Compost bin

E

Erith

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114
After reading the facinating slug thread, I thought I'd air my pest problems too.

We bought one of those conical section shaped green compost bins. Seemed great in the winter, but now my wife is afraid of using it because of the black cloud of tiny fruit flies that it emits when you take the lid off. I brave them bravely but then they get into the house and we have to continuously vacuum the air. It must look mad.

Anyway, anyone have any advice? Gassing maybe?
 
My composter is about 20ft from the house, I have never seen the flies in the house. Maybe it is too near the house?
 
Well,gassing would kill the entire life of the bin and composting wouldn't happen anymore.Maggots (and the eggs from which they come) are relativly small oxigene consumers so the gas dose would have to be severe.
Once you have the flies it is difficult to get rid of them as long as they are still in the bin, in the contents of it. Empty the content of the bin out in the open.Let sunshine get onto the maggots , birds are helpfull too. Then ,when restarting the compost bin , throw in now and then some compost accelerator. Maggots love it very moist , so when adding fresh "food" a handfull of sawdust on top of it would stop the flies to lay their eggs in it. Dry peat or - more sustainable- some dry crumbly top soil would do the trick as well . Collect some few buckets of top soil and store them dry to give you a regular supply .
The bigger the compost heap is the more sustainable it is . From a certain size it is self regulating , the foes are fought by the friends , a small world in it self so to speak .The plastic cones ( PVC ?!) are very small and therefore vulnerable to any attack.
heinbloed
 
HB1 said:
Well,gassing would kill the entire life of the bin and composting wouldn't happen anymore.Maggots (and the eggs from which they come) are relativly small oxigene consumers so the gas dose would have to be severe.

heinbloed
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I was kidding about the gassing but your knowledge on the subject is worrying yet intriguing.
 
I've managed to create a massive fruit-fly mother planet in my compost bin. I'm hoping they don't evolve and create their own military-industrial complex anytime soon.


BraveInca
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Thanks Sueellen, nothing useful except that I'm not alone.
 
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