The typical ideal temperature range for vermicomposting worms is 60°F to 80°F, with ~70°F or 72°F being an ideal sweet spot. Bin temperature is one of the most important conditions to a successful worm bin. The table below shows a range of ideal temperatures for each species of composting worm, along with what they can tolerate and survive in.
| Red Wiggler (Eisenia fetida) | European Nightcrawler (Eisenia Hortensis) | African Nightcralwer (Eudrilus eugeniae) | Indian Blues / Malaysian Blues (Perionyx excavatus) | |
| Climate Preference – Ideal Temperature (Fahrenheit) | 55°F – 77°F | 60°F-70°F | 70°F-85°F | 70°F-80°F |
| Climate Tolerance – Survive, but they might try to leave your bin! (Fahrenheit) | 40°F-90°F | 45°F-80°F | >55°F & <95°F | 50°F at the lowest |
Have you ever had worms escape the bin and come to find out your worm bin temperatures are off? I had issues with temperature with my first few bins as well. I’ll share what I’ve found to be some root cause issues for fluctuating worm bin temperatures.
What happens if bin temperatures fluctuate?
If your vermicompost bin temperatures fluctuate too much, then you could have a lot of worms trying to escape the bin in order to find more ideal temperatures. Worms kept indoors will likely die before they find a new place to call home.
Worms found in outdoor bins or other systems might try to retreat into your native soil.
Your worms could also die in the bin before they have the chance to escape. Be sure to monitor your temperatures on a regular basis!
I added hay to one of my first worm bins and didn’t realize that it would heat up the bin! Keep in mind that introducing new organic material will result in the worm bin heating up due to the new material starting to break down and compost by other means.
Monitoring & Controlling Temperatures for Vermicompost & Composting Worms
Soil thermometers and your thermostat are some useful tools that we have access to that will help us maintain ideal temperatures in our worm bins.
Soil Thermometers
Using a soil thermometer is a simple way to manually grab the temperature in your worm bins. You should make a normal habit of checking your worm bin temperatures and track these numbers, especially after you feed the worms or add additional bedding.
Make sure you stick the soil thermometer deep enough into the worm bin’s bedding to get an accurate reading! Surface level temperature will usually be very different from the middle and bottom of your worm bin.
Thermostat
If your worm bins are indoors, then keep your thermostat at a consistent temperature. I keep several breeder bins indoors and leave my thermostat on 70°F.
How to Maintain Temperatures in Your Worm Bin?
Suggestion: Adequate bedding in your worm bin offers excellent insulation by creating ample pore space, shielding your worms from temperature extremes. Ensure a well-stocked supply of carbon-rich materials for optimal results!
Article coming soon: How many worms should I put in my bin? A Worm Population Density Guide
Article coming soon: Carbon and Nitrogen Sources For Your Worm Bin
How to Warm up your Worm Bin?
Overfeed
Add additional feed to the bin or even bedding that will start to break down / decompose. Kitchen and food scraps will work as an easy source. I have also used hay and half-finished compost from my outdoor compost piles.
Insulated Covers
Just having extra layers of insulation will help mitigate any major temperature fluctuations from external sources such as wind.
Heating Pads
Heating pads that are used for greenhouses and starting seeds have been a common heat source that other worm farmers use. If you use the mortar bins/trays from Lowe’s or something of a similar size, then a 10” x 20” should be a good sized heating mat for your bin. I will likely have to move more of my worm operation outdoors into my carport, and I’m considering setting up heating mats during the winter.
Here are some heating pad suggestions based on reviews and what I’ve seen other worm farmers use:
How to Cool Off your Worm Bin?
Air circulation – fans
Constant air flow and circulation can help maintain warmer temperatures. Airflow is extremely important when it comes to the quality of life for your worms, not only for temperature, but also making sure the worm bin doesn’t become anaerobic! Ample air flow is a must!
Frozen Water Bottles or Misting With Cold Water
I have seen frozen water bottles used anecdotally. I personally haven’t had to try out this method. While the water bottle might cool off the worm bin initially, the issue is that it can increase microbial activity which results in higher temperatures over time. You can combat the added heat with more carbon materials, but this quickly becomes a balancing act.
What environment and regions are these worms native to?
Understanding where each worm is considered native will help us understand the environment that it is used to. This info becomes helpful when we are planning our worm bin temperatures, bedding material, and feedstock.
Red Wiggler Native Environment
Red Wigglers were originally native to Europe, but have been introduced to every continent, except Antarctica. You can find them in manure piles, lawns, and out in the wild in forests and other biomes.
If you’re looking for some hard work and free worms, try cleaning out animal stalls for a local farmer or ranch. There should be worms in the manure piles as long as the manure doesn’t contain any persistent herbicides, pesticides, or medications that would harm the worms.
European Nightcrawler Native Environment
Similar to the Red Wiggler, European Nightcrawlers were originally native to Europe. Overtime, the Europeans introduced these worms to several parts of the world, including North America.
African Nightcrawler Native Environment
African Nightcrawlers are native to the tropical west Africa.
You could raise them in your house or other buildings with very consistent temperatures. I personally want to build a greenhouse before adding African Nightcrawlers to my operation simply due to space and temperature requirements. Sometimes our house gets too cold during the winter to support African Nightcrawlers!
Indian Blues / Malaysian Blues Native Environment
Indian Blues come from subtropical and tropical climate regions. They are native from the following regions:
- Tropical East Asia
- South Asia
- Southeast Asia
Indian blues have always been the first worms to escape the worm bin, in my experience. Any slight change in temperature or moisture, and these worms are jumping ship! During the example where I added hay to some of my bins, the Indian Blues escaped the worm bin while the red wigglers just dispersed into the corners to cool off.
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