worm box problems

Hey everyone,

Been a while since I have checked in here. Life has been very busy the past few weeks.

I am having problems with my worm box under my bunny hutch. We set this up about 5 weeks or so ago and put 2000 worms in. Things were going fine for a while. I even noticed tiny baby worms at one point. Then all of a sudden my worms have disappeared and my box is overrun with tiny ants about 3mm or 1/8" long. Did the ants eat my worms or run them off?

Here is how things are set up. The box is approx 3ft by 8ft by 11 inches deep with a plywood bottom. I drilled 3/8" drainage holes in the bottom on a 6" grid per directions I had for building a worm box. I started the box off with a mixture of composted cow manure, topsoil, shredded newspaper and shredded cardboard. We put the worms in and topped it all off with about a half inch of grass clippings to try and help hold moisture in. I tried to keep the bed moist but not sopping wet. The directions I had said about as damp as a wrung out sponge.

For weeks i could go out wnad turn over a patch and find worms just anywhere I looked. Now when I do that all I find are those tiny ants.

I don't mind buying more worms and starting over but I need fond out what went wrong before I do that.

I sure could us some expertise of some of you worm farmers out there.

I didn't really see and appropriate place in the critters section to put this so I put it here in the general permacutlure spot. If it is more appropriate somewhere else please move it.

Ray

http://www.redwormcomposting.com/ here is a link to a great post about vermacomposting.You will learn more than you would like about worm composting LOL Have fun

A few questions:
1. What is the PH?
2. What are the bin temperatures?
3. How often are you stirring up the bin?
4. Are you feeding anything but the rabbit droppings?

Ants in a worm bin are usually a sign that the bin is too dry. I would suggest soaking it really good for a few days and the ants will leave. At least that is what has worked best for me over the last 8 years.
I have not witnessed ants to be predatory.
If your worms are gone, they likely died or ran away from home if the bin conditions were bad.

Thanks Liz,

I did find a worm farming forum. There's a forum for everything now days.

They all pretty much concluded the same thing, that I let me box get too dry. Live and learn. I have been watering it everyday to try and run the ants off. Before I refill it with worms I need to figure out what to do about winter. How do I keep my worms from freezing over the winter? I dont' want to put out another $50 in worms just to have them freeze and die again over the winter.

Ray

It is my opinion that summer is far more dangerous than winter.
As long as your bin has a food supply in winter, the worms will survive.