vermicomposting question

[budboy299]

I've been involved with vermicomposting for about 3 months now and the only thing I have put into the composter (besides worms) is vegetable scraps. I now have my first tray full of gorgeous compost.

BUT looking really close using just my eyes, I noticed tons of tiny bugs or worms crawling on the compost. I would guess from different fruit and veg scraps having eggs on them. Anyone ever have any issues re plants while using this?

Composter was always indoors..so I cannot imagine any really detrimental bugs like root aphids but am a little scared of using it on my indoor plants. Any thoughts on this?

 

[Mogrow]

damn bud you got casting in 3 months , awesome. i started a worm bed about a month ago, think im along way away from casting but i'm new/ ive heard you get alot of crawlers but they are not detremental to your plants.3 months is quick to get castings , how big is your bed, maybe give it a little more time to compost and there will not be as many crawlers?? i usually go to other sites for info on vermicomposting. not alot of info here and you see very few people with worm farms here.

 

[drbombay]

sometimes they are larvae(fruit flies mostly for me) sometimes they are simply new tiny worms from vermicomposter breeding. hard to say fromhere so to speak. keeping a bedding layer on top of your vegi matter helps with outside-the-tub bugs. use either low acid leaves or newsprint. i am still a bit leery of soy inks. so i use leaves. first few batches are still sorting out all the microfauna. add another tray.let it age. the worms will move it. inoculate the new with the liquid out the bottem(or some compost).when it is done the worms will mostly have left it.dont forget to givethem a little grit i mix up the mineral depending on season, intended use and colony. yeah

 

[juniorgrower]

I think drbombay is right on, it is probably fruit flies or baby worms in your worm bed.

 

[rootsnshoots]

Fruit flies, fungus gnats are in my opinion, impossible to keep out. They're actually beneficial during the composting stages. Screen your casts over a trash can with a bag in it. Tossing off the screened material (worms, wood pieces, etc) into your new bin. Then when you have a bag o buggy casts. I usually just poke small holes on the bag with a fork close it up and let it sit for a week and the gnats usually leave. If that doesn't work... Crank up your hot water heater to high. Fill up a rubbermaid tote with hot water, then boil water on the stove. Put your casts into strainer bags and place into hot water. Get the temp to 130 and keep it there for an hour. Drain and use. Keeping the temp under 140 will conserve the bennies but kills the bugs.

 

[rootsnshoots]

damn bud you got casting in 3 months.

Depending on bin size, worm population, temp, food,food size, you can easily achieve a good amount of casts in 3 months. I usually get about 4-6 cf of vermipost from my outdoor bin every 3 months. But my indoor bin. Which is small, cranks out about a pound of casts every month.

 

[budboy299]

Thanks guys....sorry about the late reply though.
The compost smells just like soil and as long as they aren't root aphids I really won't worry about the crawly stuff. Just more nature I guess. Bin has never been outdoors so I really cannot see how it could be root aphids...just seeing the problems guys on here have had with them got me spooked.
again thanks-BB

 

[rootsnshoots]

Thanks guys....sorry about the late reply though.
The compost smells just like soil and as long as they aren't root aphids I really won't worry about the crawly stuff. Just more nature I guess. Bin has never been outdoors so I really cannot see how it could be root aphids...just seeing the problems guys on here have had with them got me spooked.
again thanks-BB

I've never (knocks) had root aphids from composting in or outside. You're more likely to get bugs from over feeding the bin. Especially in the beginning. Once established you can really load up on er without much bugs. But let your worm population rise slowly with gradual scrap increase.

Worm bins/ reusing soil has been one of the most rewarding things I've ever done. You really feel good when your soil smells like a forest floor. Mmmm

 

[Plasma]

Worm farming is great! EWC really is the shit.
How do you find keeping it indoors? I find mine always ends up with a full community of bugs, so have to keep it outside.

 

[entropy99]

A good article I read about worm castings recently.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/01/science/worms-produce-another-kind-of-gold-for-farmers.html?_r=0

 

[rootsnshoots]

Worm farming is great! EWC really is the shit.
How do you find keeping it indoors? I find mine always ends up with a full community of bugs, so have to keep it outside.

I use a milk jug, poke tons of tiny holes in it with a safety pin. Put some paper shreds in then some worms and casts. Dice your scraps up really nice so the worms can get it before the bugs. I shake the jug to bury the scraps this helps with bugs too. For indoors I really avoid starches, grains. They colonize fungi better which brings the gnats. I drink fruit smoothies most mornings so that's about all that goes in there.

Putting too much scrap is almost always the reason for a buggy indoor bin. Keep in mind though they can eat a lot! You'll find the balance it just takes a little experience. Good luck and KEEP ON VERMIPOSTING!

 

[Elbow]

outside bugs in our vermicompost brings in beneficial indigenous microorganisms. fungus spores, bacteria, and nematodes will hitch a ride on the hairs of crawling insect legs and can potentially flourish in good worm bin conditions. If your nervous about them being harmful, use the castings for an ACT. that way they don't come in direct contact with your indoor environment and you still get the benefit from whatever BIM your uninvited guests may have brought to the party.

 

[OctoberDee]

Sorta off topic but I bought this bad ass worm compost bin that has trays and a spout at the bottom.. I filled it with 4 pounds of crawlers and three pounds of coco, I threw about a pound of trash in there one day and by the next there was already a cup of poo. Those things eat fast, if you need constant compost just get a lot of worms. I paid like $30 for 4 lbs. The little crawlers in there are not harmful. Usually from fruit and veg scraps, someone said gnat or fly larvae someone else said baby worms, probably both right. It's not organic if it's not alive.

 

[psilobuds]

love the endless stream of free fertiliser from my worm farm, tho not nearly as much as my plants love it.