little critters in my compost

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little critters in my compost

by randall
(Euless, Texas)

I keep my compost in a big open container, like the ones you get when you buy a tree. the critters look like larvae of a giant fly. Is this normal to have these in the compost?

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little critters in my compost

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Jun 27, 2011

Little Critters In My Compost
by: Kimberly

Hi Randall, Kimberly here from landscape solutions for you. Thank you for asking a question about those critters in your compost.

I am not a professional compost grower, but have done some compost piles over the years. I also have had clients that have made their own compost.

Larvae and flies are common in compost. My understanding is the Black Soldier fly larvae is fine for compost. There are other types of flies that will not benefit compost.

One of the keys to successfully making compost is to have the compost at a high temperature during the initial decomposing phase. You should also turn the compost periodically which will help with the larvae of certain flies.

I hope this helps a little. If anyone that has done composts and had larvae and flies like to comment and help Randall, that would be wonderful. I would also be very interested in knowing some more facts of certain flies and their larvae.

Thanks again Randall and if you have any more descriptions of the color of the larvae, that may help others and myself to identify what type it is. Look forward to hearing some more ideas on the little critters in Randall's compost. Thanks everyone and have a great day.
Kimberly

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