transferring vermiposting indoors

Hi -

Appreciate being directed here! Quick question for those with indoor vermiposting:

I bought some red wigglers for an outside bin and they are doing very well - it was going to be regular composting, but then I decided to try the worms. The outdoor bin has been a large trash can with holes, lots of shredded leaves, and kitchen scraps - not smelly at all, and seems to work nicely since all the stuff I put in is disappearing! Since I live in Chicago, I'd like to make an indoor Rubbermaid-type worm bin and keep this going over the winter.

I thought I could use some of my outdoor bin material to start my indoor bin, along with extra shredded newspaper, since it clearly has established decomposing micro-organisms and so forth. But just as moving outdoor plants inside at the end of the summer can cause issues with pests, I was wondering if anyone has run into trouble by transferring outdoor worms inside e.g. fly infestations, etc.? It is not a 'hot' composting bin so nothing is getting killed...on the other hand, we've been really good about burying everything under a top layer of leaves so I haven't noticed any swarms of anything when I open the lid.

Any comments from someone with prior experience would be great since I am new at this. Thanks!

scubadoobie,

You shouldn't have a problem if you cover your scraps in the indoor worm bin. Adding the decomposing stuff from an outside worm bin is a good way to jump start it. Also, put some food scraps in your new bin about a week ahead of time to allow it to start to mold so the worms will have something to eat when they go inside.

Maggie

Thanks so much! I've got a bunch of shredded newspaper ready to go. I also read that freezing some scraps will help to get rid of any fruit fly eggs, so will try that before letting them "pre-decompose" as I set up my li'l chateau. :)

That sounds perfect. Have fun!

Maggie