First off, packaging as this is important for not only the survival of the red worms during transit but the health of them upon arrival. The worms should be shipped in breathable bags with either peat moss or dry bedding to help especially during the warmer and colder weather months.
When looking around online you will notice something peculiar. Many websites use the same images for their red worm photos. Usually this would mean they are using a worm broker, hence they do not raise worms themselves or they simply have opted, with or without permission to use the pictures of the original photographer for their own website.
Now let me break this down as this can be relevant when ordering your worms.
First, how do they know the quality of the worms they are offering if not raising themselves? This also breaks down further to the information they offer on their websites as to how to raise red worms. Many sites offer inaccurate information concerning how to raise red composting worms, most likely because they do not raise them and have simply duplicated information they read on another website.
The game telephone comes to mind here that we all played at one time or another as youngsters.
One very common example of this is the little spigot offered on many “Worm Factory” type bins available online. I cannot tell you how many websites inform you this will drain “worm tea” from the bottom of the bin to spray on your plants. In reality this is not worm tea, but rather referred to as “leachate“. This only develops when your worm bin is to wet. Usually it smells and will actually harm your plants. Even when it does not smell, applying too much will kill your plants!
Unlike leachate, worm tea brewed from worm castings will not hurt or damage your plants no matter how much you use. The trick is to use it soon after it is brewed, usually within 24 hours if not used immediately.
On the latter previously mentioned concerning use of another pictures, all I can say if they are that lazy, I am not sure I want to order worms from them… would you?
Another funny thing that comes to mind is going to a restaurant to order some lunch… OK worms and lunch may not mix… 
and ordering something on the menu for the picture of it looks real good. How many times has your food been delivered looking nothing like the picture on the menu?
This holds true for many of the websites offering red worms as well.
The pictures used on Organic Worm Farm are those of actual orders being shipped off to clients. These were not setup for a photo opts but rather the average size worms which are delivered to the customer’s doorstep with consistency.
In short, be sure to purchase your red worms from a reputable worm farm as there are a few good ones however they are outnumbered by the not so reputable dealers. One reputable website to order worms from is Organic Worm Farm as they deliver top notch worms with consistency again and again.
Howard,
Welcome to Organic Worm Farm.
Nothing towards you as your counts maybe accurate, however in reality I have found more inaccurate orders by other competitors when sold by the count. Yes we do order from competitors and even use some “Secret Shoppers” to make purchases as well so as not to give ourselves away.
To actually count worms, especially the smaller ones take quite a bit of time. I know from my conversations with others in the industry, many competitors use migrant workers to count worms to help keep cost down.
There are some different reasons for selling by the count such as our African Nightcrawlers. Unlike Red Wiggler Worms, which mature in approximately 90 days to adult breeders, the Africans take approximately 8 months to mature to adult breeder size. Hence they are kept in breeder bins which start out holding close to 300 worms. By the time they finish maturing there will be some loss as we screen each container every two weeks, natural causes… On average we end up with 262 African Nightcrawlers per breeder bin when all is said and done.
These are easier to count at this point due to their size. So when we state 250 African Nightcrawlers, there is at least this many usually with a number of extra worms.
Also our Alabama Jumpers are sold by the one thousand counts due to the time it takes to dig them up. They do require a lot more room to multiply efficiently. Also they are a good size worm, hence easy to count.
I have tried raising Alabama Jumpers in breeder bins, however found the cocoon laying ratio was far surpassed by those raised outside in fields.
Other than that, I highly recommend purchasing by the pound.
Most importantly, I recommend using a reputable worm farm such as Organic Worm Farm when ordering your worms, hence eliminating any hassles of being shorted on your order!
Bruce
i am starting worm bed for fishing. wigglers. just wigglers for panfishing. are red worms the same as wigglers? if so how much. thanks.
Greetings,
Red Worms is actually a broad term specifying a number or worms. So in short if someone is offering red worms, you need to ask specifically which type.
You can get red wiggler worms from Organic Worm Farm with starter packages from just $12.95!
Bruce
Never mind using Migrant workers just count and sell the count. At least you no you got 1000 worms, no matter what size they are. Right now there are to many scammers in this business. Look at uncle Jim how many different names can you find. Count them he isnt smart enough to change his logo and what about Worms Wrangler. To many crooks out there to mention, get what you pay for. Never the Mexican workers. We need somebody to look into whats going on in this business.
You can count the larger worms, i.e. European & African Nightcrawlers, if you are selling mature size worms ONLY. Anyone who has tried to count out just five pounds (4,000-5,000) of the little red wigglers can attest to this. This actually will take several hours to accomplish.
It is not whether you count the individual worms or weigh them out; it is the principle of giving the customer what they ordered. Organic Worm Farm always adds a little extra in each order to insure the customer gets what they ordered.
As for policing the industry, I agree it is a shame as there are too many unscrupulous red worm dealers, however I do not see anything changing in the industry. I recommend one use a reputable vendor as once you do, you will see the difference in the quality and quantity of the worms!
One thing that may assist is a new forum we recently started, The Worm Expert. If you have a problem with a particular vendor, list it there. Being we have a large presence in the industry, we can try to assist in getting your order rectified either via refund or re-shipment of the original order. I do not guarantee we can make headway, however for the most part; we have assisted several others successfully!
Bruce Galle
I still say count the worms. It might be harder5 and more expensive but it is a lot fairer. You order a Pound of worms from dealers and they say 600 to 800 to the pound. Did you ever order from people like Uncle Jim? His pound of worms should be 2000, they are so small. I want to satisfy my customers so I spend Sunday and Sometimes Monday counting the worms. I usually ship about 10% more and I ship in the castings not dry peat moss to save on Postage.There is less shipping shock using castings.
Actually if the poundage is on and the worms are of the size you state, then by the pound is fine.
There is no way someone with the amount of orders we receive could count them all. To count 1,000 red wigglers will take 2.5 to 3 hours as I have done it numerous times before. The only reason I offer some by the count is that is the way I raise them. For instance, when an African nightcrawler reaches 10 weeks old, I can place in a bin holding 275 to allow for a little loss over the next 5 1/2 months. Usually I end up shipping 260 + counts on the African nightcrawlers.
As for the peat moss, it is not to save on shipping costs as we mainly use flat rate boxes, hence the weight does not make a difference. Quite to the contrary as our castings are a free by product where as we purchase sphagnum peat moss, hence to ship this way cost us more money. The dry medium is used for most worms as it better insulates them against cold and warm weather.
In the extreme cold and warm weather, there is actually more shipping shock using a damp medium such as castings. When the box for instance heats up during the transit in the back of a truck, it becomes a sauna, hence can easily bake the worms or at least shock them further.
Bruce