Controlling Mites in a Worm Bin
I recently came across this video over on YouTube and was VERY impressed – the creator, Christy Ruffner (from ‘Worm Bin Composting‘) summarized very effectively a piece of advice I have actually been giving people as of late, relating to the often asked question “How do I get rid of worm bin mites?”. I know I tend to be ‘Mr Mellow’ about this stuff – but I have come to realize that there are indeed situations where some sort of mite intervention needs to take place in order to optimize conditions once again for vermicomposting.
Apart from the awesome info and effective visuals (now THATS what I call a mite infestation – YIKES!), I appreciated the fact that Christy took the time to inform people that the “spider mites” are not the same ones considered to be plant pests (as some people mistakenly assume), and moreover that they won’t really do all that well even if they do start crawling out of your bin!
One other thing to mention – while melons/cantaloupes are almost certainly the most effective materials for attracting mites, really any of the cucumber family (cucumbers, squash, pumpkins etc) should work quite well. Oh – and definitely make sure you don’t leave the chunks in there for too long. If you happen to forget about them, you may end up with the ‘mother of ALL mite infestations’! haha
By the way – I will definitely add a link to this post to the “Worm Bin Mites” section of the “Hot Topics” page for future reference. I have little doubt that this video is going to help a lot of stressed-out vermicomposters!
Thanks to Christy for putting it together (and be sure to drop by her site – linked above – to say hello!)
Technorati Tags: worm bin, worm bins, worm composter, vermicomposter, vermicomposting bin, mites, spider mites, acarina, compost, composting, watermelon, cantaloupe, cucurbitaceae
Written by Bentley on November 16th, 2009 with
2 comments.
Read more articles on Home Vermicomposting and Videos.
Tibor
1937 lb of Organic Waste, and Counting!
#1. November 22nd, 2009, at 12:11 AM.
I had same problem one year ago, but what about the tiny white mites?
This is a powerful post, thanks for share!!