Warning, don't store crawlers in cutting from anothers lawn

[steve ypsi]

Bad experience, 1n 44 hours I lost all the night crawlers I caught on the 18 th at 1:00 am, today I checked them and they were all dead at 9:00 PM 19 th, I had caught over 500, lost them all. I keep them in the basement in a plastic container, yes it has air and yes it is cool because I have kept them from year to year this way. The only thing I did different was I was over to Arts yesterday at noon and I mentioned I had a 5 gallon bucket in the truck and when I got home I was going to drive down back and get some leaves I had piled to put in the container I keep the crawlers in, he said my neighbor brought some grass clippings down and his wife puts it around her flowers and I could have that, I took it home and in about 34 hours they were dead. The guy must used weed poison on his lawn. never dawned on me about poison in the grass, I never use it myself so I never had this happen ever, so use caution even leaves if poison has been used. this grass was fairly fresh, still green. I have put grass clippings from my lawn and not a problem.

[jpollman]

Steve,

A few clippings might not hurt but here's one thing that may have caused it. Decaying grass clippings produce A LOT of heat ! I usually bag my clippings and dump them on a big pile back in my woods. I've actually been able to see steam rising off of the pile in the morning. I'm no expert in the field of keeping crawlers but I think that may have been part of the problem. I do know that the crawlers want to be kept COOL.

Sorry to hear that all of your effort was for nothing. Hope it doesn't happen again.

Good luck !

[trout]

Tell us the truth:
Your dog killed them all....... didn't he :)

[tkpolasek]

Worm bedding is cheap and the best way to go. I keep mine in the brand called Fat n Sassy in a styrofoam cooler in my root cellar and they last all year and through the winter.

Good Fishing

Tim

[captain jay]

I think Trout has the right idea.....I would start my investigation with the dog!!

Captain Jay

[steve ypsi]

Pollman, noooo the grass didn't have time to decay, it was cool to the touch I thought the same thing until I felt the grass and it was only in there for about 30 hours, I just did the same thing last week with some others only thing it was clipping's from my lawn and they were lively after a week.

Your dog killed them all....... didn't he
.....I would start my investigation with the dog!!

---- Thats it Trout and Jay, you guys are next on the list, After I bring the dog and Sic her on you and she rips your ankles out I will vist you in the hospital where you will have to have ankle transplants done. I guess they have ankle transplants like hip transplants if not you 2 will have to wobble around with missing ankles the rest of your life. By the way Trout it is a she not he, I will spell it real slow for you since you and Jay are a slow reader's,
S----H----E--- Hope that wasn't to fast for you and that so called Capt Jay
TAKE A LOOK AT THIS FACE< IT WILL BE THE LAST THING TROUT AND JAY WILL SEE BEFORE YOU PASS OUT WITH PAIN FROM YOUR ANKLES BEING RIPPED OUT BY S----H---E
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/slevinski/putty/Copy%20of%20puttyblood%20face.jpg

[Mantas]

My vote is also for the Weed&Feed. My secnod choice would be from asphyxiation from the rotting grass eating up all of the oxygen. I'm sure the conditions weren't right for the fresh grass to generate any kind of measurable heat, not in his cellar anyways. On second thought there should have been enough oxygen dissolved in the mucus from that many crawlers to let at least a couple live for days without any oxygen from the air. My vote goes for the neighbors mystery fertilizer/weed killer. Get out the back medicine and the lights and wait for the next rainfall.


Kinda puts a new dimension on the old saying: "You don't mow another mans lawn.":D

[Sarge]

The weed n feed won't hurt nightcrawlers unless its fresh. (that day or the next day)

The heat from the clippings is what killed them. The same will happen with leaves when they first begin to decay. I used to raise worms to sell and I know what it will do.

As a test, go out and pick up grass clippings that are still green. put them in a container or even just pile them up tight. Wait 6 hours and go stick your hand in the pile. Actually do this very carefully, because you will get burned if you just shove it in there.

Farmers have to cure their hay for a couple days before bailing or the heat gets so intense that it burns barns down. Documented fact.

[steve ypsi]

Mantas

Yes I don't think the rotting because I had it in a 1 1/2 foot by 3 ft long 12 inch deep container with only a third of the container loosely filled with the grass, it was fluffed up besides right now being on the floor of the basement it is really cool, half way up the wall its 62 degree's. Like I said I did it last week with 5 dozen I had with cliping's from my lawn and not one died on me in a similar container, no there was poison on the grass because it killed them all in that 30 hour period that I had the grass in.

[fatboy]

steve - go get yourself a bag of the" fat-n-sassy" worm bedding. the stuff is great ! worms do great in it and it does not stain the carpet in the boat.It just dries up and blows away when spilled in the boat:) and it's cheap !

[steve ypsi]

to late fatboy, I sent them to the gas chamber See the post Sarge & Jpollman under warmwater all others. Next time I will get some thing like that, does it come in about 2 galons bulk wise?

[fatboy]

steve i bought a big 10.00 bag at cabela's they also sell 5.00 bags. worms last all season in the stuff. gander mt. also sells it i think. i keep 500 crawles in 10.00 worth.it.s something like wet ground up newspaper. hands stay clean !:)

[steve ypsi]

thanks fat boy, I was just at cabelas yesterday,Darn, never even gave that a thought. I know the stuff, bought it 15 years ago, white or gray looking. I will pick some up. yes you are right, all black under the finger nails to eat when you are fishing, I will probabvly miss that taste while eating a sandwich., Just looked up on line for the bedding, they show 5 # for $4.99

[Marcellus Bodi]

Hi,
Do you guys feed your worms and what do you feed them.

[MadCatter]

If you have a paper shredder, you can shred up some newspapers and keep them for months in it .. I don't use crawlers much anymore but I used to keep hundreds at a time in shredded newspaper ... you can get some worm food to put in it every now and then ... very cheap and clean to use

Dave

[jpollman]

Here's a thought.....

Go to Home Depot and check out their blown in cellulose insulation. That's probably pretty similar to the "worm bedding" you buy at Cabelas and such. I'm not positive but I'm fairly certain it's VERY similar and might work just as well. It's CHEAP too.

I could be way off base here but it might be worth looking into. I don't use crawlers anymore either. But if I did, I think I might try it.

Good luck !

[steve ypsi]

Jpollman, that cellulose insulation is fire proof, I thought about that, I might get a small amount and try it on a few crawlers to see if it kills them. I will be doing tests before I try it on 500 again, I am fat and old, don't like going out in the night to catch them, some one said go out again and bend over and get a sore back, Well my fat gut would pull me right over on my head if I leaned forward while standing, I am so fat that I look like a walking leaning tower of Pizza, I have to get on my knee's to catch crawlers. If I could only train my dog to catch them, she is low to the ground