Comments on: Getting Rid of Worm Bin Mites http://www.redwormcomposting.com/reader-questions/getting-rid-of-worm-bin-mites/ Red Wiggler Worms, European Nightcrawlers and loads of helpful Worm Composting Information Fri, 12 Mar 2010 20:27:46 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Bentley http://www.redwormcomposting.com/reader-questions/getting-rid-of-worm-bin-mites/comment-page-1/#comment-8193 Bentley Sun, 13 Jul 2008 03:56:33 +0000 http://www.redwormcomposting.com/?p=181#comment-8193 Great, Eve - thanks for sharing! 8) (sorry for the delay responding) B Great, Eve – thanks for sharing! 8)
(sorry for the delay responding)

B

]]> By: Eve http://www.redwormcomposting.com/reader-questions/getting-rid-of-worm-bin-mites/comment-page-1/#comment-7916 Eve Sun, 06 Jul 2008 11:29:32 +0000 http://www.redwormcomposting.com/?p=181#comment-7916 Hi Bentley I think this is another bug solution. While its still to early to know if i have a permanent fix this is working as a quick fix. My bin is now two months old and i just had my first bug explosion. White mites and fruit flies. Now that the garden is coming around I recently have started adding a lot of fresh garden produce along with too much store bought fruit, especially watermelon. The watermelon was gone just the rinds are left so it is getting ate. But the rind and everything else was covered with mites. I went from having a few drips of liquid to over 3 inches in the bottom of the outer bin in just a couple weeks. For the first time my bin was getting smelly and mites were everywhere, up the sides and coming out air the holes. And fruit flies were all over the house, a cloud of them escaped when i opened the lid. i don't think that the smell of bin was so bad that it was sour but it was starting to go that way. I decided my first step should be to get rid of the stinky liquid so i separated the bins and dumped and washed out the bottom drip bin. I then took the opportunity to drill a few more air holes I decided not to turn it upside down so i carefully drilled them couple inches above the bottom of the worm bin. I noticed that the fruit flies were landing on the top edges of all the highest points in the bin so I then added a sticky fly trap into the bin. One of those cheap cardboard roll things with plastic ends made for house flies. I just laid it on top of a couple sets of inverted egg crate pieces making it the highest thing inside the bin and closed the lid. Checking again tonight most the mites were back down in the bedding just a few on the sides of the bin and i had an amazing amount of fruit flies stuck onto the fly trap. The smell did improve a lot by just cleaning out the drip tray, already the scent inside the bin is improving. Another thing i should note is that by using the double bins the mites that got out of the bin never ended up on the floor. They 'fell' into the outer bin. A nice plus when considering what type of bin system to use. Eve Hi Bentley

I think this is another bug solution.

While its still to early to know if i have a permanent fix this is working as a quick fix.

My bin is now two months old and i just had my first bug explosion. White mites and fruit flies.

Now that the garden is coming around I recently have started adding a lot of fresh garden produce along with too much store bought fruit, especially watermelon. The watermelon was gone just the rinds are left so it is getting ate. But the rind and everything else was covered with mites.

I went from having a few drips of liquid to over 3 inches in the bottom of the outer bin in just a couple weeks. For the first time my bin was getting smelly and mites were everywhere, up the sides and coming out air the holes. And fruit flies were all over the house, a cloud of them escaped when i opened the lid. i don’t think that the smell of bin was so bad that it was sour but it was starting to go that way.

I decided my first step should be to get rid of the stinky liquid so i separated the bins and dumped and washed out the bottom drip bin. I then took the opportunity to drill a few more air holes I decided not to turn it upside down so i carefully drilled them couple inches above the bottom of the worm bin.

I noticed that the fruit flies were landing on the top edges of all the highest points in the bin so I then added a sticky fly trap into the bin. One of those cheap cardboard roll things with plastic ends made for house flies. I just laid it on top of a couple sets of inverted egg crate pieces making it the highest thing inside the bin and closed the lid.

Checking again tonight most the mites were back down in the bedding just a few on the sides of the bin and i had an amazing amount of fruit flies stuck onto the fly trap. The smell did improve a lot by just cleaning out the drip tray, already the scent inside the bin is improving.

Another thing i should note is that by using the double bins the mites that got out of the bin never ended up on the floor. They ‘fell’ into the outer bin. A nice plus when considering what type of bin system to use.

Eve

]]> By: Sherry http://www.redwormcomposting.com/reader-questions/getting-rid-of-worm-bin-mites/comment-page-1/#comment-7493 Sherry Sat, 07 Jun 2008 01:43:02 +0000 http://www.redwormcomposting.com/?p=181#comment-7493 I can't seem to get rid of the brown mites in my bin. I've taken it outside in the sun, put lots of dry bedding in, withheld feeding for a number of days. I also put cantaloupe rinds and avocado halves in as bait. Bread slices don't seem to attract them much. The thing that puzzles me, is that I wait till the food is pretty much or completely used up before feeding. There's no liquid in the bin, and the castings are really light and fluffy. There are also lots of cocoons. Yet I have mites. They aren't crawling on the sides, but they are crawling all over the top of the bedding. The lids of the Rubbermaid bins are usually propped open a bit (hinged lid) or set ajar on the snap lid. Since the worms don't talk, I don't know if they are stressed or not, but I know I am. I'm open to ideas, short of flaming them with a torch. I can’t seem to get rid of the brown mites in my bin. I’ve taken it outside in the sun, put lots of dry bedding in, withheld feeding for a number of days. I also put cantaloupe rinds and avocado halves in as bait. Bread slices don’t seem to attract them much.

The thing that puzzles me, is that I wait till the food is pretty much or completely used up before feeding. There’s no liquid in the bin, and the castings are really light and fluffy. There are also lots of cocoons. Yet I have mites. They aren’t crawling on the sides, but they are crawling all over the top of the bedding. The lids of the Rubbermaid bins are usually propped open a bit (hinged lid) or set ajar on the snap lid.

Since the worms don’t talk, I don’t know if they are stressed or not, but I know I am.

I’m open to ideas, short of flaming them with a torch.

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