By the end of this lesson: you will prevent the system from becoming anaerobic.

Oxygen moves through gaps in the bedding. Wet paste, matted paper and compressed food block those gaps. The result is slow processing, sour smells and worms abandoning the affected area.

Improve airflow by mixing in shredded corrugated cardboard, loosening only the compacted zone and avoiding heavy pressure on trays. Do not churn the entire system every week. Constant disturbance damages the stable zones you are trying to create.

Ventilation holes help, but they cannot compensate for a solid wet mass. Internal structure matters more than drilling another fifty tiny holes into the lid.

Just make sure you are not compressing the bedding into a flat watery grave.