A worm's skin is photosensitive and therefore they need a dark environment. Because worms have no teeth, they need some type of grit in their bedding that they can swallow and use in their gizzard to grind food, much like birds do with small stones.
Worms require a moist, dark environment in order to survive. Experiement #3 – Which surface will worms prefer? Collect the flashlights and give each group a dry paper towel. Instruct them to place their worms so that they are half on the wet surface and half on the dry surface.
Earthworms try to stay out of sunlight because the heat from the sun dries out their skin. If an earthworm's skin becomes too dry, it wouldn't be able to breath, and it would die.
Earthworms have no eyes or ears, but they have light-sensitive cells that help them tell the difference between light and darkness.
They have receptor cells in their skin that are sensitive to light and touch. They will move away from light because heat from the sun or a light source will dry out their skin and kill them.
They stay indoors during the day and emerge at night because sunlight's UV rays are toxic to them, paralyzing them, damaging muscle cells, and ultimately drying out the moist skin through which they breathe (there are studies indicating that earthworms may turn out to be useful as UV monitors for humans).
Worms do not have eyes, but they can sense light, especially at their front end. They move away from light, and will become paralyzed if exposed to light for too long (approximately one hour). If a worm's skin dries out, it will die.
Worms hate: meat or fish, cheese, butter, greasy food, animal waste, spicy and salty foods, citrus.” The food-to-worm ratio is not precise, nor is the amount of castings they will produce. The rule of thumb is that a pound of worms will eat one to two pounds of food in a week.
The nerves detect light, vibrations and even some tastes. The earthworm's body is covered with chemoreceptors. These are cells that allow the earthworm to taste things and are tiny sense organs which detect chemicals in the soil.
Worms are actually harmed by direct sunlight or avoid it for several reasons including: Being exposed to open sunlight causes their skin to dry out, suffocating them (worms breathe via the skin) and increasing friction, damaging their skin upon movement.
Worm blankets are a necessary part of a worm farm. They are needed to insulate the worm farm; maintaining the temperature and moisture levels inside. A worm blanket can be made from hessian, layers of newspaper, cardboard and even an old cotton towel or sheet.
Worms like red wigglers need a damp, but not wet, environment to thrive. The ideal amount of water in a worm bin is just enough to produce 1-2 drops of water when you squeeze a handful of bedding. Think about your yard or a local park, if you dig down a few inches the ground is usually moist but not dripping wet.
Nightcrawlers are nocturnal, meaning they go out hunting at night. Earthworms are diurnal and prefer to come out during the daytime (though you can find them outside of their homes in your garden any time).
The worm may be seen around the anus or on the child's bottom. It is especially active at night or early morning.
There are certain pesticide families that are considered as harmful to earthworms i.e. neonicotinoids, strobilurins, sulfonylureas, triazoles, carbamates and organophosphates (Pelosi et al., 2014).
Here is a news article I found on the topic: Worms on a Hook Don't Suffer? OSLO (Reuters) - Worms squirming on a fishhook feel no pain -- nor do lobsters and crabs cooked in boiling water, a scientific study funded by the Norwegian government has found.
Earthworms have some natural enemies such as ants, centipedes, birds, snakes, toads, carabid beetles, and nematodes. Do not apply pesticides to control earthworms.
Banana peels are an excellent worm food.
Under ideal conditions, worms can eat their weight in scraps per day. So if you have 1 pound of worms, you can theoretically feed them 1 pounds of scraps. However, we recommend you play it safe by feeding an amount they can handle every 2 or 3 days.
The temperature
For optimal performance, the worms and the whole composter ecosystem need a temperature between 15° and 25°C / 59°F and 77°F. Below those temperatures, the ecosystem works at reduced level. Above, it does not work properly and it can even be lethal for the worms above 35°C / 95°F.
The container should be between 8 and 16 inches deep, with holes drilled in the bottom and sides for aeration and drainage. You can build a wooden worm bin, or use a plastic tub with a lid. Worm bins can handle about one pound (or one quart) of food scraps per week per square foot of bin surface area.
When the rain hits the ground it creates vibrations on the soil surface. This causes earthworms to come out of their burrows to the surface. Earthworms find it easier to travel across the surface of the soil when it is wet, as they need a moist environment to survive.