From Wiggly Wigglers, Lower Blakemere Farm, Herefordshire
If you’ve ever typed “wiggly worms” into Google, you’re in good company.
Every month, people also search for “wriggly wrigglers”, “wiggle worms”, “wiggley worms”, “wigglywigglers”, “wiffly worms”, “wiggy wigglers”, “wiggly wormers”, and “wigly worms” — and somehow Google still manages to point them in our direction.
Fortunately, worms are very much our thing. And whether you’re looking for composting worms, garden worms, red wigglers, dendros, live mealworms, or just help spelling any of the above, here’s the complete Wiggly guide to what’s what — and what you actually need.
🌱 Why People Confuse Garden Worms with Composting Worms
Most people assume a worm is a worm.
But the truth is, there are thousands of species, and they each play a different role.
The two groups you need to know about are:
1. Garden Soil Worms — deep burrowers
Species like Lumbricus terrestris (the classic earthworm or “lobworm”) live in vertical burrows deep in the soil.
They are brilliant for aeration, drainage, and soil structure.
But they do NOT work in a wormery.
They don’t like the heat, the density of food waste, or the shallow environment.
2. Composting Worms — surface dwellers
These worms naturally live in leaf litter, manure piles, compost heaps, and anywhere rich in rotting organic matter.
They thrive in wormeries and break down waste at remarkable speed.
This is why digging worms from your lawn and adding them to your wormery ends badly:
you haven’t picked the right species.
🪱 The Composting Worm Mix We Sell at Wiggly Wigglers
We supply a mixed blend of the three key composting species — never individually — because a mixed population is the strongest and most stable way to run a wormery.
This mix includes:
✔ Dendrobaena veneta
Also called: dendros, Dendro worms, European Nightcrawlers.
Hardy, active, temperature-tolerant, and excellent in wormeries.
✔ Eisenia fetida
Also known as: red wigglers, tiger worms, manure worms.
Fast breeders, superb composters, great with Bokashi-pretreated food.
✔ Eisenia andrei
Very similar to E. fetida but slightly darker and just as efficient.
Combined with the others, they create a balanced, high-performance composting colony.
Why a mix is best:
• different species work at different depths
• they tolerate temperature and moisture changes differently
• biodiversity makes the wormery more resilient
• waste is processed more evenly and efficiently
Every Wiggly wormery kit includes this proper mix — the gold standard for vermicomposting.
🐦 Mealworms & Waxworms — Brilliant for Birds (With a DEFRA Note)
Mealworms (Live & Dried)
Mealworms are the larvae of the darkling beetle (Tenebrio molitor).
They are adored by robins, blackbirds, tits, wagtails, and more.
Important (DEFRA guidance):
• LIVE mealworms are suitable for poultry (hens).
• DRIED mealworms are NOT DEFRA approved for feeding to poultry.
Garden birds, however, can enjoy both live and dried.
Common searches include:
“UK mealworm farm”, “live mealworms UK”, “dried worms for birds”, “mealworms for hens”.
Waxworms
Waxworms are the larvae of the wax moth (Galleria mellonella).
Higher in fat than mealworms, they’re a superb occasional treat for reptiles, hedgehogs, and some garden birds.
Not for composting.
🌾 Garden Worms (Lumbricus terrestris) — How They Fit In
People often search for:
“garden worms for sale”, “worms for soil”, “earthworms near me”.
Garden worms can be introduced into gardens to improve soil, but — this is crucial — they will only stay and thrive if conditions are right.
Garden worms need:
•plenty of mulch
•organic matter on the soil surface
•moisture
•cover from heat and predators
•a food source (worm compost or leaf mould)
Without this, adding worms to poor soil simply doesn’t work. They will leave, dive deeper, or fail to multiply.
The Wiggly way:
Before buying garden worms, improve the habitat:
1. Add mulch (compost, leaf mould, grass clippings, chipped prunings).
2. Add worm compost from your wormery.
3. Keep the soil covered year-round.
Once the environment is worm-friendly, the worms will come — naturally.
And remember:
⚠️ Garden worms do NOT belong in a wormery.
They are deep burrowers, not composting worms.
🪱 So… Which Worm Do YOU Actually Need?
To compost kitchen waste:
➡️ Our Composting Worm Mix (Dendrobaena + Eisenia fetida + Eisenia andrei)
To feed hens:
➡️ Live mealworms ONLY (DEFRA compliant)
To feed garden birds:
➡️ Live mealworms are best - packed with protein, fat, and water (and LIVE insects and worms only way chicks on the nest actually get a drink!)
➡️ Dried mealworms (great as an emergency back up to live and good to mix with your seeds.
➡️ Waxworms as a treat
To improve soil in your garden:
➡️ Build habitat first: mulch + worm compost
➡️ Add garden worms later if needed (but usually nature does the job for you)
🔍 People Often Search For… (Misspellings Included for SEO)
These real Google searches bring people to us every month:
•“wiggly worms”
•“wriggly wrigglers”
•“wiggle worms”
•“wiggley worms”
•“wiggly wigglers”
•“wigglywigglers”
•“wiffly worms”
•“wiggly wormers”
•“wiggy wigglers”
•“wigly worms”
•“worm farm uk”
•“worm suppliers uk”
•“compost worms for sale”
•“red wigglers for sale”
•“tiger worms for sale”
•“dendro worms near me”
•“worm farm near me”
•“worm farms uk”
However you spell it — you’ll land in the right place.
📌 The Quick Wiggly Guide
Best for composting:
✔ Composting worm mix (Dendrobaena + Eisenia fetida + Eisenia andrei)
Best for bird feeding:
✔ Dried mealworms (birds only)
✔ Waxworms (occasional treat)
Best for hens:
✔ Live mealworms ONLY (DEFRA compliant)
Best for soil improvement:
✔ Mulch + worm compost
✔ Add garden worms later only if needed
Worst choice for a wormery:
✘ Garden worms
✘ Anything dug up from the lawn or veg patch
💚 Final Wiggly Thought
Whether you searched for “wiggly worms”, “wriggly wrigglers”, “red wigglers”, “dendro worms”, or one of Google’s more imaginative spellings… you’re in the right place.
Worms turn leftovers into soil.
Soil grows food.
And that’s the sort of quiet magic we think deserves shouting about.
If you need help choosing the right worms (or mix), just shout — we love talking wormeries, Bokashi, birds, soil and all things Wiggly.
