I have a screened in outdoor kitchen on the Mississippi gulf coast. The cabin sits about 12' above grade in compliance with post-Huricane Katrina floodplain regulations. I figured the more garbage I can process, the less trips down the stairs I have to make hauling garbage. I also heard that my banana trees would love vermicompost tea, so it was a win win.

My morning ritual involves drinking coffee and watching the sun come up from the screened in perch. Yesterday morning, about 4:30 AM I walked out in the moon light and noticed something all over the tile floor. I flipped on the light and the little buggers were spread out all across the 400 sq' space. Some how and for some reason my new pets had escaped their custom habitat.

Why would they want to bolt? I thought I did everything right.

1. Perhaps the manure wasn't entirely "finished." I've heard that unfinished manure can easily get too hot for the worms in bins in certain circumstances.

2.I second Kimmsr, perhaps it was too wet. Too much food can cause this sometimes; this can also heat things up and/or go anaerobic which causes problems. Perhaps the newspaper was too wet when you put it in, or the drainage holes got clogged? Window screen (non-metal!) or pantyhose can be good filters for drainage holes. Perhaps everything else was okay, but there wasn't enough ventilation and it just got too hot and/or wet from that.

3. Perhaps there was some sort of chemical or contaminant in the manure. Was the cow/horse/animal who supplied the manure treated with antibiotics or de-wormers? This might be a bit of a stretch though, I know people often use manure without problems.

4. Perhaps the location was too hot. Summer in Mississippi is just hot to begin with! My worms really don't seem to like temps above 80 at all. They seem happiest at about 70. Perhaps warm outside temps combined with the bin heating up from food, bedding, or ventilation issues?
One thing seems definite, the worms needed out of whatever was going on in the bin. It might be a good idea to temporarily house them someplace else until the mystery is solved. I have used moistened coconut fiber, "coir," from the pet store as bedding for a long time, and it seems to make a pretty safe substrate (not saying anything against the manure, just thought if you had to do a quick 2nd home for them it might be an easy bedding to get quickly).

Last of all, this kind of thing happens to all of us at some point! A lot of vermicomposters keep a couple different bins going just in case something bad happens in one, they have a back up. Vermicomposting really is the easiest thing though, and once the bumps get smoothed out I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! Welcome to the world of worms, come say hi to us on the Vermi Forum :)

btw, I picked the scampering worms up with my fingers. I didn't have the heart to toss them back into the confines of the ben that they had worked so hard to escape from. So, I threw the min a potted plant on the porch. They promptly burrowed under the surface. I hope they enjoy their new home.

I'm not trying to be confrontational and I wasn't there.
I just don't want you moving forward with a solution to the wrong problem.
I've been wrong many times but I've never had worms flee moisture.

Good luck and happy wormin'