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Boardwalk :: Forum List Six (6) New Worm Digest Forums 1) General Earthworm Discussion Forum
Joe Tex
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A Juvenile Earthworm
Posts: 44
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 Soldier Fly Larva ??? - 2006/05/04 16:33 A month ago I had a huge problem with soldier flies larva being everywhere and now there is only a few of them left. Are these critters seasonal? also what other infestation can I look forward to in my outdoor bins over the year? and are any of these critters harmful to me or my animals?

Joe Happy Farmin
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WormMainea
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A Protected Species Earthworm
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 Re:Soldier Fly Larva ??? - 2006/05/04 16:53 The beauty of the worm bin is that it is its own neat little ecosystem tath you can manipulate. The horror of the outdoor worm bin, is that it is an open ecosystem (good luck manipulating nature!).

Doesn't mean that outdoor bins are bad-- I like mine a lot. I do, however, consider outdoor bins to be different (in purpose and management) from my indoor bins. I have a pretty loose attitude toward the outdoor bins -- they're just more critters working to make me more garden soil anyway. I have a live and let live attitude for all but larger critters (mice, moles, raccoons, etc.) in my outdoor bins.

Check out Happy D's site for more info on the various and sundry organisms that you might find in an outdoor bin: http://www.happydranch.com/invertebrates.html WormMainea.com
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redhen
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A Protected Species Earthworm
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 Re:Soldier Fly Larva ??? - 2006/05/05 17:48 A month ago I had a huge problem with soldier flies larva being everywhere and now there is only a few of them left. Are these critters seasonal? also what other infestation can I look forward to in my outdoor bins over the year? and are any of these critters harmful to me or my animals?
First of all, nothing in your bin will harm you, or your animals.
As for the soldier fly larve (BSF), they are seasonal, for the most part as they like, (or can tolerate) heat. If I were to guess, I would say the BSF showed up in mass due to over-feeding your bin and the worms could not keep up. When food sits long enough, as the food releases it's water, things heat up, become more wet, acidic and anaerobic,(conditions BSF's can tolerate better than worms). The BSF will hatch out in the bins and eat that food. They are voracious composters, as they can eat raw organic material , meaning they do not need anything to break it down for them. They will live happily among your worms, although you might have to add extra food.
When any creature suddenly shows up in mass, it is telling of what is going on in your bin. You would want to ID the creature and find out, through your observation, what conditions are more favorable to these creatures(more than your worms)and adjust. Susan Quinby-Honer
redhen@nc.rr.com
Starve the Landfill...Feed the Earth.
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Joe Tex
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A Juvenile Earthworm
Posts: 44
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 Re:Soldier Fly Larva ??? - 2006/05/07 11:39 Thanks redhen that makes a bunch of since. Thanks again. Are there any other type of infestation I can look forward to? Happy Farmin
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redhen
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A Protected Species Earthworm
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 Re:Soldier Fly Larva ??? - 2006/05/07 14:41 I don't know if "look forward to" is what I would call it..but..Mites, fruitflies, fungus gnats and drain flies come to mind. Susan Quinby-Honer
redhen@nc.rr.com
Starve the Landfill...Feed the Earth.
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UncleBubba
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A Juvenile Earthworm
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 Re:Soldier Fly Larva ??? - 2006/06/28 23:18 We have just found a large quantity of the larvae, looks like the black soldier fly in one of our bins. I see from other posts it shouldn't be a problem. My concern is I have moved my bins inside because of the heat in my garage. Will I have a house full of flys? My wife will kill me. Help, what can I do?
Freddie Deep in the "Heart of Dixie"
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redhen
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 Re:Soldier Fly Larva ??? - 2006/06/29 15:37 We have just found a large quantity of the larvae, looks like the black soldier fly in one of our bins. I see from other posts it shouldn't be a problem. My concern is I have moved my bins inside because of the heat in my garage. Will I have a house full of flys?
The soldier fly larvae will get about 1" long and dark gray. That is when they are ready to pupate. At that point they will leave the bin. They are very slow and just looking for a warm dry place to chenge into their adult form. As adults they look like a black/blue wasp. They are not very good at flying. They have no working mouth parts, as they only eat in their larval stage. They do not bite or sting and are NOT filth flies. They do nbot live very long once the are adults. They just look for rotting vegetation to lay their eggs and then they too become compost.
The appearance of the BSF is telling about the conditions of your bin. Usually it means too much food has been added and the worms are not keeping up. BSF can tolerate heat, acidic conditions and too much moisture better than the worms. They will all live well together but you and your spouse may not if they start leaving the bin.
You could take out the offending bin and put it in a very shady location and let the BSF finish off the food and do their cycle outdoors...Or..You can scoop out the BSF and feed them to wildbirds..Or..you could put them in you outdoor compost pile.
The thing you really must do is observe your bins and make sure that the worms are keeping up with the amount of food you are putting in.
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WormMainea
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A Protected Species Earthworm
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 Re:Soldier Fly Larva ??? - 2006/06/30 07:47 I woould add one minor comment to Redhen's words on observations and indicators.

That is a caution to those who move outdoor bins indoors. Indoor environments are more controlled than outdoors. The BSF eggs may have come in on a food ource, but another possibility is that the eggs were laid by an adult when you bin was in the garage. If black soldier flies got into your bin, ask yourself what else made it in. Think worst case...

Entropy rules, nature abhors a vacuum, and all those other biology 101 statements apply, especially to your outdoor bins. As worm farmers, we should not forget that nature, and not we, are in control.

To prevent creepy crawlies in the house, I've learned the HARD way to follow one simple rule: what is outside does not come inside.

Perhaps it's time to start a second bin for indoors. Leave that bin outside and harvest some of your worms (and only worms) from that bin for the new indoor bin.

Or, move the contents of that bin to an outdoor worm pit (lots of good pics and instructions in the forum archive) and harvest your worms to put them back in that bin once you've cleaned it. Wipe down with 10% bleach and let stand in the sun an hour to dry will do it. Start afresh with an indoor bin. WormMainea.com
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Boardwalk :: Forum List Six (6) New Worm Digest Forums 1) General Earthworm Discussion Forum

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