Can I keep earthworms?

[snickersnake]

I live in Michigan and soon, I will no longer be able to get earthworms from my garden (not red wigglers - I know the danger).

Is it possible to keep them alive indoors during the winter months? Do I have to refrigerate them? What do I feed them? I've seen a lot of conflicting information so I'm trying to get down to the truth. Thanks for your help.

[Sid]

I,ve never kept them for long, but it certainly can be done. Here is a pretty gook link to their care. Earthworm and Nightcrawler Care and Feeding by New York Worms (http://www.nyworms.com/ecare.htm)

Good luck.

[drache]

that's the link I was going to post
in addition - if you want to go all pro in your set-up
Cabela's -- Magic® Worm Ranch Kit (http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0030422119300a&type=product&cmCat=SEARCH_all&returnPage=search-results1.jsp&Ntk=Products_liberal&sort=all&Go.y=0&_D%3AhasJS=+&Nty=1&hasJS=true&No=18&Ntt=bait+worm+farm&N=0&_D%3Asort=+&_DARGS=%2Fcabelas%2Fen%2Fcommon%2Fsearch%2Fsearch-box.jsp.form1&Go.x=0&_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1)
my vet turned me on to this and I still use it - makes keeping 500 worms through the winter a breeze

[Zephyr]

I'm currently culturing panfish worms and trying to culture asian giant forest worms for winter use. As of right now, only the panfish worms are really "going at it."

[Odie]

Hi, from Oregon, snickersnake :)

[Snakers]

Hi, from Oregon, snickersnake :)
oddie, w.t.f is up with doing this stuff????!!!!ITS SO CONFUSING!

[kibakiba]

I keep Canadian night crawlers. They're easy to take care of. I change their newspaper once a month and feed them coffee grounds and give them left over fruits/veggies :) I just have them in a little plastic container in my fridge. I have probably 50 now.

[ConcinusMan]

There is a lot of information on keeping a compost bin teeming with night crawlers. earthworm bin - Google Search (http://www.google.com/search?q=earthworm+bin&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a) You could buy or build a box specifically for raising worms, although, if you wanted to have feeder worms available year 'round you would have to keep them cool during summer months, and warm during very cold months.

Around my home, a huge pile of rotting leaves (generates heat even when it's freezing outside) and compost is a great place to find them, although, in the summer when it's hot, they burrow deep under the compost and can't be found, no matter how wet I keep it. they prefer soil temps at 50-60 degrees. Any warmer, they go deeper. I have kept them in the fridge at 40 degrees for weeks and they don't die as long as it is not too wet.

For the most part, I just buy them (available year 'round a block away for $1.99 for 13 big ones) but in late spring on a warm rainy night, they are all over my street and driveway, ready to be picked up. Lucky I guess.

Still trying to figure out why they are called "Canadian" night crawlers. They are native to Europe, NOT North America... plain and simple:cool:

[Stefan-A]

Still trying to figure out why they are called "Canadian" night crawlers. They are native to Europe, NOT North America... plain and simple:cool:
Yeah, why not go all the way and name those worms "Freedom worms"?

[ConcinusMan]

Oy vey :rolleyes:

[kibakiba]

I'm not the namer of these worms, all I know is the ones I have are collected from Canada... Hence, Canadian night crawlers ;)

[guidofatherof5]

but in late spring on a warm rainy night, they are all over my street and driveway, ready to be picked up. Lucky I guess.


Be very cautious, worms collected from the street can be contaminated by automotive(oil,gas,transmission fluid,etc.) fluids. Driveways might be OK as long as there isn't any contaminates around.
I'm sure you are cautious but I thought I would bring it up anyway.;)

[ConcinusMan]

Don't worry, it's clean around here. When worms are on the streets, there's so much rain for so many days, everything gets washed away. Oh, and my car doesn't drip. No driveway slicks.

Very good point anyway.

[infernalis]

It is a great point, I roped off one of my swamp holes to keep ATV traffic out of it for just that reason.

These guys ride into the muck and get chain lube, engine oil and possibly even some gasoline in the water, contaminating the polliwogs and newts.