T i m writes
Hi All,

A while ago we started a compost heap and a couple of months ago I
made a compost bin by cutting bottom out of a cheap plastic dustbin
and transferred the (small) heap to it.

Then a 'gardener' mate suggested I put some holes in the side so
drilled (using a tank cutter) a few round the top.

Now when we open the lid we find the bin is filled with hundreds of
tiny flies of some sort?

They don't seem to do us any harm (apart from being slightly annoying
when they all fly out on mass) but I wondered if they were doing any
harm in there?

Also I'd say the bin does smell a bit and not a nice 'composty' smell.

So far it's only had (old) fresh household vegetable scraps, tea bags,
fruit, egg shells etc?

I have forked it about a few times but not done much about wetting it
etc (not sure if I should etc).

Should I expect to see worms in there by now .. my Mum's bin is full
of them! ;-)

It sounds like it's too dry.
Possibly too airy as well - if the stuff is too spread out in there,
it's difficult for it to stay moist. Things like cabbage stalks need
cutting up a bit before going in.

What I'd do next is water the whole lot, and then dump about 3 inches of
garden soil on top of it. That will cut down the smell as well as giving
another source of worms.
--
Kay