Paratrooper
User
A Mature Breeder Earthworm
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Re:mites in castings - 2008/05/13 23:51
I had mites as well but I was able to make short work of them . I let them play until it was harvest time . I separated all my worms (not counting cocoons and really small worms) and flooded my castings and stirred it all up . About a jillion mites came to the top and were either dead or soon to be . I then tilted my container and skimmed all the dead bodies out .I then drained out the rest of the water and let the castings dry out on a picnic table outside . If you want to use some of the old bedding so as to conserve the microbe action you can do this and let it dry after pouring all the excess water out . It seems that the microbes still live after a "bath". Before I do anything with the worms they need to be washed also . Simple kitchen strainer will do . Put some or all your worms in and slosh it around in a tub and any mites hanging out will float to the top . Believe it or not the worms will survive this with no problem . After I did this with a pound and a half of worms I had 2 dead worms . And that was an accident since they got into the tub with 8 others . (there's a significance to this exact count) . I discovered the 10 worms 2 days later and fished them out . After sitting for a couple of minutes 8 of the 10 started moving . They went into the new bin . I then let the compost sit for 3 weeks and took another 250 worms out during sifting with a strainer . Some were just overlooked but many were "newborns". Make sure that you let the compost sit for a while so the cocoons and babies you missed can achieve a size where you can save them . Worms will multiply exponentially so it's not the worm you save but the potential .I don't know much but I will share my experience with anyone that needs it .
Tom
Kingman Arizona |
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