Are Maggots in Your Compost Good or Bad?
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Date: 2022-07-18
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Comments and reviews: 15
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i did this in Phnom penh cambodia. I got a trash bin and started putting all my vegetable scraps inside. WIthin a few months it was full of maggot. They did make shortwork of whatever i would put into it. However a few months later i looked in the bin thinking it would be full of maggots. When i opened it this time there were no maggot and realized ants moved in. I guess once ants find out that there is plenty of mango being added than they basically made my compost bin their home and likely ate all the maggots. I learned how to make potash from charcoal ashe and added that. It eventually drive away the ants. I am guessing it changed the pH to a point where the insects could not handle it anymore. My girlfriend has brought her dying aloe plant and after giving it a little potash and compost it started growing like crazy. It started out with brown leaves and small. Within a few months it leaves were all green and were so strong i could almost sit on them. It also kept creating more shoots
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i did this in Phnom penh cambodia. I got a trash bin and started putting all my vegetable scraps inside. WIthin a few months it was full of maggot. They did make shortwork of whatever i would put into it. However a few months later i looked in the bin thinking it would be full of maggots. When i opened it this time there were no maggot and realized ants moved in. I guess once ants find out that there is plenty of mango being added than they basically made my compost bin their home and likely ate all the maggots. I learned how to make potash from charcoal ashe and added that. It eventually drive away the ants. I am guessing it changed the pH to a point where the insects could not handle it anymore. My girlfriend has brought her dying aloe plant and after giving it a little potash and compost it started growing like crazy. It started out with brown leaves and small. Within a few months it leaves were all green and were so strong i could almost sit on them. It also kept creating more shoots
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John
So I checked my compost bin like the video one and yes, I have huge maggots. I thought wow I've never seen maggots that big and wondered if they good to have in my bin. So I am a little confused from some posts: someone says to add grass clippings to discourage them, others say to use a layer of card board or cedar chips to get rid of them. I would think these maggots are doing a good thing decomposing the material. There's a couple posts about once the soil is ready to be used, will the maggots live in the new area - that is will they spread further, will they damage the soil in your already planted area? You would think maggots will become flies - no / yes? Depending on the conditions of its environment? BTW: this is my first attempt to make compost in this rotating bin like device. All your comments are appreciative. Cheers
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So I checked my compost bin like the video one and yes, I have huge maggots. I thought wow I've never seen maggots that big and wondered if they good to have in my bin. So I am a little confused from some posts: someone says to add grass clippings to discourage them, others say to use a layer of card board or cedar chips to get rid of them. I would think these maggots are doing a good thing decomposing the material. There's a couple posts about once the soil is ready to be used, will the maggots live in the new area - that is will they spread further, will they damage the soil in your already planted area? You would think maggots will become flies - no / yes? Depending on the conditions of its environment? BTW: this is my first attempt to make compost in this rotating bin like device. All your comments are appreciative. Cheers
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Ken
Sorry to contradict, but if you have maggots in your compost, you are creating a potential serious health risk. Compost needs forty parts carbon to one part nitrogen. Too much nitrogen is wasteful of nitrogen (which is a very expensive resource, and leads to anaerobic conditions. If you have smelly sludge with maggots It is no longer composting properly, it has become a digestor, and these need to be very strictly managed unless you like flies, their associated bacteria, and stink. A properly managed aerobic compost is sanitary, and very low, or preferably, no odours are permitted, and the compost will have worms or beetle larvae excellent for bait.
A free standing binless compost works perfectly if constructed properly and it can easily be protected by shade cloth from scavengers. Bins are completely unnecessary.
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Sorry to contradict, but if you have maggots in your compost, you are creating a potential serious health risk. Compost needs forty parts carbon to one part nitrogen. Too much nitrogen is wasteful of nitrogen (which is a very expensive resource, and leads to anaerobic conditions. If you have smelly sludge with maggots It is no longer composting properly, it has become a digestor, and these need to be very strictly managed unless you like flies, their associated bacteria, and stink. A properly managed aerobic compost is sanitary, and very low, or preferably, no odours are permitted, and the compost will have worms or beetle larvae excellent for bait.
A free standing binless compost works perfectly if constructed properly and it can easily be protected by shade cloth from scavengers. Bins are completely unnecessary.
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Bill
Yeah my compost bin is so full of maggots it looks like the entire surface is writhing as the maggots hide underneath the surface. But one thing is for certain, those little buggers chew through whatever food scraps I throw in there in a matter of days. They are fast, and their castings look basically like mud. Maggot poo, yum! Anyway, I have gotten over my revulsion and just let them do their thing. It's not like when I walk up to the bin there is a cloud of flies hovering around it. I honestly have never even seen a fly, so I am not sure what type of maggot they are. They are not real big, so I don't think they are the soldier fly maggots shown in this video. Plus, I don't throw meat in there. Maggots chewing on meat is a truly revolting smell.
