Red Wigglers, Indian Blues, & Nightcrawlers - What are the Best Worms for Composting?

Composting with earthworms is a great way to recycle food scraps, yard debris, manure, and other organic matter, but what is the best type of worm to use for composting and vermicomposting?

For home composting, most people use Red Wigglers, Indian Blues, or Nightcrawlers. Having raised millions of composting worms, we believe these 3 worm species are the best worms for composting and vermicomposting. All 3 worm species work well in indoor and outdoor environments and are easy to manage. 

Red Wigglers and Indian Blues are very similar (as in almost identical and hard to tell apart), and although the Red Wiggler is slightly more adaptable to certain conditions, this is more than offset by the Blue worm’s ability to compost more waste and breed faster (which leads to more worms in your compost bin, more waste processed, and more worm castings for your home and garden!).

Looking to buy worms? Find our red wigglers for sale here and our European Nightcrawlers for sale here.

Best Worms for Vermicomposting - Characteristics of Red Wigglers, Indian Blues, and Nightcrawlers

Before making a decision on the best type of worm to use for vermicomposting, it’s important to know more about how each species operates. 

Red wigglers and Indian Blues are epigeic worms, meaning they live, breed and eat within 2-3 inches of the soil surface. Nightcrawlers, by contrast, are anecic worms, meaning they burrow horizontally and live much deeper in the soil. 

The tendency of Red Wigglers and Indian Blues to live in or around the surface is 1 reason why they are one of the best worms for vermicomposting. Most indoor and outdoor worm bins are set-up so that food is placed on the surface of the bin (where Red Wigglers and Indian Blues naturally live and breed). Nightcrawlers, on the other hand, prefer deeper areas to burrow where they eat and breed.

Best Worms for Composting - Types

Let’s do a deeper review of the 3 main options in the best worms for composting category. 

Indian Blue Worms

Indian Blues (Perionyx Excavatus) are a great compost worm - they are more active than Red Wigglers and generally process more waste and breed faster than their redworm cousin. They are comfortable in temperature ranges of around 40-90 degrees Fahrenheit.

It is often hard to tell the difference between a blue worm and a Red Wiggler. Blue worms tend to be skinnier and slightly longer than Red Wigglers, and they move in a faster, more jerky motion.

Blue worms sometimes get a bad rap in the vermicomposting space as they can be more finicky (e.g., leave the bin) than Red Wigglers. However, in our experience, issues with blue worms are almost always related to bin conditions. 

If conditions (pH, moisture, and feedstock) are good, blue worms will not leave the bin any more frequently than Red Wigglers. If conditions are not great, blue worms might leave the bin in search of better conditions (Red Wigglers will do this as well if bin conditions are not conducive to their long-term survival).

As mentioned earlier, we think any issues with Blue worms are more than offset by their active disposition and ability to breed well and process waste.

Red Wigglers

Red wigglers (Eisenia Foetida) are the most common type of compost worm in North America. They can process organic matter quickly, they breed well, and they can live and thrive in a variety of conditions. 

Red Wigglers are similar in size to Blue Worms - they are on average slightly shorter than blue worms but thicker in diameter. Red Wigglers also have more pronounced, raised clitellums (the egg ring around their neck) after mating.

Nightcrawlers (European and African)

Nightcrawlers (Lumbricus terrestris) are larger earthworms that are great at processing waste but are more sensitive to temperature and soil pH than Red Wigglers and Indian Blues.

As mentioned above, nightcrawlers burrow horizontally and live and breed deeper in the soil than other compost worm species. For this reason, nightcrawlers are suited for vermicomposting in a compost pile or windrow.

Here’s a quick summary of the 3 best worms for composting and their characteristics:

Best Worms for Composting - Frequently Asked Questions

Thanks for reading! If you have questions about this "Best Worms for Composting" blog post, or vermicomposting in general, comment below or feel free to send us an email at highfive@brotherswormfarm.com. Happy farming!!