Final Results from Bob

by Bob S

I think I’m about finished with my temperature testing, unless the temperature turns really cold and provides some additional information that I’m not currently aware of.

I’m using a 1” Styrofoam box that is about 15 gallons in size. I have an unlimited free supply of them. We like free. Ha!



I filled a quart canning jar with water and am using a 7.5 watt aquarium heater that is preprogrammed to turn off at about 74F. I’ve noticed some of the reviews on Amazon have said theirs doesn’t turn off until higher. I don’t think this is much of a problem in my case. Putting one jar in the bin and heating the bedding heats the bedding to about 75F out to about 4-5 inches from the jar when the temperature goes down to the high 20’s.



I am going to put 2 jars and 2 heaters in my bin. I’ll monitor the forecasted low. I think I’ll put some worms in it now. I think there will be cool areas in the bedding like in the corners, but with worms and food for them the temperature will rise a bit. Of course, I’ll be monitoring temperatures, both lows and highs until I get a good feel for what they are both outside and inside the bin.



I’m not too worried about the low temperatures in the bin anymore with this setup. There will be areas where the bedding has a low temperature, say 45-50F, but there will also be areas where the bedding is 75F also. So I’m thinking the worms will seek the area they like best. If the heater doesn’t shut off at 74F, there should still be areas the worms like. Of course monitoring for a while is a must.




One question is airflow. The Styrofoam lid fits fairly tight, even with the heater cord coming in under the lid. I’ve put 2 holes at each end of the bin that are 3/8” in diameter. What’s your recommendation for minimum number of air holes?



I checked food level in the bin yesterday and found LOTS of tiny, newly hatched worms both in the bedding and around the sides of the bin. I also found eggs galore. The food was gone also. There had been lots and lots of worms feeding in the food. I had been using rabbit manure with crumbles mixed in. I finally got all the ingredients for your fattener worm formula. I had to substitute wheat flour for wheat meal and supplement pellets for the alfalfa mean. Small town. Ha!






Thanks mucho!



Bob S

Note from BigTex Worms about holes:
I suggest at least 3-4 holes on the sides and 4 holes on the lid. If it smells anaerobic (stinky), then add more holes.