new bin questions - is this normal?

Hi -

I've got a new bin and am hoping what I am seeing is par for the course. I'm doing an indoor Rubbermaid bin with drilled holes and lots of shredded newspaper, and have started with worms and compost from my outdoor bin (red wigglers) and a new pound of 'em from Acme Worm Farm. I have frozen my scraps before putting them in the bin and I've had this set up for a little less than a month.

So far, the worms seem OK - they ate one batch of scraps and are moving around. But they are not yet eating my new donations but instead hanging out in the bottom of the bin eating the newspaper. In fact, the whole bottom inch looks like paper-mache with worms and castings! Are my scraps just not decomposed-enough yet, or do worms actually just prefer to eat newspaper? I have had a few coming up near the lid, but it is not a lot of them. From the castings all over the place including my top bedding, it seems that they are crawling everywhere when I am not looking (it's in a dark closet, no light).

Also, I have seen one adult fruit fly and am hoping that putting a cider vinegar trap out and not donating any more food for a little while will take care of things.

Anyhow, I hope this is normal. (Perhaps I am just like a mom saying "I prepared this - why aren't you eating it?!") Suggestions? Comments? Thanks!

Worms start slow in a new bin.
They have to build up their numbers get larger and so on.

You have to be careful at first to not over feed. Don't add new feed until the last batch is almost gone. That is a good rule to follow it helps keep unwanted critters down. That said they do seem to realy like the paste in paper and may just be getting every last drop.

Other things to look at;
Are you covering the food up? That is making a pocket in the beding and covering it with a layer of fresh beding. That helps. I never could tell if mine were feeding at first until i put in some bad radish tops. Two days later when i checked the bin the radish tops were gone. After that i could see steady progress.

Thanks! I did cover all the food up, and I think some of the scraps are getting less. Since they're probably just settling in, I'll just wait a little longer before putting in any more. Appreciate the input.

I wondered the same thing for the first few weeks... and then when I began to really chop up the veggies into tiny pieces, and dug a little trench and then covered the new food, that within just a few days, voila.. all gone... I freeze banana skins and melon skins and then defrost it and put it through my food processor.. they absolutely go bananas for that !! (pardon the pun) LOL My Euro's are the same way.. I got some composted cow poo for both bins, and they are multiplying faster than bunnies on crack !! wow.. I will certainly be ready for spring planting at this rate...

Good luck with you new venture... and welcome to the club..

Carolyn