Now, if you’re a gardener like me, you’ve probably thought about composting. You’ve read all the forums. You’ve seen the youtube videos. And then you look at your own garden and notice the poor quality of your soil. So, you think to yourself, should I start making my own compost? Well…yes! It’s easy, it’s free, and it’s way less wasteful than throwing away huge bags of lawn clippings every week.
But you may ask, what about the bugs? Well, yes. You will get bugs if you compost. Some of them good, some of them bad. Today we’ll go over a few of said bugs. But since I’m trying to convince you to START composting, we’ll go over the beneficial ones first, and the negative crowd you can attract another day.
Beneficial Compost Insects: Overview
Now, this is going to be off a personal experience. If you live somewhere that isn’t Florida, you may see different bugs than I do in your compost. In fact, you may see none at all if you live far enough north and have to rely only on microbial activity. But down here in the sunny south, we have more than a few helpers that can latch onto your lawn waste and help you convert it into black gold.
Worms
If this is the only bug that you find in your compost, congrats! You may have the most fragile and beneficial bugs at the same time in your bin. In fact, worm composting is one of the most popular kinds you’ll find in gardening circles. Red wigglers and other native types of earthworms can make their way into an open-bottomed compost bin on their own. These wiggly creatures are great decomposers and a vital part of the mini-ecosystem that is in your bin. This group of beneficial compost insects can consume large amounts of decomposing matter in a relatively short time span, which makes the process more efficient.
But, many of these earthworms are fragile and picky about their environment. If you just drop worms into your compost, there’s a chance that a good number of them won’t make it. So if you see a compost pile full of these guys, count your blessings!
Worms have practically no drawbacks when it comes to being anywhere on your property. They don’t damage lawns, they’re not really that gross, and they kick butt for making your soil better. They can be on the fragile side, though, so take good care of your worms!
Black Soldier Fly Larvae
Up next we have what some would consider the hardcore cousin of the composting worms. This beneficial compost insect is one that may turn a lot of people’s stomachs. But if you have the fortitude to handle their ugly looks, you have a composting machine on your hands. Getting them into a worm-only composting system would be, of course, bad. They would crowd out and out-compete your earthworms. Plus the leachate of the larvae is too acidic for those other softer-skinned worms.
The mature version of this fly is about the length of your thumbnail. They’re long, skinny, black, and look similar to wasps. However, they have no mouthparts or stingers, and only suck up nectar or water to survive long enough to mate and start the cycle over. They die after mating and egg-laying, so you won’t see the adult forms around for too long. If you see an adult, do NOT kill them. They’re just too valuable when it comes to composting and waste disposal. In fact, there are even some landfills that experiment with these guys to try and break down some of the masses of organic matter.
The larvae themselves can be shocking when you first see them. One day they’re not there, and then the next time you open your bin you suddenly see them by the thousands. The adults lay up to eight hundred of these guys, and they look similar to brown grains of rice in their smaller stages. But when they start getting up in size, they look like big, fat, armored larvae. They are fat around the middle, and more uniform in their movement compared to other fly maggots.
They’re fast, efficient, and no hassle. They need no special conditions because of their hardy nature, and they aren’t known to carry or transmit diseases. In fact, these guys are one of the only ways you’ll be able to compost meat and fermented waste. They’re just…super, really. Maybe the single most beneficial compost insects.
Beneficial Compost Insects: Isopods!
Now, if black soldier fly larvae turned your stomach, these guys may not be your favorites. However, they’re some of mine! I’ve mentioned vermicomposting in passing a few times above, and these guys also land on the list of great vermicomposters. Now, what do I mean when I say isopods? Well, think of a rolly-polly, or a pillbug if you’d like, and that’s what I mean! Little shelled insects with many legs, long antennae, and those beady little black eyes.
You’ll find many of them in your compost if you’re doing it right, especially if you live out near the woods. They’re true consumers of dead and decaying matter and are integral parts of any ecosystem you can find them in. If not in your composting bin, you’ll find them under rotting logs, in leaf litter, and other similar areas.
They breed and grow more quickly than worms. So, if you prefer these guys to the maggots, they may be the way you’ll lean towards if you can’t deal with the black soldier fly larvae in your compost.
Conclusion
Now don’t get me wrong, there are a few bugs that if you open up your compost and see, you may need to reconsider how you’re going about these things. But, these guys on this list are purely beneficial compost insects, and you’ve no need to panic if you do see them! Just keep calm, mix up your bin, keep it moist, and let these decomposers go about their important work!
