Kirk..Are you talking about your new fish? IMO it is sometimes what they have been used to eating versus a new kind of food. My fish will eat anything, but prefer floating pellets because that is what I give them. They don't like to have to find them on the bottom. They will eat sinking pellets, if I drop them slowly. My daughters fish only will eat sinking pellets, because that is what they are used to. They seem to like scrounging around on the bottom for their food. Your new fish also need to adjust to a new invironment. You can give them cooked green peas minus the skin of the peas. Hope they start eating soon for you. Glenda

I don't argue the min and max temps, I have seen from experience in my own bin though that they are very sluggish down around 40f and I've had it up to 90f last summer out side in the sun and never had a mass exodus or die off. My main point for the OP is that in an open bottom CP they will come and go as they please. The OP didn't say if they had an open bottom or tumbler. I wouldn't add worms to a tumbler, but wouldn't be concerned if a few ended up in there either. I should also state that my worm bin is larger than most bins. 18gal and I keep it nearly full to the top. Conventional wisdom says no more than a few inches deep but I've had no problems w/ mine, and I'm sure the added volume gives them more room to move around to find a desirable habitat.

While looking into midge chemical cures, I found disturbing information on merit and bees... sigh. I found this info in the American rose Annual from 1918 on the treatment of midge at the time by Mr. Koch in Humboldt Park gardens in Chicago. I don't know where I'd get a load of tobacco stems, (ha), but I thought this organic treatment was interesting. "He found many of the plants affected with mildew and stem- blight, and, in 1911, rose midge had been introduced with new plants in the three principal parks. Hybrid Perpetuals and Gruss an Teplitz were found particularly susceptible to attacks of the midge. After considerable experimental work, Mr. Koch adopted mulching four inches deep with tobacco stems. It is applied after the first summer hoeing, about mid-June, and spaded under after frost in autumn. Where the mulch becomes thinned or shifted in the course of the summer, additional appUcations are made. This, he found, prevents hibernation of the pest. Last summer but few larvae and few injuries were found. For the greater security of other varieties, it was found necessary to remove Gruss an Teplitz from Douglas Park entirely in 1915." Any thoughts, my knowledgeable friends?

I have an indoor bin, so I avoid anything that "putrifies." So, I avoid all meats/oils/fats. I also avoid highly acidic foods. pH is somewhat critical to the worm survival. I also avoid onions and garlic. I really do not know why. I read it once on the boards a while ago and I just don't do it. I also avoid anything with mold, no matter its original composition. Egg shells I keep to a minimum. Since they actually do not digest these (grit), I grind them up and sprinkle over. As others have mentioned, rice/grains/grass.....anything that has the tendency to heat up the bin. Banana peal ends. I noticed that my worms avoid these. They eat all of the banana peals and leave the ends. I pulled out upward of 12 ends from my bin before I realized they weren't eating them. I also add non-edible items. I cover each tray with newspaper. Once it gets a bit holey, I mix it in and lay another on top. Every once in a while, I will put in a cardboard egg carton. Of course, these are my experiences and preferences. I imagine everyone has their own way of caring for their worms.