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Yeah my compost bin is so full of maggots it looks like the entire surface is writhing as the maggots hide underneath the surface. But one thing is for certain, those little buggers chew through whatever food scraps I throw in there in a matter of days. They are fast, and their castings look basically like mud. Maggot poo, yum! Anyway, I have gotten over my revulsion and just let them do their thing. It's not like when I walk up to the bin there is a cloud of flies hovering around it. I honestly have never even seen a fly, so I am not sure what type of maggot they are. They are not real big, so I don't think they are the soldier fly maggots shown in this video. Plus, I don't throw meat in there. Maggots chewing on meat is a truly revolting smell.
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Jaclyn
Your videos are addicting! Question: Is there a point where you might just need to abandon compost in a bin and start over? I am a site host for a CSA so I get a TON of scraps. I was handed down a large single tumbler and have been throwing the scraps, as well as egg shells and coffee grinds in there for A FEW YEARS. I haven't been adding many browns and tumble it once in a great while (I know, I know. I've been a half-assed gardner until now! Your videos are inspiring. Anyway, there are a ton of flying bugs swarming inside (not flies) when I open it and I just want to know if there is anything I can do to save the compost, as I assume it's not okay to use as it is. Thanks so much!
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Your videos are addicting! Question: Is there a point where you might just need to abandon compost in a bin and start over? I am a site host for a CSA so I get a TON of scraps. I was handed down a large single tumbler and have been throwing the scraps, as well as egg shells and coffee grinds in there for A FEW YEARS. I haven't been adding many browns and tumble it once in a great while (I know, I know. I've been a half-assed gardner until now! Your videos are inspiring. Anyway, there are a ton of flying bugs swarming inside (not flies) when I open it and I just want to know if there is anything I can do to save the compost, as I assume it's not okay to use as it is. Thanks so much!
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poosmate
I think the main problem here is that the maggots are so efficient at eating the food scraps and storing it in their bodies for when they pupate, that when they emerge as adults they fly away taking your compost with them. That that would have been your compost is now a fly and it has flown away! Hence why maggots are not used as composters. I am still thinking of experimenting with this with a completely sealed container where the flies cannot escape but live their lives within the container. I feel I may end up with just dead flies rather than compost and if the flies died too soon before their natural lifespan, nah, ethically I think it would be cruel. Just my thoughts. Poo
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I think the main problem here is that the maggots are so efficient at eating the food scraps and storing it in their bodies for when they pupate, that when they emerge as adults they fly away taking your compost with them. That that would have been your compost is now a fly and it has flown away! Hence why maggots are not used as composters. I am still thinking of experimenting with this with a completely sealed container where the flies cannot escape but live their lives within the container. I feel I may end up with just dead flies rather than compost and if the flies died too soon before their natural lifespan, nah, ethically I think it would be cruel. Just my thoughts. Poo
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Sara
Hi! I need advice please since I am new to house poop as compost! I got a bag of manure last week and I used a part of it for my garden. Today I discovered larves in the bag.
Q1: Can I keep horse poop in the bag and use it anytime I need or better a different location? I live in a tiny house a in caravan park area, so no chance to get open space and work with it. What do you reckon about it?
Q2: how much horse poop ca n I use as a compost for my plants in order not to damage them?
Thanks for sharing your video, was a good relief for me to know that it isn't a huge problem having larves around it! Cheese
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Hi! I need advice please since I am new to house poop as compost! I got a bag of manure last week and I used a part of it for my garden. Today I discovered larves in the bag.
Q1: Can I keep horse poop in the bag and use it anytime I need or better a different location? I live in a tiny house a in caravan park area, so no chance to get open space and work with it. What do you reckon about it?
Q2: how much horse poop ca n I use as a compost for my plants in order not to damage them?
Thanks for sharing your video, was a good relief for me to know that it isn't a huge problem having larves around it! Cheese
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Cy
Are we just conditioned to think maggots are gross? Won't the maggots break down food waist before it goes anaerobic? So far on my search it seems that maggots do a lot of heavy lifting when it comes to turning food waist to compost. What is bad about having too many? So far it seems to me, the more, the better. I used to think maggots are gross but now that I have a better idea what part of the nutrient cycle they occupy, I don't find them gross at all.
