Hungry Bin

Q: How to get the best results?
A: Our worms are of the highest quality and are supplied ready to be placed into your bin. Worms are harvested to order, so they will arrive in the best condition possible. Although the worms have a shelf life of up to two weeks, to get the best results, we recommend installing them into your bin immediately.

For best results we recommend starting the hungry bin with a minimum of 500g of live worms. You can start the bin with fewer worms, but it will take longer for the population to grow and reach maximum capacity. At maximum capacity a hungry bin has approximately 3 kg of adult worms present.

Harvest your own worms

You can start the hungry bin with compost worms dug out of existing worm farms, compost heaps or harvested from the natural environment. Wild compost worms can live in lawns, fields and under trees and you may be able to harvest some to start your bin. A good way to attract compost worms is to make a thin layer of food scraps on the ground in a suitable location and cover it with sackcloth. Add fresh food scraps every week. After a few weeks you will notice worms beginning to appear – these can be harvested and placed in your hungry bin. Compost worms are fast breeders. Under ideal conditions they will double their numbers every three months.

Q: What are compost worms?
A: Compost worms are different from common garden worms that live in soil. Unlike earthworms, compost worms do not make burrows in the soil, but live in the surface layer (the top 30 cm or 12 in). They have evolved to eat rotting plant matter on the forest floor, and are perfectly suited to break down organic waste. Compost worms are generally smaller  than earthworms.

Tiger worms (Eisenia foetida), red worms (Lumbricus rubellus) and Indian blue worms (Perionyx excavatus) are the most common worms used for composting.

Q: Help, my bin’s starting to smell…
A: If your hungry bin is starting to smell, or the food is rotting before the worms can eat it, add a fine layer of fibrous brown material each time you feed the worms to help balance the bin. You can also sprinkle a fine layer of soil or potting mix into the bin to help balance it. A diet of food scraps can be too rich for the worms unless the scraps already contain plenty of fibre (lots of vegetable stalks for example), in which case you won’t have to add as much to keep your worms healthy and your bin smelling sweet.

The food in the hungry bin needs to have the right ratio of carbon to nitrogen for the bin to be most effective. The ideal carbon to nitrogen ratio for a worm farm is 20:1, however food scraps can often have a ratio of 12:1. To balance the ratio of carbon to nitrogen, some extra material high in carbon may need to be added to the bin.

Fibrous materials are carbon-rich, which also help balance the higher level of nitrogen in food scraps. Also referred to as bulk or roughage – fibre doesn’t tend to break down and rot as quickly as food scraps. It includes paper or cardboard, dead leaves, sawdust or wood shavings, vegetable stalks, old grass clippings (brown).

The bin may also develop an unpleasant smell if it has become too acidic. Sprinkle a small amount of dolomite lime or rock dust on the top layer to help reduce the acidity of the bin. Adding fibre to the food when you are putting it in the bin may also help reduce problems with acidity.

Q: Should I add water?
A: Generally you should not need to add water to the hungry bin. Food scraps have a high water content, which helps keep the bin moist. The design lets excess water drain from the bin, but ensures enough moisture is retained to maintain optimal conditions. The worms do need to be moist though, so if the bin has dried out, sprinkle a little water on the top of the bin. If you have added dry matter like shredded paper you may also need to add water. Take care not to drown the worms, the top should only be as wet as a  wrung-out sponge.

If you are not getting much liquid it may be evaporating before you get a chance to use it. In this case you can place a suitable jug or bottle under the floor to catch the juice. Placing a funnel in the neck of a bottle will help catch the juice.

Q: How much liquid should my bin produce?
A: The bin will produce about half a liter (one pint) of liquid a day when it has a full worm population and is fed regularly. It is important that the liquid is free to drain from the bin  at all times.

If liquid from your bin is not collecting in the drip tray, it may be too dry. See Should I add water? The filter tray may also have become blocked with paper or plastic if this has been placed in the bin. Remove the floor and check the filter. Check that the bin is not exposed to intense sun for long periods and move to a shadier spot if necessary.

The liquid fertilizer should be mixed one part with 10 parts water before being sprinkled onto the soil around plants.

Q: My worms are trying to escape …
A: Sometimes worms will cluster at the top of the bin, and on the underside of the lid, if it is about to rain. This is a natural response to prevent them from drowning in the wild, or to migrate to fresh food when the ground is wet. They will return down into the surface layer when the  rain has passed.

If the conditions in the bin are unfavorable the worms will also try to migrate. This is usually caused by overfeeding, or if the food has become too acidic. However, if you keep the lid on as recommended, it is almost impossible for them to escape. Occasionally a worm may fall from the bin into the drip tray, especially if castings have recently been removed.

If the food is too wet the worms will look fat and pale. Add some dry leaves or shredded paper. Gently use a fork to turn the top layer and create some drain holes on the surface.

If heavy rain is flooding your bin try moving it to a more sheltered location.

Q: Going on holiday?
A: The hungry bin can be left for two to four weeks without fresh food. Adding shredded paper, dead leaves or dry lawn clippings to the food for a week or two before you go away helps the food last longer. Moisten the material after you have added it to the bin. If you are on holiday for longer you may need to arrange to have the worms fed while you are away.

Q: Flies, ants and other insects
A: The hungry bin is designed to prevent pests from entering. However, it is a living ecosystem and some small beneficial insects can exist in the bin quite happily. Sometimes these other insects are eating food the worms don’t like or prefer not to eat. Insects may also be present in food scraps that are introduced to the bin, e.g. fruit fly larvae.

The food in the bin will naturally attract other creatures. Sometimes insects like white fly are attracted to the bin because the food is too acidic. Try balancing the food with a little lime, shredded paper, dead leaves or sawdust. Covering the food with a hessian sack, old carpet or damp newspaper will also discourage unwelcome visitors.