Common Worm Bin Problems

Problems Possible Solutions

Water leaking from
the bin or bedding sopping wet

 Add some fresh, dry bedding and leave the lid off the bin for a day or two. If you can, collect the excess water and use it as a liquid fertilizer on your house plants, flower beds and garden.
Bedding too dry Add cool, fresh water gently to the bin.  Keep the lid on the bin.
Bedding emits an Odor The worm bin is probably overloaded with food. Stop placing food in the bin and allow the worms to catch up. You can also add more worms if you plan on continuing to feed the worm bin at the same rate.   It's also possible that the bedding has become too wet (see above). A layer of crushed egg shells can be used to raise the Ph of an acidic bin.
Worms try to crawl out Most likely is that either the pH of the bin has become either too acid or too alkaline, or that the moisture level is too high and is suffocating the worms.  It is also possible that the ambient temperature is too high.  A final possibility is that the bin is located too near a source of vibration, such as a refrigerator, washer or a dryer.
Fruit flies Preventing fruit flies is difficult, since the flies are very small and are able to find small holes in the bin.  One method of treatment is to fill a small jar with with vinegar and place in the corner of the bin. The vinegar helps to attract the fruit flies where many will simply fall into the jar and drown.  You can also place an adhesive fly trap into the bin.  Don't use fly strips with pesticides, since these can harm the worms.  Another method is the barrier method.  This involves placing a sheet of loosely woven fabric, such as burlap, over the surface of the compost, and then placing all of the worm food under the fabric cover.  This helps keep the fruit flies to a minimum, and also helps to keep the compost moist by absorbing excess moisture that would otherwise evaporate from the bin.
Mushrooms in the Bin Mushrooms are normal in composting bins and don't pose any known problems.  If you don't want mushrooms in your bin, simply pick them and throw them away.

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