.9p 
6
Progress Report Series No. 62 March, 1956
A G R I CU L T U R A L E: X P ERIMENT STATION
of The Alabama Polytechnic I n stitute, Auburn, Ala.
. . . .. . E. V. SMITH, Director . . .
COMMERCIAL FISH WORM PRODUCTION
H. S. SWINGLE, Fish Culturist
T HE RED WORM, often called the English worm, is
the most commonly raised fish bait in the South-
east. It will reproduce practically every month in the
year and grows rapidly.
Worms are raised in rectangular beds and fed a
special mixture of organic material, which as it de-
cays furnishes materials in which the worms live.
When large enough for sale, the worms are picked by
hand after the bed material is turned with a spading
fork. Heavily paraffined paper cups filled with damp
peat moss are used for packaging worms for sale.
The following detailed information is presented to
help those planning commercial fishworm production.
WORM BEDS
Sides of the worm beds may be made of 2 x 10-inch
pine or cypress boards nailed together in the form of
a rectangle; or they may be constructed of concrete
block or brick. Any convenient length is satisfactory,
but the width should be no more than 36 to 40 inches
to permit reaching the center of the bed for harvesting
worms.
Worm beds may be located outdoors in a heavily
shaded area, under a roof, or inside a shed. Outdoor
beds require less initial expense, but they have
several disadvantages. Shade is essential because
worms will not grow in a bed exposed to hot sunshine.
If beds are located under trees to provide shade, tree
roots spread into the beds and must be periodically
removed. The greatest disadvantage to uncovered
outdoor beds is the loss from rain. After several suc-
cessive days of heavy rain, the bed and surrounding
soil often become so saturated with water that many
worms leave the beds and thousands of others die.
With uncovered beds, most of the spring crop will be
lost in about one year out of three.
Construction of a roof over the beds provides pro-
tection from rain and sun, is relatively inexpensive,
and provides assurance against loss following heavy
rains. It also makes picking worms during rain a much
more comfortable process. The sides may be boarded
up to enclose the beds, or left open as desired.
Beds should be placed on top of the ground to pro-
vide good drainage in clay soil, but may be partially
below soil surface in well-drained sandy areas.
SWORM FEEDS
No soil is used in commercial worm beds. Decay-
ing feed provides a peat-like substance in which the
worms live. This is superior to the use of soil because
worms are easier to harvest and come out of the beds
clean and bright.
Peat and peat moss are too acid and 
too inert to
allow high production. Some types of peat are apparent-
ly so toxic that worms die within a very short period
when kept in these materials.
Protein content of the feed is very important. It
should not be less than 9 per cent or more than 15 per
cent. If too little protein is present, worms do not
grow rapidly and the beds become so acid that eggs
do not hatch. With too much protein, feeddecays too
rapidly and makes the beds hot. Such beds also be-
come filled with maggots of the house fly and other
flies. A feed with 10 to 12 per cent protein is best.
This will raise fishworms without raising housefly
larvae if reasonable care is taken in feeding.
Considerable fiber in the feed mixture is needed
to keep the bed loose and porous. Cotton linters,
cottonseed hulls, ground hays, ground peanut shells
or similar materials will supply needed fiber.
The following feed mixtures were found suitable
for worm production:
Cotton flue meal with linters. This by-product of
cotton processing results from cleaning the seed prior
to extraction of the oil. When processed without re-
moval of the linters, it often makes a good worm feed.
Cotton flue meal contains cracked seed, hulls, frag-
ments of burs, dust, and linters. Since it is a variable
material, it may be necessary to increase the protein
content by adding cottonseed meal. The necessity for
additional protein can be determined by placing a layer
of flue meal in a bed, thoroughly wetting it, and ex-
amining 12 hours later to see if it is decaying fast
enough to be warm. If the wet flue meal does not heat,
add 5 to 10 pounds cottonseed meal to each 100 pounds
flue meal and mix before using. Some flue meals con-
tain up to 16 per cent protein and must be used care-
fully. In some types of processing, most of the linters
are removed. Such flue meals pack too tightly in beds
for good production, and linters, cottonseed hulls, or
other fibrous material must then be added to keep beds
loose and porous.
APR 
11 
1956
Cotton motes and cotton burs. Cotton burs are the
covering of the cotton boll removed at the gin during
the preliminary cleaning process. They are mixed with
variable amounts of seed and lint. Cotton motes are
immature cottonseed together with lint and trash re-
moved during the ginning process. These materials,
if free of sand, can be used to raise worms. It may be
necessary to add varying amounts of cottonseed meal
to provide the necessary protein. The amount to be
added can be determined by the same method as with
flue meal.
