He looks kind of cute, doesn't he?
Well, he's NOT!
Ahhhh, the joy of worm composting... and all of the related critters you may end up finding in your bin. Two particular critters have been bugging me of late, the fruit fly and the slug. Slugs are easy so far; I find them when they're tiny and simply toss them out of the bin. Apparently if a slug is allowed to grow large enough it may eventually eat your worms (blech!!!), so if you see these fat freeloaders in your bin toss them on the double.
Fruit flies have been quite another matter to deal with due to their incredible ability to reproduce at what seems like the speed of light. I have been fortunate enough to get the fruit fly population under control in about half of my bins, but in the other half they are still hatching from the last round of adults who so kindly laid their eggs in my compost (don't worry, I don't sell worms that come from bedding with fly problems). In all of my bins I have decided to put the lids back on; I have drilled 2" holes in the tops and stapled several layers of aluminum screen over the holes to keep the outside flies out while still providing some ventilation. My most recent trick has proven quite effective so far. I use a beer bottle or wine bottle, fill partway with both vinegar and corn syrup, and dig it into the bedding. I make sure there is enough clearance between the top of the bottle and the lid of the bin to allow the fruit flies into the bottle. Most of them can't figure out how to get back out and dive to their deaths (bwaaahahahahaha). I've seen a few flying back out, though, so I may try to make the hole a little bit smaller than the half inch opening of the bottle. So far the worms have been smart enough to steer clear of the bottles themselves. I'll keep you posted.
I believe the worm composting gods are testing me these days by making sure I experience every pest possible. That's fine in the end, as I will be all the more educated about how to balance the ecosystem in my bins and to pass that knowledge on to my customers. The good news is that my worms are thriving, oblivious to my struggles up top with flying creatures.
Good worming!
put a few drops of dish soap in the liquid, they get trapped in liquid much easier.
Posted by: don | 09/25/2009 at 11:12 AM