"beecrofter" wrote in message
ups.com...
On Jul 14, 2:41 am, Max Krippler wrote:
H E L P ! ! !
When I opened the hatch on my above-ground compost tumbler the entire
bottom of the thing was squirming and writhing with what I first took
to be worms. But on closer inspection I believe that these are mostly
some kind of an insect larvae-- possibly cockroaches-- and there are
thousands of them. I really don't want the composter to become the
breeding ground for a pest infestation. Is there anything I can do to
kill the buggars without ruining the compost?

I've used mostly vegetable scraps, rotten fruit and coffee grounds in
this batch...

The composter is in the shade all of the time. Do you think that
placing it in the sun (It is made of black polypropylene) would cook
them?

Thank you,
--Max

On second thought can you get some fress grass clippings to mix in and
bring the temperature up? No larvae will survive 150+ degrees a hot
compost would make, I am imagining a slimy mess that is too moist
tight now,


This compost pile sounds nauseating. :-)

For the OP: For obvious reasons, do not scrape the dinner plates into
whatever you use to transport scraps to the composter. No meat juices, no
gravy, no butter, no egg residue, no egg shells (and I don't care what
anybody tells you about this). Just vegetable stuff which has not come into
contact with any of the aforementioned stuff. Besides maggots, the scent of
these things can attract raccoons. They'll even go for banana peels, but why
make it more interesting?