Maggots in compost?

Question

Help! I think I have maggots in my compost bin. They are about 2cm long and a cream colour (very squirmy). There are heaps of them!

I only put fruit and vegetables, shredded paper and garden waste in the bin (with some lime powder). I use a thick plastic compost bin with a lid (small holes on side for aeration) - purchased not made myself.

Everything put in the bin is dry but I do live in a hot and humid climate (hot summer at the moment).

Any ideas of why the maggots are there and any ideas how I can get rid of them without ruining the compost?

Thanks!

Answer 1

Unless you have excrement in your compost box what your seeing is probably grub worms. They will not hurt anything and just let them be and do their job. They will make the compost. The grubs are harmless and are widely used as fishing bait just as earth worms are. Maggots stay small and can get fat but not very long. They have a little dark spot on each end of them and no legs where grubs have little legs.

Answer 2

Maggots In Compost

Answer 3

If you cover your compost with dry soil or dry leaves, insects won't be able to lay eggs on anything that is nutritious. Also, maggots won't survive once your compost starts to heat up because of decomposition. So keep turning it.

"The composting procedures, turning, and systematic cleanliness, which are useful in providing compost of good quality and in destroying parasites and pathogens, are also effective for controlling flies. Initial shredding or grinding to produce a material which can be more readily attacked by bacteria destroys a large number of the larvae and pupae in the raw material. Also, the texture of material shredded to a particle size no larger than 2inches seems to discourages fly breeding.

To control the numbers of these pests, keep attractive food wastes out of the compost pile, turn compost piles frequently (larvae die at high temperatures), cover piles with a dry material that has a lot of carbon in it such as straw or old grass clippings, or bury your food wastes. Fly-breeding can be satisfactorily controlled in most home composting operations during the fly season with a little more effort than is normally necessary for good sanitary composting. "
From http://www.cyber-north.com/gardening/compost.html

Answer 4

Nothing should be able to live in compost if done properly. The compost has to cook to decompose. There needs to be a sufficient amount of nitrogen for this to happen. The compost will actually be hot inside if enough nitrogen is there. You get nitrogen from manure, preferrably horse manure. Cow or chicken manure is no longer recommended due to the outbreak of diseases in these animals.
Or, you can buy a packaged compost enhancer from any farm and feed store.
You need to call your local agriculture office to find out how to get rid of the maggots properly.

Answer 5

They are composting for you actually. The maggots as gross as it sounds were probably eggs in the stuff before you even put it in.

Answer 6

unless you have meat products in your compost they are probably not maggots, and red worms live in compost piles and are great at transforming vegetable matter to waste

Answer 7

Nothing should be able to live in compost if done properly. The compost has to cook to decompose. There needs to be a sufficient amount of nitrogen for this to happen. The compost will actually be hot inside if enough nitrogen is there. You get nitrogen from manure, preferrably horse manure. Cow or chicken manure is no longer recommended due to the outbreak of diseases in these animals. Or, you can buy a packaged compost enhancer from any farm and feed store. You need to call your local agriculture office to find out how to get rid of the maggots properly.

Answer 8

Those are "Grubs" not maggots. Maggots are flies eggs usually in rotting meat.

Answer 9

um...u say there maggots, well...maggots r baby flies...flies like food...compost means food so i guess it would make sense that they r there...

Answer 10

that's their job, that's why it's a composter...hope it's away from the house.