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Culturing whiteworms and microworms

J

jesper

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Just started my first colonies of these worms/nematodes. The whiteworms are kept in damp soil and fed bread, I keep these at 15C.
When it comes to the microworms I simply keep them in cooked oats(porridge..) at 23C. I read
that some people sprinkle active yeast on top of the microworm colonies to keep the bacterial count down... This is said to make the colonies last longer..

Do you keep these worms in similar condition and what about the yeast?
 
A

alan

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I add yeast to microworms, but more to boost the nutritional content of the worms.
Very easy to culture, but but ready for the stink!
 
mike

mike

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Hi Jesper,
I have colonies of whiteworm that are 4 years old now. They are kept at 15C, in large polystyrene boxes measuring 50 x 40 x 40 cms, (airfreight boxes for tropical fish).
Soil is "John Innes No.3" potting compost. They are fed on "Redy Brek" flakes, and there is a glass inner lid which sits on the soil, so the worms collect on it , for easy harvesting.
They aren't plagued with white mites, as some cultures are, due possibly by the large volume of compost, and constant temperature.
 
J

jennifer

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For microworms, I cook an oatmeal/cornmeal mush, cool it, then stir in dry yeast. I have had very little "stink" using this method. The culture just smells kind of vinegary.
 
C

caleb

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I do culture whiteworm with soil and an oat based food, but my best culture started off as a failed earthworm culture.

It's basically a bucket of vegetable scraps with holes drilled in the base for drainage, covered with a sheet of perspex. It produces good compost at the bottom, as well as large numbers of whiteworm.
 
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