Overfeeding
Introduction
You’ve probably read before: “Worms eat as much as their own body weight everyday.” With this, most excited worm owners dump tons of food in their worm bin straight away. Trust me, I did the same. And it wasn’t a good idea; they died within the first week. With this, the following article will outline how you can avoid the common problem of overfeeding your worms.
How much food is too much?
First things first: let’s address the question: How much can worms eat? While a worm can eat as much as their own weight a day, remember that they eat bedding too. Plus, their consumption also depends on the conditions they’re in. With this, feed them moderately in different areas of the bin. For example, rotate feeding in pockets: the four corners, then the middle. Only feed the same area once all the food is gone.
For instance, if you’re using the Urban Worm Bin, we recommend feeding once or twice a week, depending on the size of the bin. (Here’s our instruction manual, if you’re interested) If you want to get started vermicomposting, see our shop or click below.
But whatever the guidelines may be, the rule is simple: let your worms be your guide. If you find that they aren’t finishing most of the food after each feeding, reduce the amount of food you give them. If they’re finishing it rather quickly, slowly increase the amount of food you give.
How could overfeeding cause problems?
Overfeeding can trigger processes which produce chemicals toxic to worms, causing them to escape or die. If that doesn’t happen, your worm bin is likely to smell, and possibly attract pests. With this, it’s better to err on the side of feeding less vs. feeding more.
How about underfeeding?
It’s almost impossible to underfeed your worms. In fact, when there is any sort of problem, we recommend you stop feeding them for about a week, and the worms will be completely fine. Since overfeeding is much more dangerous than underfeeding, always err on the side of caution and feed less, rather than more.
Conclusion
The best way to prevent overfeeding is to simply err on the side of caution. Worms are very tolerant of low-food situations, and can quickly bounce back from underfeeding. On the other hand, overfeeding causes more problems in the long-run. With this, feed less than you think your worms can consume, then slowly build up from there.
Most worm owners have overfed their worms in the past. If you have experienced the same problem, leave a quick comment below describing what happened. In addition, if you know anyone who would benefit from this post, share it on social media through the buttons below.
