I went to a worm farming seminar a couple of weekends ago and it dispelled two myths that I had believed my whole life!
Myth one: If you cut a worm in half you get two worms.
Oops! I remember being told worms were really good for the garden. I was 5. Digging up worms with the spade and helping them double in numbers… seemed like a good idea at the time!
I learnt that worms have 10 hearts, all situated in the top third of the worm. Their mouths are also situated approximately 10 segments down the length of the worm. If by accident I chop 6-8 segments off the nose or off the tail the worm may still survive (they will still have a mouth and a heart), otherwise they will die.
Myth two: A worms skin is so sensitive that if you pick one up the acid in your hand will kill it.
This is mostly false. Have you seen the little bands that sit around a worm? I never knew they had a purpose, they actually contain worm eggs. Touching a worm won’t kill the worm, but if you touch this sensitive band the eggs will die thus less baby worms.
Other interesting facts I learnt:
- There are 197 varieties of earthworm in NZ.
- Only 3 varieties of worm are suitable for worm farms.
- Just like us worms prefer fresh food. Therefore if you put too much food into your worm farm and keep adding stuff it is likely to go rotten! If you are going away then it is good to put in some neutral material like soaked newspaper (soak for 24 hours) for them to digest. (Also if your food rots it may form an anerobic layer to your worm farm which is difficult for worms to breathe through).
- Worms can live for 3 months without being fed – they will get smaller and stop breeding, and will travel if not contained.
I may yet be inspired to begin my own worm farm!
If you’re interested in further tips for worm farming take a look at Lindis and her well fed worms!
