Red Wigglers
(Eisenia fetida)

The red wiggler is the most common type of composting worm.   It can process large amounts of organic matter and, under ideal conditions, can eat it's body weight each day.  It also reproduces rapidly, and is very tolerant of variations in growing conditions.  Other names for red wigglers include Tiger worms, Garlic worms, Manure worms, and Brandling worms.

Red Worms
(Lumbricus rubellus)

The redworm is a very good composting worm.  In sunlight, it is a very active wriggler and is thought by many fishermen to be irresistible to fish.   Redworms are very effective at aerating and mixing the soil, and consume a large amount of organic material, although less than red wigglers.  These worms are commonly found in decomposing animal manure and compost piles.  Other names include Red worms, blood worms, and red wiggler (but not the same as the worm described above).

Red Tiger
(Eisenia andrei)

The Red Tiger worm makes an excellent composting worm.  It is a close relative of the Red Wiggler (E. fetida) and are commonly used as a bait worm because they exude coelomic fluid, which attracts fish.  These worms are very active wigglers in sunlight.  Other common names include Tiger worms and Red Tiger hybrids.

Blue Worms
(Perionyx excavitus)

Blue worms have become more popular in recent years as a composting worm.  These worms do very well in warm climates, but dislike the cold.   Although these worms eat fairly large amounts of organic materials and are fairly prolific breeders, they are also very sensitive to changes in their growing environment.   If the conditions in the bin change only slightly, these worms have been known to leave.  Other common names include Indian Blue and Malaysian Blue worms.

African Nightcrawlers
(Eudrilus engeniae)

The African Nightcrawler can be a good composting worm, but is very sensitive to changes in their environment.  The entire contents of some worm bins have been know to move out in less than a day if growing conditions are not to their liking.  These worms also perform much better in warmer climates and are not recommended for areas where the temperature falls below 50° F.   These worms do not eat as much organic materials as E. fetida, L. rubellus or E. andrei.  The other common name for this worm is the giant nightcrawler.

Nightcrawlers
(Lumbricus terristris)

Nightcrawlers are one of the most common types of worms normally found in your yard and garden.  These worms are popular bait worms because they are large and easy to place onto fishing hooks, are relatively easy to raise and are relatively tolerant of variations in growing conditions.  Nightcrawlers are not a particularly good worm for use in a vermicomposting bin, since they like their burrows undisturbed and prefer to eat things found on top of the soil.