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Produce => Pests & Diseases => Topic started by: caroline7758 on May 05, 2014, 16:06:59

Title: Nasties in my compost bin!
Post by: caroline7758 on May 05, 2014, 16:06:59

Opened my compost bin today to find loads of ants and lots of small translucent larvae (approx quarter inch). Not too bothered about the ants, and I guess they were maybe farming the larvae, but what do you think they might be?

Title: Re: Nasties in my compost bin!
Post by: goodlife on May 05, 2014, 16:18:08

There is all sorts of flies that breed in compost bins and it is normal as there usually is variety of foods to be digested too.
As longs as your bin doesn't have bad smell and/or the compostable matter is not excessively wet and there is no meat/cooked food added...there is nothing to worry about it.
Actually....more variety of creepy crawlies there is in your bin the better!

Title: Re: Nasties in my compost bin!
Post by: cornykev on May 05, 2014, 17:36:44

I soak my ants with buckets full of water and scoop out the larvea and spread on the soil away from the ants and leave them to the birds.   :toothy10: