Swollen worms

by Gary
(Sikeston Mo.)

Hi! my question is im having a few worms coming to the top each day 5-10, they look to be swollen some parts of the body and some body separation,and some have died, this is not happening in great numbers,5-10 a day,seem stressed,as i dig down all the others seem healthy and active,i have another bin set up exactly like this one and it is fine,bin doesnt seem to wet? PH is ok 6.5 lots of cocoons in both bins,dont think any are hatching as of yet,my bins are almost 4 weeks old,soil temp is around 65 degrees,dont know whats happening in this one bin,any suggestions,Thanks

answer from BigTex Worms
When worms swell up like that and fall apart, it is usually from too much sodium in the bin. It often happens when people feed chicken feed, worm feed, dog food or the like. OR if you are feeding scraps from the table that have been salted. NO worms can tolerate salt.

I would suggest you find a breeder/farmer of europeans to ask for sure, since I only deal with e.foetidas/ red wigglers.
Liz
BigTex Worms