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!
Comments
I had know idea that those bands were bay worms. OMG. All those babies we have killed as kids. I think this deserves great publicity. I am certain not many people realize this. Worming farming is huge across the globe. I am certain people do not realize that these worms do not multiply by chopping in half. Seriously. I really did believe it was OK to chop them .Oh no. I feel decidedly unwell.
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Submitted by RobertJames on 24 May 2010 21:22:30
When I was young I built my own worm farm. I remember my mom drove me 30 miles to get some really special red worms that I just "had to have" for my worm farm. My construction skills at the time were seriously lacking and within a week or two the worms had all left out the bottom of my worm box)) Anyone can start a worm farm. They are great fun for the children and quite clean and smell free. One of its benefits as far as I learned from the piece of news found by http://www.mp3hunting.com SE is that it is an ideal way of recycling your kitchen waste and saving money on compost at the same time. You can buy your worms direct online, delivered to your door so you don't even have to dig the garden up looking for candidates! Kids love adding compost to the wormery and checking to see if they have worked their way through it. It is great fun for all the family.
Submitted by Hareton on 14 August 2010 01:06:14
Thanks for dispelling the myth on the worms. I could've swore that someone once told me that if you pslit a worm in half, you get two. Oh well, urban legend stuff. oral candidiasis, monitors on sale
Submitted by amberhear on 20 August 2010 13:04:36
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Thanks for the fun facts about worms. Myth One is certainly a popular one around the world, its good to have confirmation on that, haha. Its kinda crazy that only 3/197 varieties of worms are suitable for worm farms. I'll certainly take that into consideration before starting my own worm project.
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Submitted by kristi on 2 September 2010 23:31:45