Use of various baits for extraction of earthworms from vermicompost

Abstract

During vermicomposting, earthworm grower has to overcome a lot of different problems. For instance, in case of a sudden requirement to sell earthworms it is useful to have the ability to collect them in one place. Fresh food extraction is an effective and neutral way to do it. The efficiency of gathering and extracting E. fetida from the vermicompost was studied, using a fresh bait method. Experiments were carried out in the laboratory (at the mean temperature of 20±0.5°C) in pots filled with vermicompost. Generally, two hundreds of adult E. fetida were put in every pot and left there for 24 hours. After such acclimatization, various baits were inserted to every pot. Different experiments allowed to conclude that: 1) repeated bait exchange was more efficient in extracting worms from vermicompost than bait laid once for a longer time; 2) extracting worms from the bait in the morning was quicker than extracting them in the evening; 3) addition of valerian (Valeriana officinalis), nettle (Urtica dioica), and flaxseeds to cattle manure could resulted in better extraction than pure manure; 4) dry valerian was more effective than steamed one, but on other hand, steaming of nettle and flaxseeds was giving better results in collecting worms in the bait.