What's in my compost bin?

[Joe]

I've just got my compost bin going and although it's devoid of worms there are signs of life. I've got ants, fruit flies and some browny reddish creatures which are so tiny I can't tell what they are. They congregate usually around the lid. What are they and why do they gather around the lid rather than in the compost where they would surely be of more use?

What else might live in my bin and contribute to its wellbeing?

[jaykay]

I often see tiny red worms around the lid. I just scoop them up and pop them back into the compost bin.

[Reb Williams]

if your garden is anything like mine, woodlice rule. I believe they are helpful in breaking stuff down. They seem to be everywhere in my compost heap. What kind of soil have you got, and what kind of stuff in your bin?

[Joe]

if your garden is anything like mine, woodlice rule. I believe they are helpful in breaking stuff down. They seem to be everywhere in my compost heap. What kind of soil have you got, and what kind of stuff in your bin?

I have no woodlice yet; I expect that they will be along shortly. My soil is very poor, hardly any nutrients. Stuff in the bin is shredded cardboard and paper, grass cuttings and kitchen waste, peelings etc. I think the mix is about right; I'm just short of the critters.

Anyone know what these tiny little congregating bugs are? They are reddish brown and about the size of a pinhead.

[ginger ninger]

Hi Joe,
Without seeing them i couldn't be sure, but they sound like red spider mite...not good. Try taking a photo of them, that way we'll have a better chance of identifying them for you, but with regard to not having any critters in your bin, my compost bin is on concrete and i have lots of worms in it, give it time and the good bugs will find it.

[Joe]

Hi Ginger Ninger

I haven't got a sophisticated camera but here are a couple of photos.

The light coloured clump is a group of hundreds with others a bit further out. I have had these bugs, whatever they are, in my bins at my old house too. I hadn't considered them to be a pest and I haven't seen them anywhere else apart from in the compost bin.

Any suggestions?

[hamsterqueen]

spider eggs?

[Joe]

spider eggs?

Nah, they move!

[Two_Sheds]

Joe, I don't know what they are... but have you got a close-up on your camera? It's usually got a tulip icon

[Joe]

I'll try a fresh photo tomorrow, Two_Sheds, it was getting a bit dark tonight. I did have it on the tulip setting though.

[Two_Sheds]

I'll try a fresh photo tomorrow, Two_Sheds, it was getting a bit dark tonight. I did have it on the tulip setting though.

it seems to have focussed on the bin though, not the critters. Mine does that too, it really takes some fiddling about to get the focus right.

I'm getting an SLR for Chrimbo

[Joe]

I've had no luck with getting a better photograph this morning. I've tried to get a closer look with the naked eye but even though I don't need glasses for close work I'm finding it difficult to focus on these tiny fellows.

They could be tiny spiders and they vary in colour from off-white to a light brown to a darker brown but they are predominately light brown. I estimate their size to be 0.5mm. They like to be in groups of 2/300 individuals although there are smaller groups around the bin too. They hand around the rim of the bin under the lid, although I do sometimes see them on the surface of the contents of the bin.

Still no worms yet!

[OllieMartin]

Do they look like this:

Red Spider Mite:


Red Spider Mite, group:

[brooklynodog]

They could be just a mass of baby spiders, although they are usually yellowy brownish.

[Joe]

Do they look like this:

Red Spider Mite:


Red Spider Mite, group:

I can't see them that well. I'll have to get a magnifying glass. How big is the mite in the top picture?

They could be just a mass of baby spiders, although they are usually yellowy brownish.

I don't think they're just baby spiders. These things never get any bigger than they are now and I only ever see them in the compost bin.