The African nightcrawler (Eudrilus eugeniae) is the worm this whole site is built around: big, warm-weather, and hungry. It is the species going into our worm bags when the farm build finishes — not because it is the only good worm, but because it fits Florida and our system best.
What makes it different
Nightcrawlers are larger and faster-eating than the classic red wiggler, and they love warmth — their happy zone is roughly 68–86°F, which is most of the Florida year. They eat their weight in precomposted food and leave behind castings: dark, crumbly, microbe-rich, and full of plant-available nutrients. A worm gut is a bioreactor — food goes in, biology and available nutrients come out.
African nightcrawler vs. red wiggler
Red wigglers (Eisenia fetida) are smaller, tolerate cooler weather, and are the classic starter bin worm — see our red wiggler profile. Nightcrawlers are bigger, faster, and warmer-loving. In a Florida bin, that trade favors the nightcrawler; in a cold garage in Minnesota, it favors the wiggler. Right worm, right climate.
What they eat
Precomposted food: kitchen scraps and plant matter that have already rotted a bit, gone soft, and grown microbe-rich. Raw scraps can heat up and sour a bin; precompost skips that drama. Bedding (shredded cardboard, leaves, straw) is habitat and roughage, not just filler. Try the Worm Bin Simulator to run a virtual bin before you run a real one.
Honest status
Our worm bags are not running yet — this is a species profile, not a product claim. When the bags are producing, the castings will carry lot certificates through our Know Your Castings system. Until then, the nightcrawler is the plan, and the plan is public.
Meet the rest of the underground workforce in the Soil Food Web Explorer.
🌱 Keep learning
Three related guides worth reading next:
- Living Soil — A field guide to everything alive in your dirt: bacteria, fungi, protozoa, nematodes, worms, and the whole food web.
- Soil Microbiology — Meet the billions of microbes doing the real work under your feet.
- Organic Matter: The Pantry — The pantry the entire soil food web eats from — fallen leaves, dead roots, compost, and why it matters more than any fertilizer bag.