Worm harvester

Claim 1

Apparatus for harvesting a mixture of worms and bedding from a trough-like bed and separating the large size worms from the mixture thus harvested comprising: an open-bottomed wheeled carriage having a front and a rear end mountable atop the bed for movement therealong; a forwardly-extending boom attached to the front end of the carriage for pivotal movement about a horizontally-disposed transverse axis between an elevated inoperative position and a lowered operative one riding in the bottom of the trough; reel means mounted on the end of the boom remote from the carriage for rotational movement about a horizontally-disposed transverse axis, said reel means having tines projecting therefrom effective upon rotation in a selected direction to rake a worm-bedding mixture laying in the bed rearwardly toward the carriage; first conveyor means carried by the boom positioned and adapted to receive the bedding mixture raked back by the reel means and raise same upwardly and rearwardly to a superimposed position above the front end of the carriage; a downwardly and rearwardly inclined screen extending from the front of the carriage to the rear thereof in position to receive the mixture delivered thereto by the first conveyor; means carried by said carriage and connected to said screen operative upon actuation to vibrate the latter, said screen and vibrator means being effective to return the small worms and small particles of bedding therethrough to the bed therebeneath while retaining the larger worms and bedding particles atop thereof; and second conveyor means on the rear end of the carriage extending transversely thereof in position to receive the worms and bedding retained atop the screen as they gravitate toward the lower end thereof.