Raising Earthworms: Which Worms to Choose for Your Worm Farm

Raising earthworms can be a profitable hobby with rewards beyond financial gain. Worms are popular among fishermen for bait, but you can also grow your own high-protein feed for your pet reptiles and birds, as well as your chickens and pigs if you live on a farm. Earthworms can be added to your compost pile to create an even richer product to fertilize your garden and flowers. Choosing which worm species to raise depends upon the ultimate goal you desire for your worm farm.

There are 4400 species of worms, all with unique characteristics that make them perfectly adapted to their role in nature. In the interest of brevity this article will only cover a few species most commonly known and raised for human use!

Canadian Nightcrawlers, also called Common Earthworms,(Lumbricus terrestris) are popular fishing bait, and sometimes found as feed in pet stores that sell exotic pets. They are extremely difficult to raise at home since they cannot withstand warmer temperatures, and grow and reproduce slowly. It's easier to harvest them from their natural habitat (your back yard or cow pasture), since this worm species prefers to tunnel deeply, is somewhat territorial, and will not grow or reproduce if their home is disturbed. Canadian Nightcrawlers prefer an environment 45 to 50 degrees F, and will not survive above 65 degrees F, although they will keep several months in the refrigerator. As fishing bait, the Canadian Nightcrawler is lively on the hook but will only live about five minutes once submerged, and cannot withstand salt water or freezing water.

Red Worms (Eisenia fetida) are also known as manure worms. Red Worms are grown almost exclusively for composting, and their small size (1-1/2" to 2-1/2") makes them an ideal snack for aquarium fish or small reptiles and birds. They are less sensitive to the heat and sunlight than nightcrawlers. Fishermen use them to lure fish that prefer smaller bait, and Red Worms live longer underwater than Canadian Nightcrawlers.