Download Feed on dead or organic matter they pull into their burrows Effect

A Worm Bin Habitat
Vermicomposting
•The controlled
decomposition of
organic matter by
aerobic microorganisms
and concentrations of
earthworms
•“vermi” means worms
Earthworm Requirements
• Moisture
• Oxygen
• Decaying organic
matter
• Darkness
• Temperatures we
like
About Worms
• There are more
than 7,000
species of
worms, and
4,400 named
species of
earthworms
• Worms are
categorized by
the way they
inhabit the soil.
Worm Habitats
Epigeic *
Anecic
Endogeic
Anecic worms
•Known as nighcrawlers
•Build and live in deep
permanent burrows
•Cycle huge amounts of
organic matter deep into soil
(like a natural AERATOR)
•Feed on dead or organic
matter they pull into their
burrows
•Effect soil porosity, water
penetration, and plant growth
•Low reproduction rates
•Slow decomposers
•Will not reproduce in a bin.
Endogeic worms
•Live in the top 12
inches of soil
•Create extensive,
temporary, horizontal
channels to move
through in upper
layers of soil
•Aerate and mix soil
(like a natural
rototiller)
•Feed on mineral soil
Epigeic worms
•Prefer plant litter,
live in forest duff,
loose topsoil layer
•Build no permanent
burrows
•Reproduce rapidly
•Non-migratory species
Eisenia fetida
( Red wiggler, Tiger
worm, Manure worm,
Fish worm, Ver du
fumier)
Earthworm Classification
Kingdon: Animalia
Phylum – Annelida (from latin meaning “rings”)
Class – Clitellata
Order: Haplotaxida
Family – Lumbricidae
Genus – Eisenia
Species – fetida (also foetida)
• This species is commonly found in moist manure and
organic matter. Example of such environments include
compost heaps and cowpats, forests, gardens, and
under stones, leaves, logs and roadside dumps.
• This species is usually found in close proximity to
human habitation and is used for home composting
and fish bait.
What Will Your Worms Eat?
Worms like to eat
decaying organic
matter.
•Worms eat ½ their
weight per day. One
pound of worms will
eat ½ pound of food
per day.
Worm Biology
• Segmented animal
• 80-120 body segments
• Segments separated by
septa
• Born with all their
segments
• Each segment contains
digestive, excretory,
circulatory and locomotor
(movement) organs
• Basically, worms are one
big intestine.
Photoreceptors
• Worms have no
eyes but can
tell the
difference
between light
and dark.
• Worms are
photophobic
• 30 minutes of
UV exposure is
toxic
“photo” means light
“receptor” means to respond
to a stimulus
“phobic” means an intense
fear of, causing distress
Respiration
• Worms breathe through their skin
• Oxygen dissolves in mucous coating the skin
• Dissolved oxygen passes through the skin and the
capillaries lacing the skin
• Picked up by hemoglobin in the worm blood
• Distributed by the cardiovascular system
Moisture and Oxygen
A worm body is
70-90% water
•But too much
moisture, present as
standing water in the
bin, can reduce
available oxygen and
create anaerobic
conditions
•Worms can drown!
Remember that they
breathe through their
skin.
Worms need air pockets
in the soil and air holes
in the bin. The material
should be like “a damp
sponge.”
Movement
•Hydrostatic (water under pressure)
•Circular muscles contract and elongate
•Setae are external paired bristles located on
each segment
Sensing the environment
•
•
•
•
•
Senses
Senses
Senses
Senses
Senses
“odor”
humidity
pressure
vibration
temperature
Consider where you put
your worms!
•A worm can hear a Robin,
or other bird, hopping on
the surface of the
ground.
•Vibrations can literally
scare a worm to death if
they think it is a
predator.
Earthworms have 5 “hearts”
5 aortic arches are located behind the ganglion (brain) and mouth,
which are wrapped around the esophagus. Between each aortic arch is
a gland to help absorb food and digest calcium from the soil.
Temperature requirements
• Tolerances
40° - 80° F
(4-27 C)
• Ideal
68° - 77° F
(20-25 C)
The temperature relates to the moisture level and
productivity level. Worms will most effectively process
organic matter within the ideal temperature range.
How Does Your Worm Eat?
•Worms have no teeth – a flap
of skin called a prostomium
forms the mouth
•Food moves down the crop
where it is store
•Food moves to the gizzard
where it is ground up
•Gizzard, like a bird, requires
grit to breakdown food (coffee
grounds, egg shells)
•Food moves out of the worm
creating castings (OK, it’s worm
poop!)
Eating and digestion
What does
a worm eat?
•
•
•
•
Protozoa
Fungi
Algae
Bacteria
Reproduction
• Hermaphrodite
• Mate to exchange sperm,
which is deposited on the
surface skin and moves to a
pore – each worm then
excretes its own egg and a
mucus band forms – as they
back out of the band it
closes to form a cocoon.
• Fertilization takes place
inside cocoon
• Average 3 babies per cocoon
• Time to emergence 30-75
days
The clitellum
The clitellum is at the “head” end, and is where
cocoons emerge from.
The Finished Product
•
•
•
•
Worm castings-the manure of the earthworm
Use 2 tablespoons per 4” pots
¼ -1/2 cup for one gallon transplants
Dig holes around plants and fill with castings
Environmental Application
•Post-harvest vegetable solid waste
•Urban soil waste
•Bio-stabilization of sludge (distillery)
•Nutrient recovery from industrial sludge
•Biodegradable organic waste