Anyone who has owned a thriving worm farm knows that earthworms aren’t the only creatures you’ll find in there from time to time. Just like a decomposing forest floor, thousands of bugs, microbes and bacteria all play a role in breaking down organic matter and forming a wonderfully diverse ecosystem. This rich tapestry of life is what we call biodiversity and is the very reason our Earth is alive.
Snails, slugs, ants, cockroaches, fruit flies, springtails, slaters and more may be present in your worm farm right now or may have been in the past. While they, admittedly, look a bit gross and worrying it is important to remember that , generally, they don’t interfere with the worms or pose much of a threat.
When these visitors start to present in MASSIVE numbers, or become a total infestation, only then do they tend to cause problems.
What are these little white bugs?
So, you have noticed hundreds of tiny white bugs in your worm farm. Should you worry? Well, 9 times out of 10, the answer is “NO”. As mentioned above, most little creatures found in your worm farm are simply helping your wormies.
So…what could they be? Well, they could be a lot of things but below are the most common.
Springtails
Chances are these little white bugs are just moisture-loving Springtails. These are common isopods that enjoy the same conditions that make your worms happy. They are excellent decomposers, just like earthworms, and are nothing to worry about. They help worms break down rotting food in your worm bin. Springtails do not bite or sting and are generally harmless to humans. Springtails are fast-moving, elongated and rice shaped.
Notice how elongated their bodies are.
Mites
Mites come in an array of colors. Brown, red, white and more. White mites are not predaceous (they don’t prey on other animals) and tend to feed only on decaying or injured worms. Having said this, during huge infestations, these mites can eat massive amounts of food in in your bin, depriving worms of needed nutrients. This results in very hungry worms, poor growth and poor reproduction rates.
But wait… How do you tell the difference between mites and springtails ?
Mites look like you’ve spilled a bowl of sugar or rice on the floor. They are creamy white, small, round and slow moving. Some types of white mites are often mistaken for worm eggs. Springtails are faster, elongated (rice shaped) and can jump.
Notice how round their bodies are.
Maggots
Most of the time , maggots in your worm farm are the larvae of the black solider fly or the fruit fly. Should you worry? The answer is no. Apart from giving you the heebie-jeebies, maggots play a fairly positive role in the composting process. Just like mites and springtails, they eat rotting organic matter in much the same way earthworms do. In fact, black soldier fly larvae process food quicker than earthworms do and their poo is actually edible to earthworms. Yummy!
Maggots love very wet and warm environments and will often present themselves when the worms are being over fed.
Basically, baby fruit flies.
So how do we deal with them ?
- If there are just a few and it does not look like an infestation then do nothing. These little guys are super helpful and will actually speed up the entire process.
- Reduce food and water input until mites, maggots and springtails start to leave.
- Place potato slices, melon rinds, or damp newspaper on the surface of the bedding, then remove when these bugs have collected there.
- For maggots, try adding a piece of bread soaked in milk on the surface of the worm farm and remove after a couple of days. Repeat this until numbers have decreased significantly.
- Bury food when adding it into the worm farm or loosely place a piece of fabric or a sheet of newspaper inside the bin on top of the worm bin contents. A worm blanket is a great idea too.