Compost advice needed

[Matto]

Hello.

I've been compiosting at my allotment for a couple of years without any problems. Recently I bought a house with a garden for the first time. I have now started a new compost bin in my garden but have found it completely infested with little flies. Every time I open the bin a huge cloud flies out into my face. Not nice. This is so unpleasant that my wife is refusing to use it.

One of the first jobs I did was to savagely prune a large hedge, most of the leaves went into the bin. Could this be to blame? Does anyone have any suggestions on how to cure my fly problem!

HELP!!

[Digger-07]

Are you tending to throw more fruit into the home bin than the lotty one?

The flies could be a type of fruit fly.

PS welcome to the vine, I bet you will get lots of answers to your questions here!

[Matto]

Not much fruit in particular. It's more like peelings and bits of left over salad &veg.

[SimonCole]

I leave the lid off so that they fly away.

[wormlady]

Id say its because its a new bin and it will take a bit of time for all the bugs and beasties to establish themselves in the right proportions and till then you might get boom n bust population explosions of different things.
Leave the lid off and keep adding a good mix of browns and greens and it should sort itself out.

[Flummery]

I often get swarms of little flies in mine. Doesn't bother me, I consider it part of the breaking down process (like the worms). However, I do put the remains of fruit from my winemaking in there. The little perishers can't fly straight!

[Madasafish]

I get it as well.. seems fairly common. If it bothers you spray inside with fly killer. It works for about 2 days and then they re-appear...

[Cutecumber]

I hope this makes you feel better, it's taken from a Council website advising on home composting.

"Fruit flies: these are tiny white or brown flies no more than 2mm in length. They will be present in large numbers and can appear as a cloud when the compost bin lid is removed.

Anybody who puts fruit and vegetable wastes into their bin will encounter these files at some point during the summer. They are totally harmless and are part of the composting process because they feed on the fruit acids contained in the material.

To remove them, simply cover the top layer of fruit or vegetable wastes with a thin layer of soil or compost and they should disappear within a couple of days."

I also suggest that you try and mix the heap a bit. Yyou might have to get a mask and goggles, but it'll be worth it

[Uncle Albert]

Hi Matto,

Welcome.

I have four bins. The one that is nearest the kitchen is the only one that gets kitchen waste (the others get mown grass & shredded twigs, leaves, etc.) and is the only one to get flies.

Cutecumber's spot on - every time I cover the top with 2 or 3 inches of grass clippings, the flies disappear until the kitchen waste starts to build up again.

Lesson #1 - mow your lawn more often!!!

[heebiejeebie]

I have MORE tiny flies in the bin now that the grass clippings have gone in!

[heebiejeebie]

Actually - the grass clippings went in 3 days ago and there was a sudden increase in fly activity (a hatching?) and now they have all gone.