Red Wriggler Earthworms
The red wiggler (eisenia fetida) is the world's most common composting worm. As a member of the epigeic – Latin for “on the earth” – class of composting worms, red wigglers generally will not be found in soil. Rather, they thrive in and under leaf litter, manure, decomposing vegetation, and other organic matter. I cannot find a tougher, quicker breeding and easier composting worm to raise than the Red Wigglers in an earthworm bin or an earthworm farm.
They also make for great fishing bait worms for fish species found in dams and lakes in Zimbabwe. This is not only because their shiny skin is attractive to fish, but also because their wriggling action that attracts fish continues for a while even when your hook is in the water.
When it comes to chicken feed, bream and tilapia fish feed and the like, there are many better options such as black soldier flies and various other maggots and worms to raise. Red Wriggler earthworms should only be kept for vermicomposting and fishing bait worms.
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Composting Ability and Feeding Habits
Red wigglers reproduce more rapidly than other types of earthworms. Dwelling on the surface makes them suitable for vermicompositing. Given the fact that many other types earthworms are burrowers, they may kill themselves as they attempt to burrow to the bottoms of bins. This means the gardener would have to continuously turn the compost, since the earthworms won't be bringing material to the surface. For this reason, many other types of earthworms are unsuitable for vermicomposting.
Why Red Wigglers Are the King of Composting Worms?
Hardiness and Temperature Tolerance: Red Wigglers are a resilient composting worm, tolerant of a wider range of temperature than other species. For instance, its larger cousin, the European Nightcrawler prefers cooler temperatures while African Nightcrawlers, on the other hand, prefer warmer temperatures. The Red Wriggler can tolerate both the low and high ends of these ranges, reproducing and processing organic waste. Its cocoons are famously hardy as well, able to withstand prolonged Zimbabwean winters, staying viable in a suspended state until they are able to hatch in warmer weather.
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Cost: Thanks to its rapid reproduction capabilities, the initial investment you make in Red Wrigglers pays itself back very quickly. A single worm under ideal conditions will set of a spawning cycle resulting in 340 mature worms in 12 months (a mere 100 worms would result in 34 000). You do the math to work out how many worms would then come out of your 340 worms in year 2.
But red wigglers are nobody's idea of cheap initially. This is largely because most farmers of the worm in Zimbabwe find more commercial value in producing vermicompost rather than selling the worm, resulting in a low supply in the market. Also, smaller breeders of worms tend to go for the anaconda and puff adder varieties which are more commonly used for fishing bait, but are relatively useless at producing vermicompost when compared to the Red Wriggler.
How Many Red Wigglers Do You Need?
The amount of red wigglers you buy should be solely dependent upon the surface area you have available for vermicomposting. Ideally, you should buy 200 Red Wriggler earthworms per square meter of vermicomposting surface area.
But Red Wriggler earthworms are expensive in Zimbabwe , so it's more prudent and a safer bet to start with a lower density and allow the worms to grow into their worm composter. Unless you are in a hurry, this not only saves you on set-up costs, but also allows you to master the practice vermiculture as your earthworm population grows – and boy will it grow at an alarming rate!
Summary
The Red Wriggler is a hardy worm and isn't as picky about its climate or environment. It’s like the Energizer Bunny that just doesn’t stop when it comes to the 3 things you most need your vermicomposting earthworms to do, namely eat, poop, and reproduce. And, in the right conditions, they will do this without supervision, day and night, with no need for extra labor costs or specialized tools, nor do they even ask for electricity.
They are simply the most appropriate worm for the widest range of circumstances. If you're just getting started with vermicomposting and in need of some mighty red wigglers or you need a “top-up” for your vermicomposter, kindly contact us at GreenPula©.