| It is normal that over time all kinds of other insects will inhabit your worm box. Usually that is not bad, sometimes it is annoying. I wrote about fruit flies and ants before. Today it is only about the different (sometimes very useful) white bugs. Springtails are useful critters in your worm bin. They eat fungi, and material that the worms ignore. Such as citrus peels and the harder pieces of waste. White mite looks like small insect eggs to the naked eye. They do not seem to move and are somewhat round and glassy. Under a magnifying glass you can see that they have small legs with which they can move slowly. They are not harmful, but if they are going to dominate your worm bin, it usually means that your worm bin is too wet and acidic: you add too little cardboard and perhaps a little too much waste so that no air can reach it. Do not be alarmed if you see that these mites eat your worms: They only eat dead or sick worms. But if you have a lot of them, that’s probably another sign that the contents of your worm bin could use more cardboard and more oxygen. Potworms are often mistaken for baby worms: they are small and glassy/white. Baby compost worms are rather brownish. Potworms can do no harm and help digest your waste. So just let it sit comfortably. They live in harmony with your compost worms. Whitefly is very annoying because it is harmful to your plants if they fly there. I have never suffered from it myself but here I list some home garden and kitchen remedies that should help: Regularly wipe lid and edges so that the larvae are removed Spray with an orange spray. A mixture of dish soap and water also seems to help but I wouldn’t want to have it in my worm bin. Let the top of your worm bin dry out: remove the lid (temporarily). Make sure you consistently cover your food/waste with a layer of dry cardboard every time. Making your own insect spray from orange peel and more useful garden tricks with orange can be found here, |
Maak compost van je GFT met een wormenbak