justin case

Soapy water isnt a very good idea the detergent gets into the pores of the worm and it will in most cases die, mustard powder has the same effect mixed with water they come out of the ground fast but they soon die as well, also im not sure bait with detergent on them or even mustard is a good idea. if no worms come up after a dose of fairy and water there isnt any worms in that peice of ground, the lobs, Lumbricus terrestris, lives in the same burrow all its life even when breeding it still has its tail in the burrow, if they stray too far they are history.

There is however one product that will get them out and will clean off the worm and that is formaldehyde, its typically used in the make up of embalming fluid its not easy to get hold of and costly, also I wouldnt reccomend the use of this unless you have some experience with chemicals.

The only true way to get lobs in any numbers is get out there on a damp night and do some graft, with the current dry ground the next downpour will be a very good night for worming
I used to go out and regulary collect 2 to 300 in a few hours all you need is a bucket tied to your belt and a good torch wide beam if possible you need to unscrew the lens cover and put in a piece of plastic red or orange I used to use a peice of a plastic shopping bag, you need a diffuser as the white light annoiys the worms and they retreat back into there burrow as soon as light is shone onto them, the red or orange resembles the street lighting

The best places to go are central reservations that are well lit, and well cared for the shoirter the grass the easier, villiage greens that are well maintained and well lit, the lighting is important as they wont shy away from your torch, and noisey areas are better too, as they wont associate you with danger as much, I normally go out after the pubs have turned out i find it better you can hear the worms retracting as you walk along. you will soon get an ear and an eye for it.

Once you spot one you put your thumb on it to hold it still, move your forefinger to its underside, once you have a grip its yours just dont pull, slowly ease off the pressure so the worm attempts to go back down its burrow then a gentle pull will release the worm. when the worm tries to go back down the burrow the spade end that anchors it relaxes and the worm comes free with no damage, at 15pence a worm now days its worth doing, as for keeping them I used a similar method to Si above only I never feed them the paper alone is enough and I keep them just above freezing around 2 or 3 degrees similar to maggots a slower metabilism lengthens the life span


JC

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Life at the bottom A noobs guide (My Blog, Paul Law)

Kris

nice one mate

that is excellant advise there :-)

cheers


kris

stemallo

jc you said about making a compost container and putting in cuttings etc, do you need to put worms in tourself or will they find their way in?

must i drill holes in it aswell?

justin case

You need to add a few hundred to get it up and running and yes you need drainage holes at the bottom

fill the bottom with about 50mm of gravel or leca if you can get it the holes need to be within the 50mm of drainage medium

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Life at the bottom A noobs guide (My Blog, Paul Law)

smallbreamboy

For Lobbies, if you can find a football/rugby pitch, that is great, it is alot easier to spot them when they lay over the white lines, as said before, once you grab them, don't pull as the worm will snap, i grab the head, then with my other hand, run my fingers down to the hole, just hold the lobby with other fingers, you will feel the worm relax.

As for other worms, check these out, got dad one for xmas, initially takes some managing, but once the worms settle down, you have a lif elong supply.

August at Wiggly Wigglers

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It may be small, but i have caught!!!!!

Call that fishing, it's just a puddle overstocked with carp