nightcrawlers

i have a cooler with night crawlers i keep in the basement this is my first year doing this and i was wondering what i should do with them after the fishing season i dont ice fish so should i just release them and start over in the spring or will they b ok over the winter thanks for any advise you can give me

If they are cool rnough and you feed them they MIGHT live.Never seen anyone that could raise them myself.

thanks for the info im not lookig to breed them or anything when it rains i catch them and throw them in there then when i go fishing i just take some out so im not sure how long they would live cause im always adding and taking i have a good stock right now i hate to have them die if i dont use them up before winter.

Put them into your garden. They will do wonders for your next years harvest.

I will not raise crawlers. I prefer to raise red wigglers.

Don't know about raising never tried. But there is a place north of me "Walts Crawlers" that raises crawlers and ships them all over Michigan. So there must be a way.

If you're intent on keeping them indoors then buy the biggest Frabill styrofoam worm container that they make and spend the money on the bedding unless you have some really rich compost. I've kept them for months that way in my cool garage. I make the compost and they eat the stuff, no need for buying worm food. Now I just let all my extra crawlers go into the compost pile in the backyard and all I have to do is dig some the night before I go fishing. Cheaper and less stinky in the end.

Releasing crawlers only insures their death. Night crawlers cannot survive or breed once they leave their holes. The ones you see out of their holes at night either got flushed from them or was wrenched from it when uncoupling after mating. They instinctively know this and will do everything possible to remain "in touch" with their holes. As noted by others they can be kept for long periods of time. Your two worst enemies are dead worms and heat.

For anyone wishing to keep nightcrawlers for extended periods read " The nightcrawler manual ". This book tells you EVERYTHING about nightcrawlers. He tells you the fastest way to pick them and how. How to store them , feed them etc etc etc. I read it prior to becoming a supplier for bait shops.