White Worms

[bru55el]

Any ideas on the best way to separate white worms from the soil they live in?

I've got hundreds but it is a real pain in the a*** to pick them out 1 by 1. Don't really want to throw in a big clump of them as the soil in amognst them ends up in the tank as well.

Cheers

[Matthew]

G'day

Whilst not the best way, I used to place sticks over the top of the worms, and also some oats over the top of the sticks. Then the worms would be on the sticks the next time I looked and I would dunk them into the tank.

Not the best method I am sure but it was what I used, would be interested to see how others seperate them as well.

[Ged]

bru55el

Could you outline how you have set up your white worm culture and the regime you are using to maintain them? Sometimes the feeding regime that you use will concentrate the white worms making it easier to collect them.

Gerard

[bru55el]

Yeah the culture is in a box filled with soil which is constantly kept nice and moist. They are fed every few days with dry cat food which I mix into the soil.

I have found that the worms are concentrated in certain areas which does make collecting easier, but I wondered if there was any way of separating the worms and soil completely.

[Burt42]

A method I read about and have used with success, is to place a piece of perspex or glass on the surface. The food is placed up next to this and the worms collect on the surface of the perspex.

Hope this helps.

Regards

Grant.....

[Ged]

Start a new culture using part of your existing culture. Use damp peat moss rather than soil as the basis of the new culture. For a feed source use white bread than has been dampened with a dilute yeast solution of bakers yeast mixed in 1 litre of water. Place this on the top of your peat moss. I believe that white worms are similar to other worms i.e. red and tiger worms in that they are surface feeders. As the white worms will feed on this they will congregate in greater numbers and allow you to collect them in greater numbers without taking peat moss. Every so often stir up the culture to ensure that the peat moss does not become too compact. After a while this culture can be divided into two.

Gerard

[bru55el]

Thanks guys will try your suggestions.

Should have clarified...when I say soil I actually meant pea moss so at least I got that right

I'll try the perspex and white bread theories and see how they pan out.

Thanks for the replies.

Shane