Scorpions In My Worm Bin – Yikes!
Just kidding!
As menacing as that creature looks (up close), the tiny ‘Pseudoscorpion’ is a totally harmless worm bin inhabitant. In fact they can be beneficial, feeding actively on various other tiny organisms we often think of as pests.
I’ve only encountered a handful of these invertebrates over the years – not sure whether it’s because they are somewhat rare, or because they are so small (generally only a few millimetres). Likely a combination of the two.
They seem to be more common in mature systems, especially those located outside. This particular specimen was found in some finished castings I recently harvest from the bottom of my bin outdoor worm bin (more about that in another post).
Anyway – just thought it would be fun to share that picture!
Technorati Tags: pseudoscorpions, scorpions, worm bins, worm castings, vermicompost, compost, invertebrates, arthropods
Written by Bentley on June 19th, 2008 with
4 comments.
Read more articles on Worm Bin Creatures.
Bentley
#1. June 20th, 2008, at 3:39 AM.
I can’t wait until my worm bin is ready to harvest. It’s been outside long enough that there should be some interesting critters in there.
Thanks for sharing the photo – how did you get it to sit still for the picture taking?
Martha