Common problems and solutions for your worm bins
Ants crawling in and around the bin, ant trails visible.
Bin is likely too dry - ants prefer dry conditions. Add moisture. Create a moat by placing bin legs in water. Remove any sweet foods. Relocate bin if on ground. Ensure food is buried. Ants usually indicate the bin is too dry.
Strong ammonia smell, rotting odor, or generally unpleasant smell coming from the bin.
Stop feeding for a week. Add dry carbon-rich materials like shredded newspaper or cardboard. Turn the bedding to add oxygen. Check if you're overfeeding - uneaten food creates odor. Make sure bin has proper drainage and ventilation.
Small flies hovering around the bin, especially when opened. Larvae in the bedding.
Bury all food scraps under at least 2-3 inches of bedding. Stop adding fresh fruit for a while. Add a layer of dry newspaper on top. Make sure bin lid is secure. Consider making a fruit fly trap with apple cider vinegar nearby.
White, fuzzy growth on food scraps or bedding. Sometimes other colored molds.
White mold is usually harmless and will be eaten by worms. If concerned, reduce moisture and improve air circulation. Bury food deeper. Mix bedding occasionally. Mold is part of decomposition, but excessive mold means too much moisture.
Worms sluggish and barely moving, slow decomposition, worms balled up together.
Move bin to warmer location indoors if possible. Add insulation around bin (blankets, straw). Increase bedding depth for insulation. Reduce feeding as worms eat less in cold. Consider adding a small heat source nearby (not directly on bin).
Bedding is dusty and dry, worms clumping together, worms moving to bottom of bin seeking moisture.
Mist bedding with water using spray bottle. Add moisture-rich foods like watermelon rinds or cucumber. Cover bin to retain moisture. Mix bedding to distribute moisture evenly. Bedding should feel like a wrung-out sponge.
Bin feels very warm to touch, worms sluggish or trying to escape, composting happening very fast.
Move bin to cooler location away from direct sunlight. Reduce nitrogen-rich (green) materials which generate heat. Add more bedding. Don't let bin compact - keep it fluffy. In hot weather, freeze food scraps before adding.
Bedding is dripping wet, pooling water at bottom, worms trying to escape, bedding looks like mud.
Add lots of dry bedding materials like shredded newspaper, cardboard, or coco coir. Stop adding wet foods temporarily. Improve drainage by adding holes if needed. Don't add water for a while. Mix in dry materials thoroughly.
Worms crawling up sides of bin or clustering near lid, many worms on surface.
Check moisture levels - bin may be too wet or too dry. Ensure proper pH - add crushed eggshells if too acidic. Check temperature - they'll flee if too hot or cold. Look for signs of overfeeding or compaction. Ensure adequate ventilation.