The species of worm used for vermicomposting has a number of common
names: red worms, red wigglers, manure worms, or brandling worms.
Redworms are healthy and active as long as they are kept above
freezing and below 85 degree. Even if the air temperature gets above
85 degree, their moist bedding will be cooled by evaporation as long
as air circulation is adequate. They are most active and will
consume the most waste between 55-77 degree--room temperatures.
Redworms need to live in a moist environment but must breath air
through their skin. Keeping their bedding damp is rarely the
problem; preventing it from becoming waterlogged and airless can be
a difficulty.
In the South or along the Pacific coast where things never freeze
solid, worms may be kept outside in a shallow shaded pit (as long as
the spot does not become flooded) or in a box in the garage or
patio. In the North, worms are kept in a container that may be
located anywhere with good ventilation and temperatures that stay
above freezing but do not get too hot. Good spots for a worm box are
under the kitchen sink, in the utility room, or in the basement. The
kitchen, being the source of the worm's food, is the most
convenient, except for the danger of temporary odors.
If you have one, a basement may be the best location because it is
out of the way. While you are learning to manage your worms there
may be occasional short-term odor problems or fruit flies; these
won't be nearly as objectionable if the box is below the house. Then
too, a vermicomposter can only exist in a complex ecology of soil
animals. A few of these may exit the box and be harmlessly found
about the kitchen. Ultra-fastidious housekeepers may find this
objectionable. Basements also tend to maintain a cooler temperature
in summer. However, it is less convenient to take the compost bucket
down to the basement every few days.