Buying worms

[GeryG]

Does Walmart have the best price for night crawlers, or has anyone found a cheaper
source, short of raising your own, or buying a 100 plus out of a magazine.

[A9]

Depends on where you live...

I go to Joes and get a dozen for like $1.99....Pretty good deal...

[jmay]

I think Walmart worms are buy far the cheapest. You get 24 for the price of 12 at gas station, at least in the Spokane Area

[raffensg64]

A worm? What in the heck is that? Just kidding! Don't know about your area, but my lawn and streets abound with those monkeys after a good rain. When I was a kid I kept a large wooden "worm box" in the back yard, filled with some type of worm bedding (can't remember the name). Every time it rained we'd throw a few hundred worms and crawlers in there. My partners and I never had to buy worms, but then again, nobody sold them! Maybe something to look into......

[Marc Martyn]

When I used to use them, I would gather them myself. I would set the water in the yard around sunset and let it run for a couple of hours. Then around midnight I'd go out into the yard with a flashlight and in about 1/2 hour, have enough for my buddy and I for the entire weekend. Sometimes parks will water at night and that is a good source also.
You can buy worm bedding pretty cheap at any sporting goods store. Keep it damp, not soaking wet.

[panfisher]

i've used an old cooler in the ground to keep them cool all summer long. every time it would rain i would take a 1/2 hr at night to keep it full. or if you water your yard they will come up to. thats the cheap way and you can use as many worms as you see fit. 1.99 has been the cheapest that i,ve found. if i run out before i'm done fishing i'll turn over some rocks or tree limbs on the ground and find enough to fish the rest of the day. if you do this be sure you replace the stuff you found the worms under, that way there will be more at another time. i've sold many a worm that paid the gas.

[Palmer]

Ever since I found out Walmart lobbies our government to stop manufacturing goods in America that compete with manufactured goods from China, I won't set foot in a Walmart - not even for 1 cent worms. Since manufacturing middle class income jobs have gone from 60% to 10% of the job market, I suppose its not surprising that worms seem expensive.

[gpc]

Yeah if you can find them under 2$ that's the cheapest Iv heard of. I will gather my worms for trout fishing sometimes. More so around the opener and when I'm broke.Around the opener, in a weekend its not uncommon to go through 5 dozen worms between 4 people well that's 10$. But you don't need night crawlers for planters in fact I prefer the earth worms. But when walleye fishing you need full night crawlers, that can get very expensive, because I cant really find nightcrawlers in my yard, there's some, but its more earth worms. What I find attracts worms is garbage bags. Lay down some of those big black garbage bags before it rains and weigh them down really well, usually mine are full of yard debris, then just move them the next morning, there will be between 10-20 worms under each bag

[Bodofish]

For all the wal-mart shoppers, I'd stay away from those worms made in the Chinese sweat shops employing children for slave wages. I'm sure the fish can tell the difference.

Sure fire way to get the worms out of your lawn if you don't want to help support the good American worm farmers.

Make sure the lawn is good and wet. Take a big extension cord (the un-grounded variety). Cut off the female end and split it back about 6 to 8 feet. Bare the ends and solder them onto some thin steel rods about 12 to 18 inches long. Stick those rods in the ground as far apart as you can. Plug it in. Those worms will come racing to the top just waiting to get picked up. Don't forget to wear your rubber boots and it will tingle a bit when you pick up the worms. Don't forget to unplug when you're done. Best to keep the kids and pets indoors while you do it. Been doing it for years, works great.

Huge disclaimer!!!!! Washingtonlakes.com is not involved in the afore mentioned procedure in any way. 120 volts AC can cause serious harm. Do not do this unless you are smart enough not to get shocked.

[bigastrout]

For all the wal-mart shoppers, I'd stay away from those worms made in the Chinese sweat shops employing children for slave wages. I'm sure the fish can tell the difference.

Sure fire way to get the worms out of your lawn if you don't want to help support the good American worm farmers.

