Is breeding nightcrawlers worth it?

[Mr.DieHard]

Just wanted everyones opinion on breeding nightcrawlers. Is it worth the time, effort, and is it hard to do? Do they smell and is it unsanitary? It would be for my own use not resale. Not that im cheap, but little things start to add up after a while. Please share your views. Thanks.

[Ifishtoolittle]

Grow redworms instead. I looked up online that it takes several months maybe about 6 for a newly hatched crawler to mature so it's not worth it. Redworms on the other hand mature in about 2 months. Basically this is what I did I used an old cooler and damp shredded up newspaper (black and white only, the color in has chemicals that would kill the worms) and just stocked in about 300 redworms. After about 6 months I had close to 2lbs of worms, but my cooler stunk! The good part about doing this whole thing is that you can make a lot of super nitrate filled compost which the bomb for any plants that you may have. Oh and I forgot one more thing, for food, redworms will eat almost any fruit, but I'd stay away from citrus and extremely oil fruits. The citrus is acidic and the oils I'm not sure what it would do to a worm, but it's not good. Good Luck and PM me for any more questions that you may have.

-IF2L

[WARRIORMIKE]

reminded me if this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBrCaVySmDU

[smokehound]

If you have a compost pile, chances are, you've already got some in there.

You will never get fat earthworms if you simply raise them though.

All commercially-sold "nightcrawlers" have been fed high-fat, high-starch foods.

Finely ground peanuts, corn meal, etc are fed to adult worms in order to fatten them up.

Stay away from bread-- this stuff is bad news for redworms. Contains alot of chemicals that are harmful to them.

Dont worry about these dying in the heat. This species is adapted to living in poop in the sun. Very tough worms.

They live longer underwater than normal worms too.

[troutdog]

Now paging Koshaw....
(send him a PM if he doesn't see this thread)


TD

[billy b]

Baja (formerly syfaulk) up at Big Bear Lake used to raise them ... even fed them garlic.

[Ifishtoolittle]

If you have a compost pile, chances are, you've already got some in there.

You will never get fat earthworms if you simply raise them though.

All commercially-sold "nightcrawlers" have been fed high-fat, high-starch foods.

Finely ground peanuts, corn meal, etc are fed to adult worms in order to fatten them up.

Stay away from bread-- this stuff is bad news for redworms. Contains alot of chemicals that are harmful to them.

Dont worry about these dying in the heat. This species is adapted to living in poop in the sun. Very tough worms.

They live longer underwater than normal worms too.

Wheat bread should be fine for the worms.

[Natural Lefty]

I agree with Ifishtoolittle that nightcrawlers are much more difficult to raise than redworms. Also, if they are outdoors, this climate is much hotter than they like (unless you live by the beach or in the mountains). My father and I used to dump some nightcrawlers in my parents' yard, and they still have some, but they only live in places with really good soil and lots of water. They probably only come up to the surface when the weather is relatively cool, too. I dumped some in my yard, but they seem to have disappeared. Redworms, on the other hand, grow well wherever there is lots of moist compost, plus there are some other worm species in the mix. They aren't as big as nightcrawlers, but not troublesome to grow, either.

[smokehound]

Wheat bread should be fine for the worms.Well, bread in moderation is alright. Make sure you dry it out, first.

Go easy on the bread, though-- it can totally screw the PH up. Tons of byproducts in bread, especially milk which can sour the bin and cause the worms to flee to the bottom, and stop feeding. Wheat bread is a better alternative, you're correct.

[2quikmotorwerks]

Now paging Koshaw....
(send him a PM if he doesn't see this thread)


TDlmfao:LOL::LOL::LOL::LOL:

[Mr.DieHard]

thanks to everyone for your input. I guess i will stick to buying them for a little while longer. Eventually i want to try to grow my own.

[Koshaw]

Yo! I hear I have been summoned (or have heard my name in vain).

I have done some research on this... I tried growing red worms and European night crawlers and they did do ok until I forgot to change the soil and they died...

They are indeed hardy and can withstand temps up to 80-90F.

And yes, they are not fat :P ones.

To get the Canadian Crawlers as big as the store requires 3 big things:

The super fattening food they feed em.

The very low soil temperatures middle Canada has.

3)The soil chemical composition that Canada has.

So I learned that even fishing guides (300-500$/day ones dont grow their own but import night crawlers from Canada in very large quantities.

I would suggest growing your own red worms or the african crawlers. Its easy and all you gotta do is feed em and change the peat moss/soil ever 2-3 months-which then becomes killer garden food for your plants.

You can get a 3 cft bag of peatmoss at Osh for like 18$ or so.

Buy the worms in Ebay. They get to you fast and alive and cheap.

Keep the soil moist but not too moist.

Good luck!

[troutdog]

The worm guru has NOW spoken...carry on :Wink: :LOL:


TD