What do you do in extreme temps? I really want to purchase this but winters here can get as low as 10 degrees and summers as high as 100. Will the worms die if left outside in these temps? I really don't want to have this system inside my house but...
125110
The lowest it gets at my house is about 30 degrees at night. Havent lost any worms in 2 years. I do add more paper in the winter though so maybe that helps. I can only assume the added paper gives them more to eat and stay warm. I also dont remove the compost until spring.
1752480
The best way to deal with the fruit flies... I control them with apple cider vinager and a drop of dawn dish soap. Then I let the worms eat everything in the bin before I add anything else.. I use Heinz cider. Not sure why but I've tried other brands and did not catch any flies. I also use a stemless wine glass. I've been doing this for several years and no mater what u put in your bin. Ur gonna get other visitors. As long as they aren't harmful to the worms they can be controlled.
3697
Hi, Amy. Good luck with the dried meal worms. We can't keep enough in he feeder during the cold months into early spring. We have noticed a slow down, but they still disappear in a couple of days. If you are a little more adventerous, try LIVE meal worms. The birds go nuts for these. The drawback is that they have to be kept in the fridge but if you're OK with that...a tupperware container with strips of news paper and some holes in the lid works just great. Bluebirds are our biggest consumers but other birds frequently stop by for a snack. Best wishes and good luck!!! alan in MA
98923
Well, a lot of them. i had mine go out (as ecotemp said) and i don't think it got below 38f. if you do have a problem with yours im sure they will say it's because you let it freeze. thats what all their complaints are about it seems. and their customer service is non existent, they just said it was all my fault then (get this) he hung up on me. i never raised my voice (but he did) i tried to call back and they would not pick up my call. i will never even think about using them again. good luck!
1562647
I used one like this on the balcony of a 5th floor apartment one time. Instead of burying the bottom lip of it, just fill the inside up about 6" deep with dirt. You can thrown your own worms in the top for the same effect -- get them at a bait store if nowhere else. Definitely don't forget the worms, though.
1762007
I've had a redworm bin for 21 years without having to buy more worms. I've had many fungus gnat and fruit fly infestations and have used this product many times. (Usually I move the bin outside, wait several days until the gnats disappear, then start a new bin using worms harvested from a worm bin I moved outside in my previous infestation cycle, hopefully many months before. I'm always afraid it will be only 99.9% effective and I'll breed resistance if I start out with too many gnats.)
758262
I would return it. They don't do well in the extreme cold and it will probably die if it's not already gone. Sorry :(
410072
Last winter I used this waterer all winter on the ground in an unheated barn which wasn't much warmer than the outside. Last winter here in Ballston Spa New York was the worst I can remember. Temps were below zero for days on end with lots of snow. It had no trouble with the temperatures, my Guinea Hens all survived with plenty of water always available along with lots of scratch feed always in the feed bins. I will be using it again this winter and it is already in use but not plugged in yet. I would be comfortable with 10 to 20 degrees below zero. It never froze once. Use it you can't go wrong.
809626
This system works great with red wrigglers ( thats what I raise ). Be sure to use RAIN water to wet the bedding,DO NOT USE TAP WATER,as it will make the worms sick and will die .Hope this helps you out.
10250
As others have stated you need to put this down once a year in August which immediately kills the worms. They are the result of the June bugs larva. Where I live if you don't your lawn will be torn up by the crows who love to feast on them so I have a reminder if I do forget like this year. After the crows started digging up my lawn I put it down and it stopped them the next day. Amazing stuff and highly recommend it...
1377462
Your kidding, right? I have found the bowls are barely "warm " to the touch. Just came in from letting flock out of their coops. It is 12 degrees and water was still perfect, & kept them hydrated through the night. Mine sets on a short wooden box. Perhaps if you put them on a additional heated surface but that is even hard for me to buy into. They are a blessing to us.
2105850
Depends on what you call extreme. I live in Central Texas. They take the hottest summers OK but winter temps? We rarely get below the 20s. Can't really say. They can't take fire ants getting into them. Had to replace mine after 4 years because of heavy rain that drove the ant into them. They took the rain fine until then.
2026652
I had treated the yard with other insecticides before the nematodes arrived also, so I called the company and asked them. They said wait at least 30 days. You can keep the nematodes in the refrigerator for up to 14 days, and with my luck, the 30 days coincided with the 14th day I had to store them. I can say that I did this last summer, when the fleas were absolutely horrible (the worst I've ever seen) and hoped they'd establish a good colony for this summer, and apparently they did. I might have picked one or two fleas off my bulldog all summer, haven't had a single flea jump on me at all, so I haven't retreated yet. They should have had an abundance of larvae to feed off of all winter long, so I'm hoping that with the lack of fleas this year, and without retreating, that the ones that have worked so well for me don't migrate to a better food source this winter! I think I'll wait now and retreat after the last frost in the spring.
1218455
Hi Katie,I don't think you're supposed to. Depends on your climate. I have two outside but one on a porch and one way under the eves on the house. Haven't had any problems. But..not winter here yet. At 20 below zero F, that's going to be tough. 90% is keeping them dry and out of direct sunlight. Keep them powered all the time in the winter (that's the plan) because they will generate a little heat. If the wind's not too bad they might survive.
1640347
My german shepherd did well in it here in Arkansas. The lowest temperature I remember was 9 degrees, and for at least a month she dealt with anywhere from 20-30 degree weather fairly well, which included snow/sleeting conditions in my yard and in her pen. I used pine shavings for the bottom of the dog house, which held up well--the bottom portion of the doghouse is around 3-4" thick, fyi. You might want to adjust the vent at the top to ensure whatever amount of circulation you prefer. Also this house worked fine for my 9 month old german shepherd, but if she were full grown it would have been kinda small for her. My german shepherd did well in it here in Arkansas. The lowest temperature I remember was 9 degrees, and for at least a month she dealt with anywhere from 20-30 degree weather fairly well, which included snow/sleeting conditions in my yard and in her pen. I used pine shavings for the bottom of the dog house, which held up well--the bottom portion of the doghouse is around 3-4" thick, fyi. You might want to adjust the vent at the top to ensure whatever amount of circulation you prefer. Also this house worked fine for my 9 month old german shepherd, but if she were full grown it would... » Read More My german shepherd did well in it here in Arkansas. The lowest temperature I remember was 9 degrees, and for at least a month she dealt with anywhere from 20-30 degree weather fairly well, which included snow/sleeting conditions in my yard and in her pen. I used pine shavings for the bottom of the dog house, which held up well--the bottom portion of the doghouse is around 3-4" thick, fyi. You might want to adjust the vent at the top to ensure whatever amount of circulation you prefer. Also this house worked fine for my 9 month old german shepherd, but if she were full grown it would have been kinda small for her. « Show Less
920198
It will not only kill June bugs it will kill the box they came in. This is the best bug and worm killer I have ever used. To kill some bugs it takes a couple of hours but most just fall off and die before the water mixture has a chance to dry. I really don't know any bug it won't kill because I haven't found it yet. Cut worms were having a feast on my tomatoes and one spray and they were gone. Just let soak into the roil. I had beatles by the hundreds on my potatoes and I sprayed them and before I could get my stuff put up they were all on the ground and none haven't come back. Great stuff.
214939
Terri, I would send them back they shouldn't have arrived that way. To prevent in the future you can keep them frozen until you eat them? I buy them for my birds so the worms and bugs won't bother them. I wouldn't eat them.