I'd rather tiny creepy crawlies than the big suckers I saw in mine. Mine seemed to be dead, a dark colored kind of flat larva looking thing...things, there were a LOT of them. I scooped the whole area out and bagged it and put it in the garbage. Mine were about the size and shape of a small almond. OK, maybe a peanut...but they were BIG and UGLY!

I may have found our answer...mine were black soldier fly larva and yours might be mites. "Mites are the second most common invertebrate found in compost. They have eight leg-like jointed appendages. Some can be seen with the naked eye and others are microscopic. Some scavenge in leaves, rotten wood, fungi, and other organic debris. Others are predators and feed on nematodes, eggs, insect larvae, and other mites and springtails."

This is what mine looked like (yuk)...click to enlargen!

{{gwi:1268848}}

Would these be your critters?

{{gwi:1268852}}

A Google search for "compost mites" will give you info on them.

Granny

Here is a link that might be useful: Annie's Kitchen Garden

Yuck, Granny!!!

Here is a link that might be useful: Gumshoe Gardener

Oh Granny!! THat's disgusting. I'm fairly sure they're mites. Great. Now I need to worry about getting rid of them. I'll go do some research and figure out what to do.
Thanks!

I don't want you to think it was ME holding those horrid things! I found the photo by Googling!

Granny

Here is a link that might be useful: Annie's Kitchen Garden

They could be teeny tiny baby earth worms. Get a magnifier and take a good look BEFORE you panic. It could be your lucky load. Are they almost clear looking?

I have the same things. There were there for about 2 weeks and then yesterday when I was going to collect them to take them to the nursery they were ALL gone! I'm pretty sure they came from the compost.

Eeeeewww....

I doubt any panic is necessary. I believe they are just helping our garbage become compost. Mine were really disgusting, but evidently I had some meat or fat in there somewhere...not on purpose, of course. I'll certainly be more careful what goes in the pile this year. Last year's compost was a real bust, so I'm starting a new pile with leaves my neighbors saved for me and fresh grass clippings. Hopefully some horsey poo, eventually.

Granny

Here is a link that might be useful: Annie's Kitchen Garden

horsey poo? That's alot better than your usual synonym, Granny (who doesn't edit certain comments on her blog) Ha!

ribbit - I had all kinds of weird stuff in my barrel, but haven't noticed any in the open compost bins. I wouldn't be concerned about it.

EG

I try not to look too close at my compost. I know what I throw in there and it's pretty disgusting. By the time it's finished though, all I see are worms.

EG, I'm always nice when replying to my sweet Ribbit. She's not a poopyhead like someone else I know (but love).

Granny

Here is a link that might be useful: Annie's Kitchen Garden

Granny, that first pic looks like BSFL, I had them in my worm bin last year. I have been getting adults around the bin for the past few weeks, when they start being present in the bin I'm going to move most of them to my cooking compost pile, they'll keep the house flies away.

I'll take "my sweet Ribbit" over booger-snot any day. :)

Both black soldier flys (the almond shaped larva) and the timy mites are common and productive composters. Neither will hurt anything in your outside gardening. If you were going to use the compost in an indoor plant, it would be wise to freeze the compost first in a zip lock type bag in your freezer. The black soldier fly larva is as effective at eating decomposing matter as worms are, however, they only live when its warm. People actually order those to add to their compost. Here in New Orleans I have tons in my compost working alongside the worms making vermiculture. But in the winter when its cold (40 degrees-ish) I don't see them anymore. The actual flies are actually small too...Not big or abundantly noticable as the name might suggest. The mites provide food for other small bugs/sspiders. I actually have a lot of lizards that hang out in my compost.