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Are we just conditioned to think maggots are gross? Won't the maggots break down food waist before it goes anaerobic? So far on my search it seems that maggots do a lot of heavy lifting when it comes to turning food waist to compost. What is bad about having too many? So far it seems to me, the more, the better. I used to think maggots are gross but now that I have a better idea what part of the nutrient cycle they occupy, I don't find them gross at all.
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Mozart
Why would you remove them? They are composters just like the land worms. I love it when I see a ton of them. They also make great pond feed when the their amount is excessive and starts looking like boiling. (they compete with land worms when their numbers is so excessive and that's the only reason I depopulate them by making them pond food. Also I remove the largest ones to avoid them turning into flies)
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Why would you remove them? They are composters just like the land worms. I love it when I see a ton of them. They also make great pond feed when the their amount is excessive and starts looking like boiling. (they compete with land worms when their numbers is so excessive and that's the only reason I depopulate them by making them pond food. Also I remove the largest ones to avoid them turning into flies)
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Milica
So I had some dirt that was pretty much dead in terms of nutrients and I mixed It with some food scraps (including meat) in one of my old flower pots. I turned it today to see how it's doing and I saw maggots, although I don't know if it's the same type that you have or some other. My question is, when the food breaks down, can I use the compost to plant anything? Will the maggots harm my plants?
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So I had some dirt that was pretty much dead in terms of nutrients and I mixed It with some food scraps (including meat) in one of my old flower pots. I turned it today to see how it's doing and I saw maggots, although I don't know if it's the same type that you have or some other. My question is, when the food breaks down, can I use the compost to plant anything? Will the maggots harm my plants?
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Angie
Im an urban gardener/ novice composter in the PNW. I nearly let out a blood curdling scream when I found larvae all over my bin (which is very similar to yours) but Ive learned from you and another gardener on here that all is not lost.
My only concern is that my maggots are from tiny white flies, not regular black flies, and Im not 100% sure if that makes a difference.
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Im an urban gardener/ novice composter in the PNW. I nearly let out a blood curdling scream when I found larvae all over my bin (which is very similar to yours) but Ive learned from you and another gardener on here that all is not lost.
My only concern is that my maggots are from tiny white flies, not regular black flies, and Im not 100% sure if that makes a difference.
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Catherine
Hi, I am new to composting and discovered maggots in there this morning, I thought I had done something wrong. I am not sure if you still respond to viewers, so. if I add perhaps shredded paper or dry, this will make them go away or become less. I live in the city, Phoenix AZ with a small condo size back yard. Let me know if you can. Thanks Happy Gardening.
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Hi, I am new to composting and discovered maggots in there this morning, I thought I had done something wrong. I am not sure if you still respond to viewers, so. if I add perhaps shredded paper or dry, this will make them go away or become less. I live in the city, Phoenix AZ with a small condo size back yard. Let me know if you can. Thanks Happy Gardening.
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Yevgeniy
If you love to fish, fish loves them! I used them to catch trout, perch, carp, catfish, sunnies, bass. If you use kitchen scraps, then expect maggots. If you don't, then there will be no maggots. Once maggots finish their work and you don't add more kitchen scraps, they will die off. Worms will stay cause they don't care, they just need soil.
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If you love to fish, fish loves them! I used them to catch trout, perch, carp, catfish, sunnies, bass. If you use kitchen scraps, then expect maggots. If you don't, then there will be no maggots. Once maggots finish their work and you don't add more kitchen scraps, they will die off. Worms will stay cause they don't care, they just need soil.
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LRB9498
Thank you! I'm new to composting and have a bi-weekly pick up service since I don't have a garden space. I've been composting for about 6 months and today was the first day I saw maggots and it was like a layer of them! The tip about limes was helpful--I normally cook with limes but hadn't lately so i wonder if that's why I saw some today.
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Thank you! I'm new to composting and have a bi-weekly pick up service since I don't have a garden space. I've been composting for about 6 months and today was the first day I saw maggots and it was like a layer of them! The tip about limes was helpful--I normally cook with limes but hadn't lately so i wonder if that's why I saw some today.
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Ernesto
LOL, I thought those maggots were normal in my compost. It rained yesterday so a lot of them decided to exit my compost bin. I was wondering what was going on and just found out people have compost bins without them? Woooow. I'm gonna leave them because I keep throwing food in there and they just eat it all really fast
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LOL, I thought those maggots were normal in my compost. It rained yesterday so a lot of them decided to exit my compost bin. I was wondering what was going on and just found out people have compost bins without them? Woooow. I'm gonna leave them because I keep throwing food in there and they just eat it all really fast
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