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What Do Earthworms Eat

By Janice VanCleave

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Foods to Feed Earthworms in a Compost Bin A worm’s diet is based off of where they live and if they are surface worms or they live deep under the ground. Worms that are generally near the surface of the dirt can eat anything from dead leaves to cardboard all the way to melon rinds […]

Filed Under: invertebrates Tagged With: decompose, earthworms, ecology, nutrients, worm bin

Earthworms: Air Displacement

By Janice VanCleave

Earthworms

Question: Why do earthworms come to the surface after a big rain? Answer: If there is a lot of rain, the rain water not only fills the burrows of earthworms but also fills the spaces between rocks and particles of soil. In other words, the rain water displaces the air between the rocks and soil […]

Filed Under: Biology, invertebrates Tagged With: earthworms

Earthworm: Digestive System

By Janice VanCleave

Question: Do earthworms really eat dirt? Answer: Yes, earthworms eat dirt. But most of the dirt eaten by earthworms moves through their body and is deposited as waste. The waste of earthworms is called casts. There is much more to the earthworm’s digestive system than just eating and pooping dirt. An earthworm’s digestive system consists […]

Filed Under: Biology, invertebrates Tagged With: base, casts, digestive system, earthworms

Ecology: Worm Bin

By Janice VanCleave

The drill has a 1/4 inch drill bit to make holes in a plastic container to be an earth worm bin.

How to Build an Earthworm Bin Using A Plastic Container Earthworms will eat food and paper scraps. The waste from the worms–called casts–is wonderful compost to grow plants in. I started my own earthworm bin recently. My bin is a plastic container with a lid. My husband helped me prepare the container by drilling air […]

Filed Under: invertebrates Tagged With: casts, composting, earthworm in, earthworms, ecology, recycle

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The spoon hanging from the string vibrates when struck and these vibrations are transmitted through the string and the sound is amplified by the plastic cups. ABOUT ME: Hi, I am Janice VanCleave, author of 50 best-selling science experiment books for children ages 4 through high school. I taught science for 27 years. MORE.....

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