How to prepare worms for wintering in cold weather

How vermiculture survives winter

The lively activity of earthworms continues up to +8°C. When the environmental temperature drops to +6-+8°C, the worms begin preparing for winter:

go deep into the soil, empty the intestines of food and hibernate;
at +4°C the activity of worms decreases completely.

Ordinary wild worms tolerate freezing of the soil well, and when the weather warms, they thaw and come to life. For breeding species it is necessary to prepare shelters. The Staratel breed is one of the most frost-resistant and unpretentious, which is why it is so popular in the Russian climate. However, it is better not to allow the substrate with worms to freeze.

Breeders cultivate Prospectors in a variety of ways. If worms live in small worm boxes all year round, then they can be easily moved to any place. But if the livestock lives in piles in the open air, then special measures are needed to preserve it.

Street piles are arranged in the form of compost heaps or shafts, large containers or pits, covered on top with special materials for thermal and waterproofing. Boxes are more suitable for mild climates, but a well-insulated pit or pile will not freeze even in severe winters.

Conclusion

If you approach the maintenance of worms responsibly, you can store them at home throughout the year. By creating comfortable conditions for the worms, close to natural ones, you can provide them with a decent existence, growth and even reproduction. A fisherman will never have a shortage of quality bait. This will help you significantly save both time and budget.

Each fisherman determines for himself the optimal methods for saving fish. The choice of the desired storage method is based not only on the living conditions, but also on the capabilities of the fisherman, as well as on the goals of the upcoming fishing.

In any case, the bait must be viable in order to attract the attention of the fish. This guarantees a high-quality catch and pleasure from time spent productively. All of the above recommendations will help to successfully preserve worms for later use, and will bring joy to the fisherman from the catch.

Arranging worms for the winter

To keep the livestock intact, you should figure out how to prepare the worms for winter long before the onset of cold weather.

Insulation of street collar

In the fall, you need to take care of nutritious compost. If the temperature under the shelter does not drop below +8°C, then the worms will work and reproduce all winter. If there is a lack of food, they will die.

First, a nutrient layer is laid on top of the substrate with worms. The mass must be moist, loose and breathable (otherwise the worms will suffocate). For food, plant residues, vegetables from the garden, ready-made compost from rotted solid waste or manure, wet cardboard, paper, etc. are suitable (read more at the link: “What to feed a prospector .” To make the mass loose, the mass is mixed or layered with leaves, straw, sawdust.The humidity of the nutrient bed is brought to 75-85%.The garbage will rot over time and will also go into food for the worms.

Before frost sets in, a microclimate will form in the substrate and a sufficient number of anaerobic bacteria will develop (their vital activity will also maintain the temperature). When it gets cold, the piles are covered with a thick layer of dry straw, leaves or sawdust. Its height depends on the local climate. There is a covering material on top, for example dense polyethylene, in which several holes must be made for air circulation. A layer of snow will also effectively protect the pile from frost.

If the weather permits, Prospectors will overwinter well in large containers. The sides of the containers are insulated with foam plastic (or other synthetic insulation) and lined with straw and sawdust. On top there is a breathable nutrient layer, dry straw (sawdust) and a lid.

Due to the difference between internal and external temperatures, effective gas exchange will occur in piles of any type. The worms will be able to move freely in the substrate and select areas with a suitable microclimate. At low temperatures inside the pile (from 0 to +4°C), the worms will spend the winter in suspended animation.

Wintering indoors

For this method, you will need to make or buy several small worms.

In autumn, when the air temperature drops to +6-+8°C and long-term frosts have not yet set in, part of the livestock along with the soil needs to be planted in containers and installed in a suitable room (room, basement, insulated veranda, cattle pen, the main thing is that there were no cold snaps below +4°C).

Worms will continue to reproduce and produce humus if the habitat temperature is above +8°C. If you provide heat in the range of +15-+25°C, the mobility of the worms will not decrease, and they will work at full capacity all winter.

Once every 2-3 weeks, part of the organic matter processed into vermicompost should be removed from the worm pits and new nutrient waste should be added. If the population density increases excessively, the worms must be placed in different containers.

Important:
Prospectors stop breeding when overpopulated

Other important conditions:

If the worms do not have enough food, they completely stop their vital activity. Therefore, the breeder must regularly provide the livestock with food.
You can add new waste only when the old ones are completely eaten, so as not to disturb the biobalance (otherwise the environment may become acidic).
The boxes should not be exposed to direct sunlight. The close proximity of radiators and heaters can also cause great harm. At temperatures above +29°C, the worms will begin to die.
Humidity should be maintained between 70-75% and no more than 85%. At lower values the worms will dry out, at higher values they will drown (it is advisable to have drainage holes).

To be on the safe side, you can organize wintering in two ways at the same time. Place some of the livestock in boxes with a nutrient medium and care for them throughout the cold period. If the worms remaining outside in the pile die, their population will quickly recover from those that remained warm.

Storage methods

There are several methods for long-term storage of worms, each of which is suitable for different conditions. The fisherman can choose the method that is most convenient for him.

The following types of storage of dung worms and earthworms are distinguished:

in a canvas mitten;
inside a plastic container;
in a hole dug and prepared in advance.

Each method requires preliminary preparation.

Canvas mitten

Once the angler has been able to locate a canvas bag suitable for preserving worms in this environment, preparation can begin. You need to get land where the bait is placed. Afterwards the entire mass is placed inside the sleeve. It is important to properly close the entrance hole so that the earthworm does not have the opportunity to escape.

Canvas mittens

Next, the sleeve is removed into the shade. As soon as the air temperature begins to rise noticeably, you can dip the object in water for a few seconds, which helps the outer layer to get wet and cool the internal environment. You don’t have to worry about the worms; they won’t drown, but will only cool down, because water won’t penetrate inside. What is the benefit of this method: when water evaporates, it cools the internal space.

Plastic containers

You may also find the following storage method attractive because you don't have to look for something extraordinary. Storing worms in plastic containers will provide them with a calm and comfortable existence. This container can be an ordinary plastic bucket.

Worms in a plastic container

What should be the sequence of actions:

Find a bucket or other plastic container.
Dig up damp soil where you want to send the worms.
The entire mass moves into the bucket.
Everything is covered with dry leaves.
The bucket must be covered with a lid. The lid must have holes to allow air to enter the container.
You need to wet a large rag and wrap it around the bucket to keep the inside cool.
The bucket needs to be put in the shade.

If all steps have been done properly, the worms will be stored for a long time inside the plastic container. The only thing is that you can check the well-being of the worms two to three times a week to make sure they are safe.

Pits

Some anglers prefer not to remove the worms too much from their natural habitat, so they decide to dig a regular hole where all the worms are placed during fishing. This method is more suitable for those cases when the fisherman will spend a day or two or even more in nature.

What else to pay attention to

During the winter months, it is necessary to occasionally look inside the pile to check whether there is enough food and the norm (balance) of the ecosystem. It is important to maintain the acidity of the environment at 6.5-7.5 pH. If the substrate is sour, adding wood ash or ground eggshells will help.

The covering mass must be “breathable”. Air is necessary for worms and is a good insulator. You can even leave small air cushions between layers.

You cannot add fresh manure directly to the pile! Its combustion temperature is very high, and the worms will die under a thick protective layer.

With the arrival of warmer weather, those Prospectors who spent the winter indoors are released outside. The air temperature should not fall below +4-+8°C. The worms are unaccustomed to the outdoors and will need adaptation.

How to do it:

dig a hole in the right place and place the livestock in it along with the contents of the box;

Miners must acclimatize and get used to new conditions, so feeding begins no earlier than a week later.