Had to place a post here as African nightcrawlers do not get enough deserved credit.
First the African nightcrawler is probably one of the most heat tolerant worms around. They like temperatures around 75 – 80 degrees Fahrenheit. These are also a very large worm with mature adults reaching 6 – 8 inches in length.
African Nightcrawlers are definitely the super red worm for fishing, especially in the hot summer months when water temperatures peak, hence killing off other worms much quicker.
One area that is overlooked when it comes to the African nightcrawler is the fact that it eats more food than other red worms, including red wigglers and European nightcrawlers.
I have seen numerous sites state that red wrigglers are the best composting worm.
Since many people do not raise African nightcrawlers, perhaps they are just repeating what they have heard online posted by others; which in reality is the way the Internet works sadly. One person states something and others basically plagiarize what they read 
Being I have raised these super red worms for a while along with red wigglers and European nightcrawlers, I can tell you from personal experience there is no comparison between the African nightcrawler and red wiggler. The African nightcrawler wins hands down.
Below is a picture of a new African nightcrawler bin I setup just three weeks ago.
I cleared to the bottom of the bin, only to expose 3″ of mostly worm castings, not vermiculture. My last bin was setup only for a month and a half and after screening yielded a full 5 gallon bucket of worm castings. Keep in mind this is a 30 gallon bin whereas most people use an 18 gallon bin.
As another comparison, I did the best I could as the nightcrawlers were camera shy 
The African nightcrawler just stretched all the way out and sat there while the European nightcrawler wanted to curl up.
The photo below is of a 4″ or so European nightcrawler and as you can see the African easily surpasses this by about twice the length, although he looks lean from being stretched out on a paper plate .
Here is a snap shot of an African nightcrawler. To give some comparison, I used to play basketball and easily could palm the ball
In conclusion, if you are looking for a heat tolerant red worm which in my experience, by far the best composting worm all in one, try setting up an African nightcrawler worm bin.
In order to make this easy and cost effective, I am offering a ¼ lb starter package shipped priority mail. Click here for more information on how to obtain these super red worms!
Happy Worming,
Bruce Galle
How do you keep the africans 75-80 in the winter? heat strip lights ?
Dan
I would not use the light strips as here you are talking about possible heat (depending on the bulbs used) and electricity on top of shredded paper and moisture.
First, just to mention, the temperature referred to is the internal temperature of your worm bin not the external temperature.
Depending on many factors, climate, where your bin is stored, outside, in a garage…
One way if setup in a garage or shed is to duplicate what some large worm farms use on a smaller scale. Some will use copper tubing ran through the system and heat water which is pumped through the tubing. This can be accomplished easier for about $45.00 – $55.00 and be very effective.
You will need a five gallon bucket with lid, an aquarium heater, and plastic tubing (12 feet or more depending on worm bin size), usually about 3/8” but dependent on the pump connector size, and a small pump, such as a pond pump.
Basically make cuts for your heater, pump hose… in the lid of the five gallon bucket. Coil the tubing inside the five gallon bucket and have your heater placed in through the center of the lid to keep away from tubing. Run the other end of the tube back and forth through your worm bin, back to the 5 gallon bucket. Remember this is a closed loop system which keeps recirculating the water back and forth.
You could also disperse a gallon of water by placing clean rocks on the bottom of the 5 gallon bucket as well as insulate the five gallon.
The aquarium heater you purchase should be one with a thermostat so as to be able to regulate the temperature of your worm bin.
Hope this helps.
Bruce
P.S. For top quality worms visit http://OrganicWormFarm.com/store – Free Shipping!
I compost inside with my red wigglers in the worm factory, i’ve wanted to try a bigger worm to compost with but i can’t decide which. I don’t want a restless worm and i need a worm that fits in the tower type bins, maybe a can o worm, what do you think?
Vee,
Hello and welcome
Can O Worms offers a variety of products, some called worms which are not really worms. Basically I believe they offer red wigglers bit not sure if any other composting worm.
If you can keep the lid off for a bit till your worms adjust you could try Europeans or African nightcrawlers. Basically use a lot of shredded moist newspaper. They will adjust. especially the African nightcrawlers which love shredded newspaper. The red wiggler though does probably work best in the type of bin you are using since they stay put more.
Bruce
thanks Bruce for your reply, so i can use the can o worm composter with african nightcrawlers? does the african nightcrawler act the same as the red wiggler? i have several bins setup and the red wigglers go up and down through the little holes, i wasn’t sure if the african nightcrawler would get stuck, do you think they would do well in a can o worm? Vee
Vee,
Sorry for the delay in getting back to you however had an issue of notifications on the comments left here…. catching up by viewing all manually…
I can’t guarantee that the African nightcrawlers won’t get caught in the holes however it seems worms know when they can fit and when to back off for the most part.
The African nightcrawler acts different first by not bunching up as the red wigglers do, but each wandering off on their own pretty much.
The African’s are probably one of the hardiest of the worms and can adapt well given time. Since I have not tried this, I cannot say for sure but do believe they would be fine in the can o worms setup.
Bruce