Worm density

Ask all your questions surrounding vermiculture, compost worms and worm farm here. English only please!
Antworten
Benutzeravatar
Flomax
Moderator
Moderator
Beiträge: 1098
Registriert: Mo 1. Feb 2010, 00:20
Wormery: Wurm Cafe
Wohnort: Schiffweiler - Saarland

Worm density

Beitrag von Flomax »

Hello,

could anybody tell me something about the maximum of possible worm density in a common wormfarm or wormbox?
I mean a density in which the worms are able to work fine - without disturbing themselves.

I need this information to dimensioning my own wormfarm. Not for commercial use - just for private case!

The amount of biological waste that must be converted into humus is about 100 liters per week. Most of it is rabbit manure and a less part of it contains kitchen waste like coffee remains and vegetable scraps.

Please write an answer when you are able to give me some information about this stuff!

Yours sincerely
Flomax
Benutzeravatar
Wurmmann
Administrator
Beiträge: 1627
Registriert: So 13. Dez 2009, 19:02
Wormery: Wurm Cafe
Wohnort: Stadtoldendorf
Kontaktdaten:

Re: Worm density

Beitrag von Wurmmann »

The answer to this is so complex and depends on so many factors, that it is very difficult to answer. It depends on the feed and the temperature, as well as the pH Value. Also the consistency of your feed.

:arrow: To get a much better answer that what I can provide, do the following:
Take one of your worm farms, remove the lid and put in under a light. Add 2000 extra worms and wait 3 days (with the light on!). After 3 days, switch the light of and wait 30 min. Go back to the worm farm after 30 Minutes and check if worms have escaped. (Don't forget to check!) If no worms - or very little worms - escape, repeat the process until they do, making sure that you keep the light on for 3 days before you test the "runaway rate".

When a lot of worms run away, remove 1000 and theres your maximun capacity for your box, using your food and with the temperatures that you have.

Sounds tedious but its the most reliable way of getting a result...
Benutzeravatar
Flomax
Moderator
Moderator
Beiträge: 1098
Registriert: Mo 1. Feb 2010, 00:20
Wormery: Wurm Cafe
Wohnort: Schiffweiler - Saarland

Re: Worm density

Beitrag von Flomax »

Thanks for regarding my item and answering my question!

I understand that quantifying the worm density is not so easy!

It is as difficult as running a perfect wormfarm.

In the next winter season I will make this "runaway rate test". Actually my wormfarms are just breeding stations.
They currently have not half the population they should have!

Next weekend I will measure the ph-value, the humudity and the carbon content. To check if the environment of the worms is well prepared for breeding.

My first and ultimate aim is to increase the worm-population during the next six month.
Benutzeravatar
Wurmbär
Durchwurmt
Durchwurmt
Beiträge: 355
Registriert: Mo 4. Okt 2010, 17:42
Wormery: DIY Wormery

Re: Worm density

Beitrag von Wurmbär »

@ Flomax
Flomax hat geschrieben:In the next winter season I will make this "runaway rate test".
What about your promised test? Any results? :?: :P

In deep curiousity ...
Wurmbär
Scott A.
Ganz neu hier
Ganz neu hier
Beiträge: 4
Registriert: Do 14. Jun 2012, 13:20
Wormery: Wurm Cafe

Re: Worm density

Beitrag von Scott A. »

Flomax hat geschrieben:Hello,

could anybody tell me something about the maximum of possible worm density in a common wormfarm or wormbox?
I mean a density in which the worms are able to work fine - without disturbing themselves.

I need this information to dimensioning my own wormfarm. Not for commercial use - just for private case!

The amount of biological waste that must be converted into humus is about 100 liters per week. Most of it is rabbit manure and a less part of it contains kitchen waste like coffee remains and vegetable scraps.

Please write an answer when you are able to give me some information about this stuff!

Yours sincerely
Flomax

About worm density: I don't know if this will help, anyways -- my two cents.
Last week I added some kitchen scraps... then the other day I added the worm vitamins that comes with the farm. And a majority of them were all woven together! Must have close to 300 on concentrated together. So as far as density -- they seem to like their own. More interestingly was WHY they were so tightly woven together --- I wrap my kitchen scraps in news paper to control the fungus population and aid in moisture. We just started a new diet of green smoothie and made too much that we couldn't drink in time before a foul odor started to emit It. In less than 24 hrs the smoothie to begins to erode. Those little critters were there because of the green smoothie that had gone spoiled. I added it to table scraps and wrapped in news paper.
Benutzeravatar
Peter_86
Schon länger dabei
Schon länger dabei
Beiträge: 242
Registriert: So 29. Mär 2015, 14:26
Wormery: Wurm Cafe
Wohnort: Dresden

Re: Worm density

Beitrag von Peter_86 »

The average maximum population for the „Wurm Café“ is 300 worms per liter.
I found this on http://www.wurmwelten.de/wp/die-wurmkiste-streikt/:
Citation:
In a „Wurm Café“ (“worm café”) where 2 kg of waste are added per week, a population of up to 12,000 (worm) individuals can be maintained.
(GERMAN: In einem „Wurm Café“ was mit 2 kG Abfall in der Woche beschickt wird, kann immerhin eine Population von bis zu 12,000 Exemplaren aufrecht erhalten werden.)
One working tray of the „Wurm Cafe“ has usable volume of 13.34 liters (inner length x inner width x maximum filling height). The „Wurm Cafe“ has 3 working trays. 3 completely full trays have a volume of 40 liters (L).
12000 worms/40 L = 300 worms per liter.
300 worms per liter sounds much, but most of the worm population are freshly hatched worms and subadult worms that have not yet reached sexual maturity, which are much smaller than the adult worms.

This is only the average population density, because most of the worms are in the top tray because there is enough food. So in the top tray the density can be even higher.
Add some of the worm’s favorite food (like horse droppings, coffee grounds, apricot, pineapple, cucumber, ...) and you soon will find several 100 worms in a very small volume.
In the lower working trays
the population density is much smaller
, because most of the food is already eaten and digested. In the lowest tray, where you find mainly worm droppings, only few worms can be seen. Worms will only move to lower trays when the top is too hot (e. g. hot rotting, high air temperatures in summer) and/or too dry.
When it’s rather cold (5-10°C), worms will move downwards into the lowest chamber, which is the collection bucket in the „Wurm Cafe“. I left the tap open, so the collection bucket is humid, but not too wet (no worms can drown). During cold temperatures, I often find worms coiled together in the collection bucket in big groups up to several 100 worms in a volume of ca. 0.2 - 0.5 liter. So the population density is partially very high.

I don't know if this maximal population density is also reached or even topped in other worm farms or in an outdoor worm composter. An outdoor worm composter which is well protected from predators (moles, shrews, birds) and filled with horse droppings could have an even higher population density.
Die ganze Masse des oberflächlichen Humus ist durch die Körper der Regenwürmer hindurchgegangen. Man kann bezweifeln, dass es noch viele andere Tiere gibt, welche eine so bedeutende Rolle in der Geschichte der Erde gespielt haben. (Charles Darwin)
Antworten