What to expect when ordering composting worms online

I have recently started my own DIY worm composting bin project, which is explained in my post Starting Worm Compost Bin. Unfortunately, I could not find any place located near me that sold red composting worms, so resorted to purchasing from an online source.

Where did I order from:
I ordered 100 red composting worms online from Uncle Jim's Worm Farm.  The purchase cost just over $20, including shipping cost. Also, I got a code for a free 1.4 pound of coconut coir brick.

Receiving the worms:
The company sent a package tracking code, so you knew when to expect the worms to arrive. Uncle Jim's sent the worms on 1/15/2019 and I received them on 1/17/2019. The worms came in a black fabric bag with peat moss, which was in a shipping box.

What I did with the worms:
The company sent a paper with instructions and tips for the red composting worms. It stated to put the worms into its new environment ASAP. Then, add 1/2 of water for the worms to regain moisture. I put them into my DIY compost bin and they seemed very small and were very active. Next, I poured the 1/2 cup of water over the worms and covered them up with moist shredded newspaper. I checked on the worms often because I wanted to see if they were finding their way to the food. It took the worms a couple hours to get to the food level.

Worm composting progress (1/20/2019):
I read online that sometimes the worms try to escape the bin in the first couple of days, but mine did not, which I think is a very good sign that they seem to be very happy and settled well in their bin.  I have yet to notice any worm castings as a byproduct. However, I think that I will be able to notice some castings in a couple weeks, for these worms are still very small and will not be eating a noticeable amount.

Please feel free to ask me ANY questions you may have about the process.

Starting Worm Compost Bin 1/14/2019

I am very interested in gardening and trying to make environmental efforts; so today I decided to jump into the task of starting my own worm compost bin. Being a college student and living in a small dorm most of the time, I am trying to make smaller version of a worm compost bin. I have watched some videos and read online about how to make it, but nobody really made them small enough for what I want, so I improvised on the whole project.

 How it was built:

My dad and gathered 3 white buckets, that were about 6 quarts big (not sure if that is the correct size, I will update if it is not), and a lid for one of them. First, we stacked the buckets and drilled air-holes in the top two. Next, we drilled the top lid with some holes, as well. The reason for putting the holes in the top two buckets and the lid, is for the worms to get enough oxygen to live.

What was put inside the buckets:

The worms will need some food and scraps of paper products to be able to create it's worm-castings (fecal matter) and worm tea (liquid excretion). I found in our refrigerator some celery sticks and green beans that were definitely going bad, so I chopped them up into smaller pieces for the worms and combined them into a bowl. We have a regular outdoor compost bin that we keep up with  and my mom was saving her used tea bags for it, but I decided that I would add it to the food mixture for the worms. I am currently only filling up the middle bucket for the composting. Eventually, I will add new food and scraps to the top bucket. I did multiple alternating layers of paper scraps (made of egg carton pieces, newspaper, and toilet-paper cardboard) and the food waste mixture. The last step I took was adding some water to that bucket, so paper products get a bit moist. I put the lid on the top of my stacked buckets and will let everything settle a bit before adding worms to the composting bin.

Adding the worms:

I could not find any place locally that sold the type of worms that I need to create compost, so I ordered them online. I ordered 100 red composting worms online from Uncle Jim's Worm Farm (ordered on 1/14/2019).

I have received my red composting worms today (1/17/2019). They traveled in a black fabric bag with dry peat moss (shown in image), within a shipping box. They seemed to be moving around and active when I transferred the worms to the compost bin.

Now my DIY Red Worm Composting Bin is all set up.