How to get rid of maggots and flies in my worm bin

by Stephan
(Radevormwald and Cape Town)

Question:

Hi there

I chatted to you earlier today - I've had a mini (three levels) worm farm for seven days. I followed the instructions but this morning when I went to put something in it I discovered it is full of maggots!

Perhaps it was the heat wave from yesterday?

I have a damp dishcloth on top of the soil and food to prevent flies, so I'm not sure what I've done wrong and also how I get rid of them without harming the worms?

Warmest Regards



Answer:

Hello ,

it sounds as if you did a good job setting up your worm farm. Flies are attracted by the smell of meat, dairy products and other organic materials.

They are actually not a problem for the worms and they as well as their maggots help with the recycling of your food- and kitchen waste.

However people find them often a nuisance. To prevent flies from entering your worm farm and laying their eggs on the worm food it is often helpful to cover the food with a wet newspaper. It is vital to cover the whole surface and leave no hole where flies could slip in. There will still be enough oxygen for the worms. Once there are maggots inside the worm bin and you would like to remove them you should get yourself a pair of rubber gloves and a small bucket.

Open your worm bin and carefully remove as many maggots and soil from the surface of your worm bin as you can find. The worms are usually not mingling to much with the maggots so if you keep your eyes open you should b e able to remove the maggots without harming the worms.

Once you have the maggots placed inside the small bucket pour boiling water over them which will kill them instantly. Once the water has cooled down you can add the maggots soil and water to your worm farm again and the worms will consume them with time.

Another way to prevent flies from entering your worm farm is to bury your waste always a few centimeters below the surface of your worm farm bedding and cover them with processed worm castings (worm manure). This can obviously only be done once your worm farm has been well established and is filled with sufficient worm castings.

I trust this information helps you to get rid of the flies and maggots in you worm farm. I wish you all the best for your worm composting project.

Kind regards

Stephan Kloppert
Author of "How to start a profitable worm business on a shoestring budget"

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