Vermicompost Troubleshooting

Vermicomposting is not an exact science, but it works! Here are some potential issues/concerns that people may have with their vermicomposting system:

Fruit Flies

One of the most common concerns is the presence of fruit flies. While they are not harmful to your bin, they can create a nuisance in your home. Fruit flies come into your house on the produce you purchase and are not a result of having a worm bin. There are things that you can do to minimize or even eliminate this problem:

• Always bury the fresh food under the bedding and worm castings (compost).
• Store your worm food in a closed container or freezer.
• Be sure to keep your counters clean and store fresh food in the fridge whenever possible. For fruits like bananas that do not go in the fridge, consider keeping them under a cake dome

If you do have a problem with fruit flies, there are a number of different methods that you can use to get rid of the little pests. The most common is to build a trap using a small amount of apple cider vinegar. You can cover the jar with a plastic wrap or a piece of a plastic bag and secure it in place with an elastic. Make a small hole in the top for the flies to enter into the jar.

Other Insects

Other insects and organisms can inhabit your bin including pot worms and mites. These should not be a problem unless their populations get out of control. If this is the case, remove as many pests as possible by wiping the bin or removing bedding materials. Add fresh bedding and finely ground egg shells (or other calcium carbonate source) and ensure all food is well buried. Monitor the bin for several weeks.

Odour

There are two main reasons why a vermicomposting bin will smell: there is too much food or it is too wet. Either way there are simple solutions to resolve these problems. If you find there is still a significant amount of food in the bin, hold off on adding more. Remember that adding food contributes to the moisture in the bin. If the bin is too wet, add more bedding material to dry it. This will also allow more oxygen into the bin and reduce the odours. Leave the lid off or ajar to help it dry out more quickly.

Acidity

If it appears that your worms are trying to escape, this may be a sign that the bin conditions are not ideal. One common problem is that your bin might be too acidic. To reduce the acidity, add finely ground egg shells (or another calcium carbonate source) and cut down on the amount of acidic food waste such as citrus peels, coffee grounds, tomatoes, etc. Note that it is normal for worms to crawl up the walls of the bin in order to bathe in the warm water that collects on the lid. Unless the worms are escaping through the holes, this behaviour probably does not indicate that your bin conditions are problematic.

Questions?

Give us a call: (204) 925-3777 Ext.110 
Drop us an email: compost@greenactioncentre.ca