In article ,
Roger Tonkin wrote:

Having limited spaceI invested in a dalek in the autumn, which
I have been slowly filling over the winter and spring. Not
being in a hurry for compost, I'm happy to just let it get on
with it, although I shall be careful how much grass I add when
mowing starts in earnest.

Problem at the moment is that the bin is home to masses of tiny
flies, which fly out and land on me when I go to add anything.
The leaflet that came with the bin said "they are harmlees but
you don't want too many" and not to use pesticides!

So how do I reduce the pests?

Wait for summer, and get the swallows to help :-) More seriously,
just ignore them - as people say, a layer of something (including
wood shreddings, weeds etc.) will reduce them, as they breed on
things like kitchen waste. I have some on my traditional heaps, but
they are exposed to predators and so don't get quite as numerous.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.