Worms in Pump

[airxsteel]

Ok, so I have started using Red Wigglers to compost my kitchen waste. The Texas heat has zapped them and fried them.

My neighbors had a pump filled with smaller red worms. They looked like the Red Wigglers I use for composting but alot smaller.

Does anyone know if those red small worms are the same thing?

Just curious and thanks!

 

[Fishylove]

Nope sorry. Those are actually fly larvae. Good thing is fish love them

 

[addy1]

I have a tub of red wigglers, they sure do go through the food waste, i.e. veg waste. I put them on the deck for the summer, between the hot tub and the house. This way they only get a little bit of direct sun so they don't overheat. In the winter they have to come in, we get too cold.

 

[Jason]

I have them all in my Large Coarse filter pad every time I clean it, I think they are fly larvae.

 

[minnowman]

They are midge larvae, called blood worms.

 

[airxsteel]

Thanks everyone, addy1, I don't think I can leave mine outside in this Texas heat. As the insurance guy says on the Progressive commercial. "Like a sauuuuuuna in here"

So what do midge flies even look like? Do the dragon flies eat these when they hatch or something? How in the heck do they get in the pump?

 

[addy1]

We have hit 99 so far this summer, the lil wormies are doing great, eating like pigs. I think them not getting direct sun makes the heat just fine for them.

 

[pecan]

They look like mosquitoes and can bite like mosquitoes. I have a ton of the little baby worms in my pumps, in my hoses and under every rock. The fish do love them and quickly destroy any they can get to. You can actually buy frozen blood worms from the local nursery to provide fish treats. I prefer to let them eat them naturally from the pond. I like to think that once they go from larva (worms) to pupa (where they are free swimming in the pond) they are all eaten up by all my fish before entering life in the air.