Worms in drain

[jgarvani]

Hi

I unscrewed the cap on the bin and it was bungled up with worms which I had to remove before any leachate could drain out.

Is this normal?

[HotBinDjinn]

I've seen the odd tiny critter in my leachate (drowning fly or beetle), and i've seen hotbins infested with composting worms because the compost never got hot. Never seen drainage cap bunged with worms before. Its possible they made their way into the compost and when it got too hot for them they retreated through the drainage holes.

[al99]

I tried to drain leachate today and loads of foul smelling dead compost worms came pouring out. I had often seen them at the top of the bin previously when the compost is very hot. Ive been hot composting for about a year and never had a problem before. Any advice welcome

[compost novice]

I've had exactly the same this week. Have had the bin for a year and never had this problem before. Advice please!

[HotBinDjinn]

There is little you can do to stop the worms getting in unless your bin is continually hot. I have my bin raised well above the ground. Once the worms are in and it gets too hot for them they will migrate to the coolest part of the bin, and as a result, drowning in the leachate.

[Chester John]

I have had exactly the same issues with worms. First they congregated around the lid, then they appeared at the drain which was almost fully blocked. Very little leachate came out after the drain was cleared. I have also had my Hot Bin for about a year and this is the first time I've experienced their presence. The tend to be pink in colour and about 2" or 5cm in length.
Still not sure after reading all the other posts if it is a good or bad situation to have.

[HotBinDjinn]

I have had exactly the same issues with worms. First they congregated around the lid, then they appeared at the drain which was almost fully blocked. Very little leachate came out after the drain was cleared. I have also had my Hot Bin for about a year and this is the first time I've experienced their presence. The tend to be pink in colour and about 2" or 5cm in length.
Still not sure after reading all the other posts if it is a good or bad situation to have.

Its good in the sense that there must be plenty of worms about. It's probably bad for the worms that they moved into your hotbin

[Lindy]

Hi, This is my first post. I got the hotbin for Christmas. I was following the instructions to start the process and read the bit about adding a bit of your old compost. I found loads of worms and thought it would be a good idea to add some!! Maybe not. I now feel like a worm murderer. Should I try and remove them? My bin isn't even that hot yet as it's winter - so only about 20c. I've been reluctant to use the hot water bottle as I don't want to cook the worms. Should I fish them out?

thanks
L

[strawberry]

Hi Lindy, looking at your photo there are a lot of worms! If you leave your bin operating at 20C and keep adding material you will soon fill the bin as the compost wont break down quickly. If you want/need to keep adding material to the bin then you will need to raise the temperature (which will cook the worms). Maybe best to scoop out as many as you can before trying to raise temperature. Also if you add fresh grass or some carbohydrates and give the bin contents a good stir you may find you dont need to use the hot water bottle. Good luck

[Lindy]

Thanks for that. I guess I'm going worm scooping, unless I can just leave it open and see if they leave of their own accord.
UPDATE...
Perhaps I'm not a worm murderer after all. I emptied the leachate and found loads of worms but the bucket I'd collected it in fell over in the wind. This morning I found all the worms happily wriggling around, so I've moved them back to my old compost. I'm going to empty the leachate daily and hope the worms will leave that way.

[HotBinDjinn]

I used to breed worms. From the photo showing the worms on the inner surface of the bin, I would say that's them trying to escape as the compost is heating up. 20 degrees is probably a bit hot for the average worm.