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European Night Crawlers in bins - 2006/01/03 11:36I have been experimenting with growing ENC's (european night crawlers)in the same type indoor bins as I have my Redworms. I started back in spring of last year with 2 pounds. I now have 4 bins with lots of happy, fat ENC's I do find that they seem to like things a bit wetter and cooler than the reds. It is said that they reproduce slower than the EF's, (eisenia fetida..redworms), but I have to say that mine, born and raised in these systems are reproducing faster than my original 2 pounds. I have been setting up "Grow Your Own Bait" systems for folks with these ENC's. There is compost for the gardener in the family, free bait for the fisherman and all the while "Starving the Landfill and Feeding the Earth".Susan Quinby-Honer redhen@nc.rr.com Starve the Landfill...Feed the Earth.
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Bob Ingram
Visitor A Protected Species Earthworm
Posts: 156
Re:European Night Crawlers in bins - 2006/01/03 16:52Atta Girl...this has been my belief for a while. Though I've never met a worm I didn't like, I do like the idea the E. hortensis can survive in the lawn and garden as well as in a bin...Seeya, Bobwww.trinity-ranch.com
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sauce man
User A Juvenile Earthworm
Posts: 43
Re:European Night Crawlers in bins - 2006/01/04 21:39Sounds like your worms are evolving.
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Larry in Illinois
User A Hatchling Earthworm
Posts: 11
Re:European Night Crawlers in bins - 2006/01/07 16:54I don't suppose ya'all feeling gutsy enough to put'em against my PE's, would ya!! :>
Larry
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redhen
User A Protected Species Earthworm
Posts: 684
Re:European Night Crawlers in bins - 2006/01/07 23:00LARRY!..gosh I haven't seen a post from you..well..it's just been too long.. hmmm..PE's in a bin? From all that I have ever heard, I think my ENC's would fair much better in a bin than the PE's...hhmmm.Susan Quinby-Honer redhen@nc.rr.com Starve the Landfill...Feed the Earth.
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Bob Ingram
Visitor A Protected Species Earthworm
Posts: 156
Re:European Night Crawlers in bins - 2006/01/08 04:54Well, Larry, those Pe's are eatin machines, but I hate trying to get em on a hook....or keep em where they don't wanna be, lol.www.trinity-ranch.com
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Larry in Illinois
User A Hatchling Earthworm
Posts: 11
Re:European Night Crawlers in bins - 2006/01/08 07:32Well, Susan, that's what happens when someone who graduated in '62 and not in the upper 10% of the class goes 1 on 1 with a computer that doesn't work. Ended up calling in the pro's. Going to take a online course in PC Troubleshooting from the local college shortly. (Going to teach my PE's how to be geek's) Bob, me and the PE's have a working agreement, they do the composting the ENC's go fishing. :> Larry
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Bob Ingram
Visitor A Protected Species Earthworm
Posts: 156
Re:European Night Crawlers in bins - 2006/01/09 18:08Yessir! As one 62 graduate to another, we're gonna have to get together and dunk some of these worms! Seeyawww.trinity-ranch.com
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Judy
User A Juvenile Earthworm
Posts: 40
Re:European Night Crawlers in bins - 2006/01/12 08:00I have ENC's from Bob's ranch in bins in my basement. I estimate it took them almost a year to really get with the program. After that, the bins remain worms almost shoulder to shoulder. I have dipped many out to give away. In almost no time, the numbers are back.
I've been keeping them more moist than the redworms. I feed on top all the time, except for a bit I buried for a furnace. Coffee filters represent a new layer of bedding and the next food goes onto what is left of the last layer.
They have even put up with a major turning over when I thought I would sort and harvest the castings in December. I found they were functioning happily all over the bins among too many egg capsules to rescue in my handsorting and decided to let that project go. There are some fat ones and always lots of babies. Perhaps they grow a bit slower, but i don't remember spotting so many little ones.
They have a real taste for pumpkin!When Life Gives You Scraps, Make A Quilt.
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bestbait
User A Fertile Cocoon
Posts: 6
Re:European Night Crawlers in bins - 2006/01/14 22:28I purchased 500 baby euro nightcrawlers last year from a local grower. I started out with one bin feeding the worms on the surface with a mixture of ground corn, grain, oats and barley mixed with a little skim milk powder and baking soda. After 3 mos I seperated my orginal bin into 3 bins and have had to do this every month. The euro crawlers require more water than normal worms and I have found if their growth rate slows and the bin is not over crowded just add a little baking soda and they'll liven up and start growing faster again. I own a small bait shop and these worms breed faster than I can sell em. They also eat their weight in food daily. I now have 24 bins and a endless supply of worms...no more out in the dark crawling around on the golf course. Euro's rock!
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dreadpiratk
User A Fertile Cocoon
Posts: 8
Re:European Night Crawlers in bins - 2006/01/15 15:25That's great. We just switched to ENC's from redworms for our castings business, and I was concerned about the reproduction rates. That's the first I've read of using baking soda in the worm's diet, I'll have to try that one out. What would you estimate the time to double the population is?
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bestbait
User A Fertile Cocoon
Posts: 6
Re:European Night Crawlers in bins - 2006/01/16 21:35You can easily double your population in about 3 months. The baking soda reduces the acid levels and keeps the worms digestive system in optimal shape increasing growth and casting production. If you're trying to increase your numbers maybe try seperating the worms capsules and placing them in a seperate container. Keep this one between 65-73 F and moist but not soaked. This will shorten the time for hatching. Also I have found an increase in the numbers of worms hatching from each capsule. Euro's ROCK !!!
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Kyle
User A Protected Species Earthworm
Posts: 107
Re:European Night Crawlers in bins - 2006/01/20 22:22Hey best could you please your recipe. For example how much of each ingredient. Thankyou.
Kyle
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Kuznles
User A Juvenile Earthworm
Posts: 59
Re:European Night Crawlers in bins - 2006/01/27 19:26When you young fellas (Bob and Larry) decide to go fishing, let me know, maybe I can meet yall in MO.KuznLes
Kountrykuznworms.com
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Bob Ingram
Visitor A Protected Species Earthworm
Posts: 156
Re:European Night Crawlers in bins - 2006/01/28 09:31Sounds like a winner,Les! Friends, fishin and fish fish fry.....couldn't get much better than that, lol.www.trinity-ranch.com
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I do find that they seem to like things a bit wetter and cooler than the reds. It is said that they reproduce slower than the EF's, (eisenia fetida..redworms), but I have to say that mine, born and raised in these systems are reproducing faster than my original 2 pounds. I have been setting up "Grow Your Own Bait" systems for folks with these ENC's. There is compost for the gardener in the family, free bait for the fisherman and all the while "Starving the Landfill and Feeding the Earth".
Euro's ROCK !!!