Pkboo
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Posts: 19
Joined: Fri Oct 20, 2017 10:06 pm
Location: Archer, FL (by Gainesville FL)

Little white bugs in worm bin

So a month and a half or so I got my worm bin started and everything seems to be going ok. I added a second tray to it bout 2 weeks ago since the worms were almost done with the first one. Every few day I normally do just a quick spot check in there to see if everything is going ok. Today I decide to "dig" around in the bottom try a bit to see what really was left of stuff from before, and there wasnt really too much stuff left but as I was "digging" around I was seeing some white little bugs type things in there.
Saw two different sizes, a few were bout the size of half a grain of white rice and one or two were bout the size of a full grain of white rice, maybe a grain and a half. Any ideas what they could be?

I am totally new to worm composting and composting in general so I don't know if something has gone wrong in there or what. At the time I didnt think about getting any pictures and if I had my hands were pretty dirty from "digging" around so wouldnt have wanted to handle my camera or phone with those hands

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applestar
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Posts: 30514
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

Where they moving? Hopping around or wiggling?

Two thing I can think of are springtails (might be smaller than what you describe) which would hop and fungus gnat and fruitfly maggots which would wiggle. (and I suppose Black Soldier Fly eggs and just hatched maggots might be another possibility) But you are in Florida and might see critters I’m not familiar with. OK, another possibility is cornseed fly pupae, which can also be white.

Where are you keeping your worm bin? Depending on location, extra residents are normal and most of them (detrivores) are acceptable. You just don’t want stuff that can harm your wormyworms. I had a centipede move in and it had to be evicted because it would eat the worm “eggs”. I normally allow/welcome them in the regular compost pile to help control the extra critters.

Pkboo
Full Member
Posts: 19
Joined: Fri Oct 20, 2017 10:06 pm
Location: Archer, FL (by Gainesville FL)

they were wriggling a bit. I keep my bin on my screened in porch but the there are a few little tears in the screening and of coruce when we go in & out the screen door things could get in.

Your defintely right bout me not wanting things that could harm my worms. Figured I would ask & look around as well to see what info I could find this way if I need to go through the bin and get stuff out I could try to do that.



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