Red Wiggler Worms

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Red Wiggler Worms
and
Vermicomposting
By Mrs. Brems 2nd Grade Class Earth Week 2006
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Where in the world can worms be found?
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Worms are found in the ground on every continent
of the world,except Antarctica.
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How many kinds of worms are there in the world?
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There are about 40,000 kinds of worms in the
world.
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What soil is best for worms?
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The soil needs to be moist and have plants.
Garden soil is very good for worms and the worms
make the garden better too.
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What are the parts of the worm body?
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The mouth is a small opening in the head. An
opening in the tail is called the anus. It is an
outlet for waste. The waste is called castings.
The body has 100 or more segments. Bristles are
on each segment to help the worm move. The adult
worms white band is called a clitellum.
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How can you tell the head from the tail?
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The worm always moves forward lead by the head.
Castings are left from the behind.
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What is the life cycle of red wiggler worms?
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One worm is both female and male. 2 adult
worms rub together. Each worm backs out of the
white band (clitellum) making a cocoon. About 2
to 4 worms hatch from the cocoon. They look like
white string. At 4 months the worm is an adult.
Inside worms live 4 to 5 years. Outside, they
live about 1 year.
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Do worms have brains?
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anus
intestines
brain
mouth
gizzard
throat
crop
Yes,each worm has a brain. Look at the diagram
to see the other parts inside the worm.
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Why are worms slimy?
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Worms breathe through their skin on their whole
body. The mucus (slime) helps them to breathe .
The mucus also helps the worm tunnel underground
without friction.
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Why do worms wiggle in your hand?
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Worms wiggle in your hand because they are not
comfortable. The light and heat hurt worms
because they are in danger of drying out. Worms
need dark, moist, cool soil to be healthy.
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How many baby worms come out of the cocoon?
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About 2, 3, or 4 baby worms come out of each
cocoon. Baby worms turn brownish-red after they
eat within hours of coming out of the cocoon.
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What do worms eat?
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Worms eat rotten organic materials like leaves,
old vegetables, grass clippings, and fruit
scraps . Outside, worms eat dead animals, and
fallen trees and dead plants. Inside worms will
eat torn newspaper,too.
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How do worms eat?
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Worms have no teeth. The worms mouth acts
like a straw. Rotten plants break down into
liquid.
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How do worms help our earth?
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Worms are natures recycling machine. Worms are
decomposers. They eat dead plants and animals,
and then leave fresh soil for new plants to grow.
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What is vermicomposting ?
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red wiggler in compost
Vermicomposting means composting with
worms. Compost is a mixture of rotting organic
material, or plants and animals. Worms speed up
natural composting by eating the organic
materials in the soil, and then leaving minerals
behind. They clean up the garbage in nature.
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How do red wiggle worms recycle in
nature?
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Red wiggler worms eat dead plants, rotten
food scraps, newspaper,grass clippings,and
leaves. They leave casting (worm poo) which is
mineral rich soil in the ground. New plants grow
in the rich soil. When the plant dies, the worm
eats the dead plant. The cycle begins again in
nature.
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What can be put into the compost container
for indoor vermicomposting?
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Indoor compost works well with carrot peels,
strips of newspaper, leaves, a little orange
peels, and other vegetable leftovers. Add a
little soil to get the worms started and a
sprinkle of water. Never put banana to avoid
fruit flies. Meat scraps stink. Egg shells are
great, but they take a long time to break down.
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What does compost smell like?
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Compost smells like fresh soil. Indoor compost
stinks when there is no air in the container.
Indoor compost stinks when meat scraps or animal
waste is put into the compost.
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Indoor composting bins need to be mixed daily or
a screened tube can be used to vent the compost.
Air helps the odor to be more like fresh soil
and not stinky. Here is a tube inside the bin
that vents to the outside in an indoor
vermicomposting bin.
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What predators use worms for food?
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Birds, fish, frogs, lizards, and some
snakes eat worms.
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What happens if a worm is cut in half from a
bird, or by accident?
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Worms do not die when cut in half. From the white
band (clitellum ) to the tail, worms can grow
back the half cut off. This is called
regeneration. This is a way for the worm to
protect itself from predators, like when a bird
tries to pull a worm from the ground.
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Why do worms go onto the sidewalks when it
rains?
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Worms can drown if they dont come out of
the ground which gets soaked with rain
water.
Worms on a sidewalk after the rain.
Getting out of the soaking ground is a life saver
for drowning worms.
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Where can you get red wiggler worms?
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Red wiggler worms are grown on worm farms. The
worms are sold at pet stores.The worm farms
supply rich soil for gardening,too. Red wigglers
stay in one place in an outside garden. This
makes them great for outside and inside
composting.
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Mrs. Brem and the 2nd graders at Bradt School
hope you enjoyed learning about taking care of
our earth with the help of red wiggler worms and
vermicomposting.
And the world will be a better place for you,
and me, You just wait, and seePut a Little Love
In Your Heart Lyrics from our favorite song
by Jackie DeShannon,Jimmy Holiday, and Randy
Myers,1969
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?Sources of information Cronin,Doreen. Diary of
a Worm. New York Joanna Cotler Books,
2003. Johnston, Tony. We Love the Dirt. New York
Scholastic,Inc., 1997. Lauber, Patricia.
Earthworms,Underground Farmers. New York Henry
Holt and Company,Inc., 1994. Oxlade, Chris. Soil.
Chicago Heinemann Library, 2002. Observation and
scientific explorations by the second graders and
the indoor vermicompost in the Mrs. Brems
classroom.