Make sure the lawn is good and wet. Take a big extension cord (the un-grounded variety). Cut off the female end and split it back about 6 to 8 feet. Bare the ends and solder them onto some thin steel rods about 12 to 18 inches long. Stick those rods in the ground as far apart as you can. Plug it in. Those worms will come racing to the top just waiting to get picked up. Don't forget to wear your rubber boots and it will tingle a bit when you pick up the worms. Don't forget to unplug when you're done. Best to keep the kids and pets indoors while you do it. Been doing it for years, works great.

Huge disclaimer!!!!! Washingtonlakes.com is not involved in the afore mentioned procedure in any way. 120 volts AC can cause serious harm. Do not do this unless you are smart enough not to get shocked.

I think the danger of that out weighs the price of worms!!! SUPER DANGEROUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Bodofish]

Dangers actually quite low as long as you put the rods in the ground first. Huge voltage drop when you get the rods any distance apart. As stated don't do it unless your smart enough not to get shocked. Beside I'd rather be shocked than shop a wal-mat.

[panfisher]

an old timer showed me the electric rod trick. those worms would actually shoot out of the holes and become airborn there would be a slight popping sound from the suction. i've actually have used a worm stick with good results. its ribbed so when you rub it it vibrates the ground making the worms come up. they actually have contests for the biggest, smallest, most worms called up.

[bigastrout]

I posted this in another thread but here it is. I was told to put some mustard powder in a weed and feed bottle then spray the lawn down with it. The mustard will irritate the worms and they will come to the surface. No risk of Death.

[juicyjay504]

white elephant has a dozen for like 79 cents

[tnj8222]

a awesome old timer tech. is to take a piece of wood like a 2x4 cut one end to a point. hammer it in the ground about 1-2 feet. water your lawn in the evening for a few hours atleast, after the lawn is soaked. take a handsaw and saw the top of the 2x4 the vibrations will bring up the worms. do this in a few spots and you should get a bunch!!

[bpm2000]

a awesome old timer tech. is to take a piece of wood like a 2x4 cut one end to a point. hammer it in the ground about 1-2 feet. water your lawn in the evening for a few hours atleast, after the lawn is soaked. take a handsaw and saw the top of the 2x4 the vibrations will bring up the worms. do this in a few spots and you should get a bunch!!

i tried this back at my parents house (with a ribbed metal pole instead of a 2x4) and i couldnt get a single one to come up. I'll have to try again sometime.

[dbaker]

my family use to own a device like Bodofish describes, it was factory made. There were a series of rods connected by electrical cord. Each rod had a wooden handle. There was no danger of electrical shock ( I was a third grader using it). I sold night crawlers all that summer and helped pay for a bike.

[Bodofish]

Sweet!

[MikeFishes]

I don't know if this is really true. I'm not an entomologist. But, I believe that there's definately a difference between Earth Worms and Night Crawlers. Earth worms are the easiest to come by. I think everyone's said how they find theirs. Night Crawlers aren't so easy. I learned back during my first fishing life (teenager) that night crawler hunting can be quite fun. I used to live in Utah, and my dad had water rights. So, after an irrigation turn, I'd take my flashlight out in back at night and go to where we had piled the leaves the previous fall. I'd slowly move my flashlight along the ground and see a big old worm sticking it's head out of the ground. Just reach down and grab it and give it a good tug. Those things can be hard to convince to come out. Now, from what I remember, Earthworms don't do that. They don't come out at night. Night Crawlers do. Of course, I really don't know the difference. But that's what I remember. I kept my in an old wood box my dad had with some dirt and peat moss. Those things lasted quite a while in there.

Okay, so there kind of is a difference.

[tcb]

Think it would be possible to buy a couple 1.99$ cups of nightcrawlers, build a box with 2x10s say...a 2x2 open top box, fill with great soil and raise your own? They are asexual if i remember my biology right so as long as you keep adding soil, or light compost they should thrive.

Yes/No/Maybe?

I would hate this idea to go the way of my "bat house"