Which Worm is right for you Perionyx Excavatus.

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Perionyx Excavatus or otherwise known as the blue worm is a widely despised pest in the worm world until recently. They repopulate very quickly and can take over a bin or other composting worms once they have invaded it. No worries though if your desire is vermicomposting because they are excellent composters.

The standard for blue worms are they are small, even smaller then the red wiggler, but if given space my blues outgrow my red wigglers. The problem is they reproduce so quickly that the bins become over populated and they don't grow to their potential. Blue worms can produce up to 19 eggs a week with one worm in each egg in ideal conditions and they are sexually mature in less then two months. These reasons are why blue worms can have large population explosions.

The key is ideal conditions because like red wigglers ideal temperature is between 70 and 80 degrees but unlike red wigglers blue worms do not do well in temps under 60 and will start to die off once temperatures drop under 50. This is just one of the problems with blue worms being a tropical warmer temperature worm. The biggest complaint people have about blues is how temperamental they are. If the moisture, PH, temperature are not right or even a pressure drop during a storm can send a bin of blue worms running for the hills leaving an empty bin behind and lots of worms all over the place.

The Perionyx excavates, blue worm, clitellum is 13 segments whereas the clitellum of the Eisenia Fetida, red wiggler, covers segments 25-30. This means the clitellum on the blue worm is closer to the head and the head has a blue tip. Other then this they look like wigglers but they move different, more snake like and much faster then wigglers.

Besides being temperamental my blue worms out compost my red worms and also out breed producing a very productive worm bin. My suggestion for anyone interested in trying blue worms in try out the Urban Worm Bag. This bag style flow thru bin has a zippered top and bottom so even during a big storm your worms can not crawl out all over your house. I have given the Urban Worm Bag the "Best Bin for Your Buck" review and you can buy yours here. Shop - Urban Worm Company