Potworms

It happens to every new vermicomposter. You look in your bin and see that you've had a massive population explosion. Little baby worms everywhere! Like any proud new parent, you share a picture of these baby worms, just to find out that they are not actually red wigglers, but potworms. 

Potworms (Enchytraeidae) are pretty much very small versions of composting worms that thrive in wet, acidic conditions. They are white and usually only a few millimeters long. 

Since potworms favor wet and acidic conditions, it means your bin, or parts of your bin, might be drifting into a high moisture & low pH area. It's time to check up on the moisture and pH!

Potworms are not really a problem in the worm bin - they are a symptom. Overly wet and acidic conditions bring the potworms, and it is those wet/acidic conditions that harm the health of your worm bin - not the potworms themselves.

Like anything, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Potworms show up because the bin is out of balance. Getting the bin back into balance (correct moisture and pH levels) and, besides a very small healthy amount, the potworms will go away on their own. Add dry bedding to dry out the bin more, and you could also use something like agricultural lime or calcium carbonate (eggshells or oyster shells) to bring the pH closer to neutral.

However, if its time to implement a "cure" on top of the prevention, a common trick is to let some bread soak in milk, and then place it in the bin. It will get real nasty and sour and the potworms will love it. They'll flock to the bread, and then you can pick up the slice of bread and throw it away with all the potworms on it along with it.