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In spite of bait and lure ad-vances and even all the techno-logical marvels found in today’s tackle shop, there still seems to be no fi sh-ing gear more f u n d a m e n t a l than the worm on a hook. For those of us who regularly enjoy traditional bait fi shing, we can

maintain a ready supply of low-cost worms at our own homes. Worm composting, or vermicomposting (“vermi” means “worm”), gives us the opportunity to do something con-structive with some of our home’s garbage, produce compost for the garden, and raise and harvest plenty of worms for fi shing.

WormsThere are two redworm (or “red

wriggler”) species best suited to com-posting. Lumbricus rubellus, com-monly known as angle worms, garden

worms or driftworms, and Eisenia fetida, also called red hybrids, manure worms or brandling worms. Com-mon nightcrawlers (Lumbricus ter-restris) are generally less suited for vermicomposting because they repro-duce more slowly and prefer soil to the compost environment.

Redworm adults average 4 inches in length, and they make great bait for large fi sh such as bass. They can be kept in cups at room temperature or refrigerated for several weeks before use. More suited for trout and pan-fi sh action, red hybrids are a shorter, slender species, which continues to wiggle underwater longer than many worm species. Redworms are excel-lent for creating compost and worm castings (digested organic material deposited by worms) for the backyard and establishing a plentiful personal bait supply. Some landowners even make a side business out of large-scale worm production. You can ob-tain your initial stock of worms from worm producers who advertise locally or on the Internet.

ContainersComposting begins with a con-

tainer. Containers can be kept indoors or on the back porch for easy ac-cess, or in the backyard. Wooden bins can be built from plywood or pine boards. To accommodate the garbage of a 4- to 6-person family, construct a 2-foot x 3-foot box, 1 foot in height, with small holes drilled in the bottom for ventila-tion. Smaller boxes with dimen-sions of 2 x 2 feet x 8 inches should work for a family of two.

You can build a wooden bin (above) from plywood or pine boards. At right, to accommo-date a family of 4 to 6 people, a 2-foot x 3-foot box that’s 1 foot high works well.

Red wrigglers are one of two redworm species that are most suitable for composting and great as baits for bass, trout and panfi sh, and other species that will hit a worm.

by Amanda B. Livingston photos by the author

WORM COMPOSTINGfor a Plentiful Bait Supply

Pennsylvania Angler & Boater • September-October 2006 www.fi sh.state.pa.us 14

www.fi sh.state.pa.us Pennsylvania Angler & Boater • September-October 2006 15

You can also make a container with an 18-gallon plastic storage bin by adding two PVC pipes along the bot-tom to create ventilation shafts. Cut holes at either end of the container to attach the pipes and punch holes along each pipe for air fl ow. Cut a fi -nal vent hole on the container lid and cover all container holes with small louvered vents.

To prepare your container, add a bedding that will allow worms room to breathe, feed, and reproduce. Hand-shredded news-print without glossy color pages is easiest. Other options include shredded cardboard or computer paper. Add enough wa-ter to make the bedding damp, about 1.5 quarts of water for each pound of bedding. Place the bin indoors or in shade where the worms can grow and convert waste at their op-timum temperatures of 55 to 77 degrees. In win-ter, move the bin indoors or keep it well-insulated to prevent freezing.

Maintaining wormsYou can add nearly any kind of veg-

etable waste to your container, plus tea bags, coffee grounds and fi lters, eggshells, and other leftover or spoiled items. Meat scraps and bones can also be included, although these items sometimes cause unpleasant odors and attract rodents. It’s best to begin by burying your garbage in one area of the bin at a time, and then rotate to all other sections of the bin. When you’re ready to restart the cycle, your worms will be done with the original material and hungry for more.

The amount of garbage you can add to your container depends on your initial amount of worms. A good dai-ly rule is to add no more waste than half the weight of the worms. Worms are generally sold by weight, with

about 1,000 individuals per pound of worms. Small families who produce 3 to 4 pounds of garbage a week, or a half-pound daily, will need to start only with a pound of worms. To ac-commodate a full pound of garbage each day, start with two pounds of worms, and so on. Generally, an 18-gallon container is adequate for start-ing with one pound of worms. Then the container reaches its capacity

once the population doubles to two pounds. Therefore, harvesting worms for fi shing can be benefi cial to main-taining the container’s population.

If you are regularly removing a few handfuls of worms, plan to change the compost bedding every two to three months. To sort your bin, stop adding garbage for a week or two and then dump the bin onto a large plas-tic sheet or newspaper. Make several cone-shaped piles and wait a few min-utes, exposing the piles to sunlight or a lamp if you’re working indoors. The worms will move to the center, so you can easily fi nd them by gradually re-moving the outer layers of compost material. Harvest up to a third of your worms for bait, and put aside vermicompost material to fertilize your garden and houseplants. Place the remaining worms in a bin of fresh

For More Information

Learn to vermicompost with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s step-by-step tutorial at www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/deputate/airwaste/wm/recycle/worm/worm1.htm.

For workshops in your area, go to www.prc.org/community_adultedu.html or call the Penn-sylvania Resources Council at 412-431-4449, ext. 325.

bedding and continue the worm pro-duction process.

Worm leftoversRegardless of whether you are us-

ing redworms or another variety for your fi shing trips, don’t leave your extra bait behind at your fi shing site. Worms are great for aerating the soil and breaking down nutrients in the home garden, where you may be

raising an annual crop of plants. You might natu-rally assume that dump-ing your worms in the forest would be equally benefi cial. Forests, on the other hand, have evolved without worms, depend-ing instead on fungi and soil invertebrates that slowly decompose the leaf litter of the forest fl oor. Many streamside forested areas across Pennsylvania and the Northeast are now infested with worms that quickly eat up fallen leaves in a single year, removing the protective layer that would otherwise keep out invasive plants and protect

the soil from erosion and moisture loss. So remember to dispose of your extra bait safely, share it with another angler, or simply bring home any vi-able worms and return them to your home compost system.

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Worms compost waste best in their optimum temperature range of 55 to 75 degrees. In winter, for a portable plastic storage con-tainer, you would want to bring the bin inside to your mudroom, kitchen (odor shouldn’t be a problem if it’s well-kept), or basement if it’s adequately warm. For a permanent outdoor compost bin, when constructed, the bin should be lined with foam board insu-lation adequate to keep the interior warm through the winter.