Q&A for How to Grow Your Own Fishing Worms

When mating, the worms join together with heads pointing in opposite directions. Sperm is passed from one worm to the other and stored in sacs, a cocoon forms on the worm, then eggs and sperm are deposited in the cocoon.

They should start multiplying in about 30 days. The more worms you have, the more babies there will be.

Yes, you can. Since freezers are insulated, they tend to stay cooler in warm weather (if kept in a shaded area).

Yes. I half-filled an old bathtub with composted leaf litter. I introduced the worms, lightly watered the compost, then fed the worms with potato peelings and skins from my garden compost heap. I placed the bathtub in a shady tree-lined area of the garden, and covered it with a glass shower door with good ventilation.

You can take what you need out immediately, or at any other time. But keep it in mind that you are cutting down on your breeding stock by removing worms before they start multiplying, which takes about 30 days.

You can feed the worms 2-3 a week or every other week. It really depends on what type of worms and how many you have.

Keep them in a large can with air holes, some compost, dirt and water mixed together. There should be enough mixture for two thirds of the can.

Yes, home farmed worms are generally better because you know they haven't been exposed to chemicals and they are wild.

It is best to house them indoors during winter, where you can regulate the temperature.

You could. Worms will generally eat the roots if given the option. However, this could help maintain the temperature, so it depends.

Keep your worms from crawling by keeping a light shining on them for 24-48 hours.

You can keep them in a Rubbermaid tub with holes in the top of the lid. Keep them moist, use shredded newspaper and peat moss, and feed them coffee grounds, no citrus or meat.

I elevate the bed and use a granular pesticide under it. If all else fails I use burnt motor oil under the bed.

Why not? It would be the same as two separate containers, if your divider is effective.

If your worm bed is too wet, that can attract flies and maggots, so that could be your issue.

Yes, there are many videos on YouTube that show how to do this. They use one bin with holes in it on top of another one that doesn't have holes, this method helps drain excess water.

The best worms for small fish are Red Worms while for big fish are Night crawlers.

Sparse populations of worms may be slow to reproduce, but as a general rule, a worm at least 60 days old can find a mate and produce a cocoon that contains an average of four babies. Typically, a population of composting worms doubles every three to six months. Under ideal conditions, as few as eight worms can become 1,500 worms in only six months.

Try keeping them indoors in a large plastic container.

Sweet feed is not really good for worms, it generally just attracts them.

Yes, it should be fine.

Yes, but you will need to up-size when the worms start reproducing. Worms reproduce and double their population every 3-6 months, so I would recommend going from a carton to a container, then to a worm farm, and finally to a full size bed.

Used coffee grounds would be best.

It depends on how big the can is. Make sure you do not overcrowd the can or they will stop reproducing.

No. Night Crawlers are typically bigger than the Red worms, so the Red worms could get eaten.

Worms prefer a dark environment, so as long as you keep the tank in the basement or cover the glass with fabric, they would be happy.

An old freezer chest doesn't work. You have to use the big freezer (200m x 200m) so that the worms will fit in the freezer.

It depends on the size of the freezer and the worms.

It's possible. One way to check this is to put a little bit of damp sugar and something bitter (like coffee grounds) into the worm enclosure and wait a day or so. Then, check to see if the worms are crowding around one or the other.

It might be the wrong temperature for them. You want a big, lidded container with small holes to keep them contained.