Flies in the compost bin!!

[Catrina]

Yesterday we went to our compost bins to add some more peelings when we took the lids off (they are black plastic from the council) we found hundreds of tiny white flies swarming out of the bins. This is only our second year of making compost and we did not have it last year. Is this a problem or is it normal. My husband thinks they are midges but I think they are white fly. Do we need to spray. I think we also have these in our polytunnel as well.

[hawthorns]

i have them in mine also

[busylizzie]

We have them too. I think they are fruit flies which are harmless but annoying. Apparently if you cover the top layer with a layer of soil or compost, that keeps them away, but I haven't bothered.

[SlugLobber]

Ah, I can offer advice on this (woo hoo!). They are probably fruit fly (or Drosophila melanogaster if you're that way inclined!). You can keep them down apparently by placing a piece of carpet on top of the compost. Haven't tried it myself, yet.

[Madasafish]

I've had them for the last 20 years:-)

The robins come down and eat them and a few worms I throw on the ground when they fall off the top of the daleks when I open them.