Worm Troubleshooting

Problem	Possible causes	Solution
Odors	Too much food for the quantity of worms Food is not covered Not enough oxygen	Take any moldy food away and cover with fresh shredded newspaper. Do not feed for a few days giving the worms time to finish the food that's in the bin.
Worms are dying	Bin too acidic	Take out any citrus and add powdered limestone. Make sure it says CaCO3–95%. Caustic, slaked and hydrated lime will kill your worms. Egg shells or oyster shells also help in keeping the bin from becoming too acidic.
Worms are trying to leave the bin	Too dry or Too wet	Add moisture if bedding is too dry Add shredded dry newspaper
Flies	Fruit flies are attracted to exposed food	Always bury food underneath shredded newspaper.
Ants		Ants are part of the composting process but are a nuisance in a worm bin. Bins with legs: place legs in coffee cans filled with water or mineral oil. Bins without legs: Run a 1" swath of Vaseline all around the top of the bin. Do not use ant baits that contain arsenic.