Claire asked 7 years ago
Hi Brian,
we have an infestation of maggots in our worm farm: they are big (10-15mm) white ones. I have tried to scoop them out; but they are deep down in the first layer. There are hundreds, too many to scoop. Can you recommend something to get rid of them, or should we start again?
the only suggestion I can find is to soak bread in milk and lay it on the surface, but I think it was for bugs, not maggots.
thanks heaps
wormadmin Staff answered 7 years ago
Hi Claire,
They are most likely black soldier fly larvae like this:
https://thewormman.com.au/wp-content/uploads/photo-gallery/bugs%20210316/Black%20Soldier%20Fly%20Larvae%203%20Quoc-Huy%20Nguyen%20Dinh%20wm.jpg
It may be due to overfeeding, and or under bedding.
What you can try, other than hand removal, is removing any food thats in the bin if you can, adding extra bedding if theres too little (cardboard is better, but some newspaper is good, and some old dry leaves or a little well aged grass).
Otherwise, if it’s not too much trouble, you could dump the lot out on a bench and get rid of the ones you can see and or harvest the worms out and start the bin up again.
If you havent got it, I have a free FAQ guide on the left side of the website you can download that may help you setup and operate your bin.
Thanks for asking your question – and good luck !
Regards
Brian