There are over 4000 species of earthworms but only 3 are considered composting worms. The common names for these three are the "Red Wiggler", "Blue Wiggler" and the "Tiger Worm". Eisendia Fetida is the proper name for the "Red Wiggler" and this worm is more familiar to us in the States.

The Eisendia Fetida has been found to be capable of transforming huge quantities of garbage into something very valuable. They have a very big appetite and can eat 1 to 1 ½ times their weight every day. The "Red Wiggler" excreta, known as "castings", and the washing of the worm urine, known as "worm tea" contain plant growth regulators and other substances. This makes them nature's most remarkable form of bio fertilizer and bi-pest agents.

Your "Red Wiggler" population can grow very rapidly. When worms breed, both male and female have reproductive organs. During mating, two worms align themselves in a head to tail position. A thick layer of mucus is produced and the two worms aligned discharge sperm cells, and then separate from each other.

A broad ring forms around each worm's body which receive the eggs and sperm cells as the worm works its body backwards from inside this ring. Eventually, the ring passes over the worms' head to form a cocoon, which house a number of eggs. (this process is much like slipping out of a shirt over our heads.)

Each worm produces 3-4 cocoons per week Approximately 83% hatch. Approximately 3 worms emerge from each cocoon. It takes 32-73 days for a cocoon to hatch. It takes 53-76 days for the baby worms to mature and be ready to reproduce. (eggs become adult worms ready to reproduce in approximately 149 days or 5 months.)

The information above on the growth rate of the Eisenia Foetida is from an excellent book, Biology and Ecology of Earthworms, by C.A Edwards and P.J. Bohien