*Update: Apr. 5, 2024Do not buy worms from Uncle Jim's. After contacting the seller to express dissatisfaction with my order not containing the worm species that is advertised in the product listing, I initially received a response from Katie. Katie politely and helpfully offered a replacement shipment or refund for my order. After further communication regarding a potential replacement shipment, the conversation was resumed by Erma. Erma implied that I was unreasonably and dishonestly seeking a refund for an order that she considered satisfactorily fulfilled. The product that I purchased was listed as "Red Wiggler Composting Worms Mix for Garden Soil or Fishing, 1000 Count". One could reasonably expect that there would be Red Wiggler worms in such an order. There was not a single one as far as I could tell, the entire bag containing Indian Blue worms. Erma explained in the Contact Seller chat that their composting worms are a mix of three species and that what I had purchased was "1000 Count Red Composting Worms" a very close, but vaguer approximation of the actual product listing on their Amazon storefront. Erma then said that I had received exactly what I had ordered and was therefore ineligible for a replacement or refund, essentially rescinding the earlier refund offer. Whether this was a misunderstanding or a terse and negligent display of customer service, I’m dissatisfied with the product and interaction either way. No other large-scale online vermicomposting supplier equates "Red Wigglers" with anything other than the species Eisenia fetida. Perionyx excavatus (Indian Blue worms) are more likely to escape from your composting bin and have caused a crawling mess all over my basement. While expecting 100% species purity for an order of 1000 worms is unreasonable and unrealistic, you would certainly expect most of the worms to be of the species listed in the product title. This is at best an inaccurate and at worst a deliberately deceptive product description. The term "Red Wiggler" should be removed from the description entirely and replaced with something like "Mixed Composting Worms". Spending $55 to receive something that I didn't want and then basically being called a liar angered me to the point of writing this updated review to warn other potential buyers. Order your worms from a more transparent and customer-friendly seller like Midwest Worms or Buckeye Organics.*Original: March 28, 2024I bought 1lb of "Red Wiggler" composting worms from Uncle Jim's a while ago to start a composting bin for food scraps in my basement. I didn't really have any knowledge about vermicomposting at the time and Uncle Jim's seemed to be one of the most established suppliers of live composting worms. After many hours spent reading articles and watching YouTube videos to become more familiar with the hobby, I incidentally discovered that what I purchased were not in fact Red Wiggler worms, but Indian Blue worms. Red Wigglers (Eisenia fetida) and Indian Blues (Perionyx excavatus) are probably the two best worm species for composting and look very similar, but there are some differences. Red Wigglers are native to Europe and are more tolerant of colder conditions (probably more appropriate for my location), while Indian Blues are native to southeast Asia and have evolved to thrive in tropical and subtropical conditions. From everything that I've read, Indian Blues are just as if not more effective composters than Red Wigglers, but they have an increased tendency to wander from their habitat and are far more sensitive to changes in barometric pressure. They may try to escape from your container en masse around the onset of a thunderstorm, something that I would have definitely factored into my decision when purchasing my initial colony. I wanted this operation to be as easy and hassle free as possible and had no interest in chasing stray worms around my basement. I'm guessing that once they have become more established in their new habitat the escapes will be less frequent, and I will alter the design of my bin if necessary. However, I do not appreciate what seems like an intentionally misleading product description. The product has "Red Wiggler Composting Worms" all over the page; its only when reading the fine print of the description that you will find "may contain different earthworm species", something that you're not going to notice or care about if you're just starting out. Further, Red Wigglers (if there even are any in there) and Indian Blues cannot reproduce. You then essentially have two different worm populations in direct competition with each other, limiting the potential growth of your colony. Uncle Jim apparently can't be bothered to separate the two species for shipping, and you're left with something other than what you thought you were getting. If you're concerned about getting true Red Wiggler worms, buy them from a different seller that specifically lists their product as Eisenia fetida.