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Soil, Compost & Mulch

Bugs in my compost

16 years ago

I have a large bin in my kitchen, where I add compost every couple of weeks. Last week, a friend of my roommate dropped an apple core into the compost, and a day later I found it have rotten with tons-o-bugs on it. I threw it out, but now it's crawling with them. I was hoping they would die off (due to no more rotting material on the top), but they are still there several days later.

They are quite small, I can't take a picture to show it well. They are white, and don't seem to jump or fly, but move quite fast. Doing some research online has led me to think they are Springtails, or predatory mites. How do I figure out exactly what I have? And what do I do about it? Can my worms manage?

Thanks!

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Comments (3)

arjo_reich
16 years ago
Well, if they are predatory mites then you're one lucky bugger, lol, no pun intended. ;-p

Either way, if you've got an active compost pile, giving it a good rotation so that they're main concentration area ends up towards the new center of the pile you'll end up baking them out.

To find out precisely, try to take as good a picture as you can and post it to the Integrated Pest Management forums here on gardenweb.

One tip I've found for taking pictures of such small things is to make sure the macro mode (usually indicated by a flower) is on and turn the flash off - opting for a friend (or free hand) to direct a bright light on them instead. <shrug>
patty4150
16 years ago
Since you mention that this is an issue with your worm bin, I think you will find more knowledge about vermicomposting on the vermicomposting forum.....
It's linked at the top of the page.
arjo_reich
16 years ago
totally missed that...
<ducks>

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