how to identify bugs in my compost pile

dlampkin

15 years ago

Does anyone know of a good way to identify bugs that are in a compost pile? I have a couple that I can't find anywhere.

Comments (11)

Lloyd
15 years ago
What do they taste like and are they crunchy or smooth?

Just kidding folks!

Can you post a picture?

Lloyd
gargwarb
15 years ago
{{gwi:268954}}

I have a little too much time on my hands today and Lloyd, you're a bad influence on me.
;)
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All, Good to hear all this. I am only bumping this topic with updates as I find the information useful and hopefully so will others. To be clear on a few points, I originally did use my chipper to reduce freshly fallen leaves but no more. I keep them loose long enough to dry thoroughly and then they easily crush to smaller size by hand, only about 30 minutes work. At this point I started my new pile for next year, mixed in some greens and a couple shovels of old compost to "prime the pump". This is the pile that is already very active with internal temperatures near 125 F. I will continue to monitor the old and the new piles as I am in Zone 4 and our coldest months are January/February. In addition, we are semi-arid around here and I will need to occasionally add moisture. My old pile is indeed fogging but only slightly and it is visible only on the coldest of mornings. I will stick my thermometer in the pile to make certain what the temperature actually is before tilling into the soil. Best of holidays to you all.
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How long from start to finished compost depends on many things, the right C:N ratio, just enough and not too much moisture, and turning at just the right time. You could have good compost in as little as 14 days (link below) but that is a lot of work and you cannot compost diseased plant tissue in this since there is simply not enough time for immunities to develop. There are those that get finished compost in 3 or 4 months by closely monitoring the process and turning the pile at the right time so that the material on the outside gets into the center where the bacteria that digest that material are most active. This too is a fair amount of work. Many of us use a more lassiez faire approach and allow our compost to work as it will and most usually get finished compost in about 1 year. In your 3 x 3 x 3 pile those PVC pipes for aeration are unnecessary and may cause a lower temperature than some of the bacteria that digest your material find they can work in slowing down the process. Compost piles smaller than 6 x 6 x 6 do not need aeration aids, unless you soak the material that goes into that pile so air infiltration will not take place. Here is a link that might be useful: Compost in 14 Days
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turbo d - that sounds like an awesome pile! Don't worry, your wife will come around. My hubby did. It's funny cause he is a great recycler but at first he couldn't get his head around compost. It didn't take him long though and now he's constantly asking "so...can this go into the compost?" :-) Val
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Apart from stuff blowing away it won't matter. Although damp is better there are organisms that work on mostly dry stuff too. In my experience especially once cardboard have had a good soaking and been exposed to other decomposing stuff, and then get wet by rain once in a while, they break down too. I think some fungi work this way. Plus this avoids making stuff below anaerobic . Anyway a good experiment to wait and see what happens. I have some cardboards that have been on top of a pile for weeks now and they've started to get darker coloured and clearly breaking down already. No water except for rain (and this pile is under trees so stays relatively dry).
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Lloyd
15 years ago
No Trans Fats!!! I spewed coffee all over my computer! That is hilarious! I like your sense of humor, "backside of the moon" indeed.

Now I'd better apologize for the hi-jack.

Sorry.

Lloyd
gargwarb
15 years ago
Now I'd better apologize for the hi-jack.

Yeah, me too.

(I have a feeling they're gonna have to separate us)
digdirt2
15 years ago
Another coffee spewing here!! ;) Great pic.

Seriously, one has to ask WHY you want to ID them since most are no real problem? But if you do the common insects found in compost piles are:

fruit flies (aka vinegar flies) and their maggots
ants
Springtails
Black soldier fly maggots
Sowbugs (aka Roly-Polys)
House flies and their maggots
Earwigs
Centi/Millipedes
Various beetles

And check out the list below.

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: Invertebrates of the Compost Pile
dlampkin
Original Author
15 years ago
I like that picture. They are crunchy, and taste like chicken, burned, dead, decomposing chicken.

I thought that they may be soldier fly larvea and then found a pic on this site, and that's not what they are. I want to identify them because I've never seen them before and now they are showing up in my worm compost bin, probably because I take a little compost from my regular composter, I'm guessing and I want to make sure that they aren't going to eat my worms. I've been taking them out as much as I can until I can verify that they are good for my worm bin.

How do you post a picture?
Kimmsr
15 years ago
Other than just wanting to know there is no reason to id any bugs in your compost since it you can see them they don't belong. Any insect larva that you would see in compost need a fairly moist environment for the eggs to hatch and the larva to grow, an environment that is too moist for proper composting. Several people here took great offense when I posted links to web sites that said the presence of these insect larva in a compost pile was the result of poor management, so I won't post those again.
dlampkin
Original Author
15 years ago
kimmsr, thank you for your reply, but last year was the first year that I've ever composted. fortunately, I didn't read the comments like yours and others that say it takes 8 to 10 weeks to compost. during the summer, I get compost in about 2 weeks, I turn it 1 to 2 times a week by hand, and usually have to wait to get more material to put in. I'm confident that it's not too moist, my worms thrive and have been doing so in their bin for about a year as well. I don't think that the insect is a larvae, it looks like a small armadillo with no legs or head, and quite frankly, if you don't have anything to add to assist me in my question, why even waste everyone's time with a reply? Who care's why I want to identify it? How about if I just say "just because"?
digdirt2
15 years ago
If it looks like a small armadillo and is less that 1/2" long then it is likely a sow bug as that is the typical description of them and they are common to compost piles.

To post a photo: open an account at a free photo storage place like photobucket.com and load your pics there. Then, in the post here, copy and paste the HTML link they give you. It is the third one down on the list of choices under your pictures and begins with Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: Sow bug pic
Lloyd
15 years ago
Don't let him get to ya, it just raises your BP.

Missed your question earlier 'bout posting photos. There is an explanation in the FAQ (go back to the Soil Forum page, it's up in the top area just under the greeny area) about pictures, but it took me a while to get the hang of it. I am no computer whiz by any stretch of the imagination. I post my pics on Flickr and link to them there, trying to embed them was waaayyy beyond my capabilities.

BTW, chuckled at the "tastes like chicken" response.

Lloyd
RichFile
12 years ago
Just a quick message. I think that kimmsr is right that larvae in the compost bin is a sign that you should cut down on the moisture, but at the same time, lots of people suggest that BSF larvae are good for compost bins. Check out this informative Wiki page. Good luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: Wiki BSF

how to identify bugs in my compost pile

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how to identify bugs in my compost pile

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