Worm-harvesting method and apparatus

Claim 1

A worm harvester comprising: means defining a frame bounding a frame opening, a screen carried by said frame and spanning said frame opening to define a planar screen surface, said screen having screen openings of a size such as to enable worms to be harvested to pass therethrough and to support worm bedding material thereon, and means defining a removable tray positionable within said frame opening below said screen surface for receiving worms passing through said screen, said tray having a dark-colored inside bottom surface, said inside bottom surface being planar, generally parallel to said screen surface, and positioned below said screen surface a distance no greater than the minimum length of worms desired to be harvested, means defining a breaking board within said frame along a boundary edge of said screen, said breaking board having an upper surface along said boundary edge at a level no lower than the level of said screen surface, said frame including opposite sidewall portions bordering and extending above the levels of said screen and breaking board surfaces and an endwall portion at one end of said frame bordering said breaking board and extending above said breaking board surface, the opposite end of said frame having an endwall with an upper edge bordering said screen and terminating at a level no higher than said screen surface.

Claim 9

The method of harvesting worms comprising: placing a pile of worm bedding material containing worms to be harvested on an impermeable surface, pushing a quantity of the bedding material onto an adjacent surface of a screen capable of supporting said bedding material while permitting worms to pass therethrough, and covering said screen surface with said bedding material to a substantially uniform depth while the upper surface of said bedding material is exposed from above to a source of light, positioning a dark worm-receiving surface in a dark area below and generally parallel to said screen surface at a distance from said screen surface which is no greater than the minimum length of the worms desired to be harvested, skimming a thin upper layer of bedding material from said screen surface to cause the worms to work their way down deeper into the bedding material remaining on said surface, and then repeating said skimming until the worms in said bedding material have worked their way down to the screen and the larger worms have passed through the screen to the dark worm-receiving surface therebelow.

Claim 10

The method of harvesting worms comprising: placing a pile of worm bedding material containing worms to be harvested on an impermeable surface, pushing a quantity of the bedding material onto an adjacent surface of a screen capable of supporting said bedding material while permitting worms to pass therethrough, and covering said screen surface with said bedding material to a substantially uniform depth while the upper surface of said bedding material is exposed from above to a source of light, positioning a dark worm-receiving surface in a dark area below and generally parallel to said screen surface at a distance from said screen surface which is no greater than the minimum length of the worms desired to be harvested, skimming a thin upper layer of bedding material from said screen surface to cause the worms to work their way down deeper into the bedding material remaining on said surface, and then repeating said skimming until the worms in said bedding material have worked their way down to the screen and the larger worms have passed through the screen to the dark worm-receiving surface therebelow.