Anyone know what these are?

[Blair Firmston]

Hi all,

 

I have noticed these little critters trying to get into or out of my worm bin? Anyone know what they are?

 

Cheers,

 

Blair

[Jools]

Hi Blair What a coincidence!  I looked in my worm bin today and saw the same little maggoty things and was wondering exactly the same!!  Perhaps they are blow fly maggots?

[Blair Firmston]

I wondered that too. I had a scout around teh net and there are some pics that do look similar. Yuk.

[Jude Simpson]

It has the look of a future cockroach maybe.  They love a warm supply of food, and I have found adult roaches in my farm.

[Symon Dynes]

Hi Blair,

Might be Soldier Fly, smaller than the Blow Fly, also great in the break down of compost. Rather then trying to get red of them, let them work for you, the castings they leave are enjoyed by the worms, and we know that a happy worm is a healthy worm.

 

Symon

[Blair Firmston]

Thanks Symon, will do.

 

B

[Megan]

thanks Symon, I didn't know about soldier flies and just googled them and looks like they are to be encouraged in our worm bins :)

[Ben]

Hi Blair,

Yes these are indeed soldier fly larvae. Usually you'll get them when the farm has rotting food in it that has gone a little anaerobic. The best thing to do is stop feeding the farm new material, gently fork in some browns or fibre to balance the carbon ration a bit better, and let them do their stuff. They will pupate and dissapear after a little while.

 

If you run your worm farm a little carbon rich by adding fibre each time you feed it, you shouldn't see the soldier flies. Food waste is generally a little rich in Nitrogen to compost without adding carbon, same for a worm farm.

 

I've found that farms that have higher carbon ratios go better than those that are nitrogen rich. I assume this is also because worms breath through their skin, so anaerobic conditions are very hard for them to tolerate. Also they've evolved in the forest floor, so happy mooching about amongst dead leaves.

 

Hope this helps, Cheers. Ben

[Mark]

Thanks from me also Blair great reply and tips.