Mixture of ground peanut hay, corn and cob 
meal,
and cottonseed meal. Commercial ground peanut hay
treated with molasses, which is sold for cattle feed,
is prefered to that without molasses. Corn and cob
meal is obtained by grinding the whole ear, including
shucks. A mixture of 50 pounds ground peanut hay
(with molasses), 25 pounds ground corn and cob meal,
and 10 pounds cottonseed meal (30 to 40 per cent
protein) was found to be satisfactory. The cottonseed
meal content may be increased to 15 pounds and the
corn and cob meal to 30 pounds to provide a more
nutritious ("hotter") mixture for use in old beds con-
taining large amounts of decayed and relatively inert
bedding material. This mixture appears less desirable
than the cotton flue meal-linter mixture, but has the
advantage that needed materials can be purchased at
most feed stores in the Southeast.
The following mixtures were tried, but are con-
sidered less desirable than those listed before:
Stable manure. Worms were grown successfully in
stable manure when additional manure or other feed
was: added every week. Manure was objectionable
because it raised house flies.
Ground corn plants. Entire corn plants, including
the ears, were ground and tested in beds. The beds
rapidly became so acid that the worms died.
Corn and cob meal, cottonseed meal mixture. A
mixture of two parts whole ground ears of corn to one
part cottonseed meal was tried as a feed in old beds.
It proved to be a good worm feed in old beds filled
with relatively inert decayed organic matter. To pre-
vent overheating, it was mixed with old bedding
material at rates not exceeding 1 to 2 gallons to a bed
40 inches by 12 feet. The mixture heated too rapidly
to be used alone as a bed material.
Chicken laying mash. This material was also
used as a feed in old beds, but it did not give as
satisfactory results as corn and cob meal, cottonseed
meal mixtures.
Protein supplements. Cottonseed meal, peanut
meal, and soybean meal were used as supplements for
increasing the protein content of various mixtures.
Cottonseed meal appeared best, with peanut meal
second. When soybean meal was used, mites appeared
to increase in abundance in the beds, and the decaying
meal gave off an offensive odor.
Vegetable oils. Peanut oil proved of some value
when added to old beds. Worms fattened more rapidly,
and the physical condition of the beds was improved.
However, care had to be taken to add the oil sparingly,
or the beds became too oily and sticky for easy har-
vest.
RAISING WORMS
Starting new beds. Empty beds are started by
covering the soil to a uniform depth of 2 to 1 inch
with the selected worm feed. The feed is wet thorough-
ly twice a day for about 5 days, and becomes hot as
it decays. Water is added in sufficient quantities to
keep the temperature down and prevent burning. The
feed is ruined if it becomes hot enough to turn gray.
After the bed cools, it can be stocked with worms at
the rate of 1,000 or more to a 40-inch by 12-foot bed.
New feed is added about once a week, spreading a
1/4- to 1/-inch layer over the decaying feed. It is
thoroughly wet once a day, or more often if necessary.
The new feed, when wet, forms a crust over the bed
and reduces evaporation.
Worms soon deposit small brown cases about 1/8
inch in diameter, containing 3 to 10 or more eggs.
Young worms hatch in about a month and may be seen
feeding in the bed. If the eggs fail to hatch, it is
usually an indication that the beds are too acid and
more cottonseed meal should be added to the feed.
Feeding and management of beds. Approximately
once weekly after young worms are seen, feed should
be dusted over the surface of the bed and watered
immediately. As the worms begin to grow and use the
feed more rapidly, they will be found to eat most of
the feed within a few days, and finally to eat holes
through the crust formed on top of the bedding material.
They should be promptly re-fed when this is noticed.
When the bedding material reaches a depth in ex-
cess of 3 inches, it should be turned over carefully
with a spading fork just prior to feeding. This mixes
the: partially decayed: feed throughout the bed and
keeps the bed from packing. Watering the bed im-
mediately after feeding forms a crust that seals the
surface.
To keep beds moist throughout, but not soggy,
requires watering at least once a day; two or three
waterings a day may be necessary in hot weather. If
recently added feed begins to heat, frequent heavy
waterings are needed to prevent killing the worms or
burning the feed.
Covering beds with sacks, cardboard, or boards
will reduce evaporation and the necessity for frequent
waterings. However, such covers are a nuisance,
since they must be removed to add feed and water to
the beds.
