure. I want to add worms to these bins to help with the proccess.

I checked with the ag department at our college and they said the horse dewormers are not a problem - so what I am worried about is the heat cycle. When we add manure to the bin, the lower parts that are composting can be pretty hot. Will the worms move around this heat as the cycle happens - or will they die?

Thanks for any help and ideals. I don't want to dump a few hundred dollars on worms for them just to be cooked!

They will die in that environment. If the temps start to get into the 90's, they will flee or die.

To have worms work for you, you need to create an environment that does not heat up. Worms will need a bin with area to escape any heating and the manure will need to be placed on the surface of the bin,not stacked and left to heat.

How many horses do you have? Depending on what you got, you may to create a bigger area for the worms. There are people on this board who have more experience dealing with horse manure and the size ratio of the bin to manure ratio.

Bottom line though, your present system will not be favorable for the worms. www.wormcrusader.com

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gnosnhoj

User

A Protected Species Earthworm

Posts: 544

Re:Large Worm Bin and Heat Cycle??? - 2008/08/08 21:39 Precompost the manure, or feed new in only a quarter of the bin at a time. When that .25 is through cooking, the worms will head there. Then you can add some more in an opposing section of the bin.
The idea is to maintain a healthy environment for 'em. If you don't keep track of temps & moisture levels, it is too easy to whack a herd right quick. Y'all have fun, whatever you're doing.
Gary
Hopkinsville, KY

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avidwormer
User

A Juvenile Earthworm

Posts: 38

Re:Large Worm Bin and Heat Cycle??? - 2008/08/09 02:11 I think the deworming product given to the horses may kill the worms. I'd try using a small test bed with each new batch of horse manure. If you feed it to 5-10 worms and they're still alive in 48 hours, your batch should be fine. Otherwise, you may want to leach the manure first. Avidwormer

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indianabc
User

A Hatchling Earthworm

Posts: 16

Re:Large Worm Bin and Heat Cycle??? - 2008/08/09 10:41 Thanks for all the help. About the dewomrer, this is what the university has to say about it:

Will horse dewormers kill red worms?
The most common wormer used is known by the brand
name Ivermectin? made by the Merial Company.
Merial?s research shows that the active chemicals in
Ivermectin? are deactivated when manure is exposed
to sunlight. Equine studies show that 95 percent
of the active chemicals in Ivermectin? are
deactivated in the horse before being passed in the feces. Leading experts in vermicomposting believe that the concentration of Ivermectin? in the horse manure
is not high enough to seriously injure Eisenia.

I will run a "quick" test, though, to make sure I am not going to kill all the worms.

I am set up with 3 of these concrete 3 x 3 bins - so I
think the best option at this time is to pull from the other bins into the center bin with the worms. Then I can pull just a foot or so at a time to let the worms do their thing without having enough depth to heat up.

Any thoughts on that?

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fourmares
User

A Protected Species Earthworm

Posts: 126

Re:Large Worm Bin and Heat Cycle??? - 2008/08/11 01:40 My bins are quite a bit smaller (about 2X2x1.5) I put fresh manure directly on the top of my bins. I generally put it on one side, and leave the other side without that way the worms have somewhere to go. I want bigger bins like you have.

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