Red Wigglers - Eisenia fetida - "Kings of Compost" The Red Wiggler is the best kind of worm for home composting. They have a huge
appetite (for a worm), reproduce quickly, and thrive in confinement. The red wigglers are also
used for composting sewage sludge and manure, and
as dietary supplements for fish, birds, turtles, etc. The red wiggler is not a burrowing worm and lives in the top 6-8 inches of bedding. A mature breeder will produce a cocoon every 7 to 10 days. In a 20-week period, one redworm produces about
223 offspring at
68-77*F (20-25*C). For
intensive cocoon production and hatching, red wigglers are most active
from 60 to 80 degrees F. The cocoon will hatch in approximately 14 to 21 days. Each cocoon
will hatch from 2 to 20 young worms with an estimated average of 2 to 4. The size
of the cocoon depends on the size and maturity of the parent worm and
may vary in size from a pinhead to a BB. Cocoon color ranges from light brown
when first laid changing to a dark brown to sometimes reddish when ready to hatch. Cocoons are
oval shaped and are normally deposited at or near the top of the bedding near the food. Cocoons can be
kept dormant and fertile by refrigeration at temperatures below 50 degrees F.(optimum would
be 36 to 40 F.) Cocoons can also be dried out for preservation for months and then
swell and develop when provided proper moisture and temperature.
Young worms will mature to breeding age in approximately 60 to 90 days with proper
feed and care. The clitellum(band) will be visible. The red wigglers will not be full
grown as this point and could take up to a year before reaching 3 to 4 inches in length. Young wigglers are exact replicas of their parents. At birth, young worms have 50 to 60 segments
and about 150 segments as adults. The segments of the red wiggler alternate reddish-orange and brown; the posterior segments do not taper, and the final
segment is blunt.
At birth, red worms are fully developed except for size. Newborn
worms appear as whitish bits of thread about 1/4 inch long or smaller and gradually
darken in a few hours. Within a few days the newborn redworms can be readily identified
as tiny reddish-colored earthworms. If the white worms do not turn reddish-colored in a few
days, the worms may be nematodes and are not harmful. The newborn worms will go down
deeper in the bedding when first hatched and after several days move to the top to feed. Food
with the proper vitamin and mineral content is the secret of healthy young wigglers which
develop quickly, hatch in a shorter time, and grow larger in less time. These are extremely young red wigglers I was able to
take a picture of.