Sometimes such a large number of worms hatch in
a bed that they cannot grow rapidly. Some of the small
worms should be moved to a new bed, or to an old bed
containing insufficient young worms.
Re-starting beds. As the bed gets older, it gradu-
ally fills with decayed feed. This feed is still usable
as long as it has a sticky consistency, holds water
well, and is brown. As it ages, it turns black, crum-
bles readily, loses its water-holding capacity, becomes
very acid, and worms are no longer able to reproduce
and grow well. The bedding should then be removed
and the bed re-started.
Sinc e old beds contain many thousands of small
worms, it is desirable to save most of them before
disposing of bedding material. By spading the beds
and leaving bedding material loose, worms will migrate
downward. After about 30 minutes the top material
can be removed and the bed respaded. This process
is repeated until only 1 inch of the old bed material
is left, along with many of the worms. The bed is
then ready for feed to be added to grow another crop.
Discarded bedding material is a peat-like substance
that is excellent for use on flower or vegetable gar-
dens, and can often be sold to nurseries or gardeners.
Usually old bedding materials must be discarded every
6 to 10 months.
Harvesting the worms. Worms are ready for picking
in about 6 months after hatching. The bedding material
is turned by hand or with a spading fork and the worms
that are large enough for sale are picked out and
counted into a tin can containing about 1 inch of
bedding material. Some bedding materials will adhere
to worms that are picked. Usually 105 worms are
counted to be sold as 100. In productive beds, about
20 cans or approximately 2,000 worms can be picked
and counted in an hour by one person. Worms can be
measured by volume, but little or no time is saved as
large worms must be picked out from the others.
Production per square foot of bed is rather variable,
but it should range between 700 and 1,500 worms dur-
ing a 6- to 8-month period.
Packaging the worms. A heavily paraffined, 12-
ounce paper cup with a paper disc lid is used for
packaging worms for sale. With a thin ice pick, 10 to
12 small holes are punched in the lid to allow air to
pass in and out. The holes must be small to prevent
escape of the worms.
The worms and bedding material are transferred
from tin cans to the paper cups, filling them about
half to two-thirds full. The-paper cup is then filled
with damp peat moss to provide moisture and to clean
the worms.
German or Canadian peat moss is used for packag-
ing and is available in bales at most large nurseries.
The moss is soaked in water, preferably overnight,
before using. Excess water is squeezed out by hand
just prior to using.
After filling the cup with worms, bedding material,
and peat moss, the perforated lid is snapped in place
and the worms are ready for sale. They will keep in
these containers usually for 2 weeks or longer; in hot
weather the bottom of paper cups often rot-away in a
shorter period. A heavier coating of paraffin or a
piece of waxed paper in the bottom of the cup will
reduce this trouble.
PESTS OF WORM BEDS
Mites. Small, brown mites occasionally grow in
worm beds by the millions. They do not appear to harm
live, healthy worms, but eat injured or dead ones.
Mites can become abundant enough to eat in a night
most of the feed applied. When a bed becomes wet,
these pests swarm to the surface, often covering the
entire bed.
Preliminary experiments indicate that a spray made
up of 4 ounces of Metacide 50% W and 1 gallon of
water controls mites without killingthe worms. After
watering the bed to bring mites to the surface, the bed
is sprayed using 1 gallon of spray for 70 square feet
of surface. Metacide 50% W is quite poisonous and
extreme caution should be used in applying it. For
safety, wait approximately 1 week after spraying before
digging worms. Several treatments may be necessary
during the summer to keep mites under control.
Fly larvae. Larvae or maggots of the house fly and
window-pane fly are found in beds when the protein
content of the feed is too high, or if heavy feeding
causes the bed to become hot. The fly problem can
be prevented by reducing the rate of feeding and ap-
plying sufficient water to prevent heating.
Moles. These pests burrow through the beds and
apparently eat worms. Using traps will reduce losses
from this source. Various mole poison pellets are
sold, some of which were tried with no noticeable re-
duction in the number of moles. Castor oil plants
grown beside beds appeared to keep moles away.
SALES
Most worms are sold locally through sporting goods
and hardware stores, filling stations, and similar out-
lets. They can be shipped by parcel post or express
for long distances, provided they do not become too
hot or too cold while in transit.
Demand for worms is seasonal. Relatively few are
sold from October until April. The heaviest demand
in the Southeast is during April and May, with June
and July having second highest sales.