You need to find out what they are. They would not be the insect we all know commonly as mealy bugs.

If you can't take a picture, then try to describe them. Some 'bugs' are good in the compost.

More than likely those are not mealy bugs but probably are maggots, the larva of flies. Some think they are good but since those larva need a fairly moist environment to live that can be an indication your compost is too wet.

If your talking about Wood Lice (pill bugs, sow bugs, rolly-pollies) I consider them harmless in the compost bin.

finchelover - How about snapping a picture or two of the bugs, that would make it far easier to identify them.

Greg
Southern Nevada

If you know what bugs they are and have concerns about them, then the question is easy.....don't invite trouble.
Is the addition of them so valuable that you are willing to take a chance.

I would say no bug means no action if the subject being discussed is composting. Various kind of bugs are often unavoidable or even crucial for a good compost process.

I need bugs to decompose my compost.

I get lots of bugs in my compost. I have no idea what most are and don't worry about them.

I do squish grubs or slugs if I see them. I think pill bugs are kind of cute. Spring tails still startle me sometimes, but they're kind of cute, too.

And maggots are gross.

Karen

It is bacteria (microscopic critters) that digest the material you put into compost and they can go through several stages while digesting your compost. The presence of insects, Pill or Sow Bugs, maggots, etc, is an indication that the compost probably is too wet because all of those wee critters need a fairly moist environment to exist, an environment that can exclude the oxygen the aerobic bacteria that shoulkd be at work need to function.

If the compost is so moist that it excludes bacteria that need oxygen, it would also exclude insects and arthropods that similarly need oxygen.
I routinely find insects and worms in compost that is dry enough to crumble from my fingertips, and is quite airy.

I don't do a lot of chopping or size reduction in the material that I put in my compost. Much of it goes in the pile as is. I need the bugs to break the large pieces down into smaller pieces so the bacteria can work on them. I consider bugs an integral part of my composting process.

If I go and mist the top of my compost bins I'll see all sorts of brown little bugs crawling up out from below. I don't know what they are but I have seen them in other locations on the property, usually under piles of leaves. I assume that they are assisting in the composting process so I keep feeding them and don't really worry about them at all.

Greg
Southern Nevada