Global Worming 3

I have continued doing much red wiggler vermicomposting since the last post more than a year ago. I dabbled with trenches again, but we have had a miserably rainy spring/summer for 2010, so having a garden at all was a bit of a stretch for me, nevermind trying to dig around and get conditions right for an outdoor worm colony.

Currently on my mind is whether there is a "best" way to bring my colony(? what is the right word for a group of worms, anyhow?) inside for the winter. They've been in my garage so far down to an outdoor temperature of about -5 degrees Celcius, which is what I've read is their limit. They were pretty sluggish when I brought them in for the evening last night. The current container is not really house friendly - no screen or anything to keep fruit flies in (because they've had free run of the place outside) - and larger than I'd prefer.

I'm thinking that I will separate the worms from the castings and compost, literally wash them off to ensure minimal fly transfer, and start them in a screened ice cream pail with fresh egg carton, potting soil, and clean vegetable matter. Typically I would include some of the castings, but I am concerned about what other life may come in with it. Having discovered my daughter's long-forgotten lunch in a hanging backpack that had been radiating what must have been hundreds of fruit flies spurred a challenging enough battle with the little suckers (thanks, Mik for the cider vinegar and dish soap trap suggestion - it's a beauty: current visible death toll is 94+). Perhaps sterilizing the castings in the oven may be a solution. But, even dampened, will that be friendly material for the worms post-sterilization?