Just half emptied the bin and there are lots of earwigs in there. Is it something I need to worry about? If so, is there anything I can do to get rid of them?
No, they are omnivorous and are after some of the juicly little creatures in your bin as well as rotted material. They are part of the myriad of small creatures in a compost heap that are part of the composting process. Do not kill any of them, If you keep composting materials they will stay there.
http://www.allaboutliverpool.com/allaboutallotments_compost.html
They eat vegetable matter, poo, die and rot, and contribute their bit to the process. Without all the wildlife in the bin, it would take far longer to make compost.
Thanks for your help. For some reason I thought earwigs were baddies. I'll leave them be. :)
Earwigs just look like they should be baddies (like centipedes do) - I have to remind myself that they're white hats every time they make me jump ;D
I.ve got loads of woodlice in one of my bins - much preferable to the rats who visited it earlier in the year.
They're baddies if you're growing prize chrysanthemums, but in most situations they're OK.