After 9 months of trying to get a crappy bunch of baby worms up to
speed in a worm bin, I finally want to pull out some worm
compost/manure!

Well, those little reddish "eggs" that had always been laying atop the
dirt and under the lid started crawling on my hand when I tried to
dump it out !!!! (maybe 3 cu. ft. of heavy wet 'dirt'/manure/compost).

I 'guess' they are ticks...too small to get a good look but too hard
to squish between my fingers.

You think I can spray it with Neem Oil solution without killing the
worms? Will that kill the ticks?

Any other ideas?

Thx,
John in Houston

You might have soil mites:

http://www.fcps.k12.va.us/StratfordL.../soil_mite.htm

These things are great composters, breaking-down things that even
worms tend to leave alone.

Could be, could be...now how do I get rid of them? It is just creepy
to have them cover and crawl up the back of your hand when pulling out
some worms to go fishing!

John

"Pen" wrote in message
m...
You might have soil mites:


http://www.fcps.k12.va.us/StratfordL.../soil_mite.htm

These things are great composters, breaking-down things that even
worms tend to leave alone.

"John T. Jarrett" wrote in message
...
Could be, could be...now how do I get rid of them? It is just creepy
to have them cover and crawl up the back of your hand when pulling out
some worms to go fishing!


I wonder if attaching a flea and tick collar to the inside of the bin would
help?

If they are soil mites, I'd rather leave them alone. They keep the
compost in balance. Without their help, you might find your worms
bailing out of the bin when you add fresh manure. Use a trowel to
flip over the surface compost where these things likes to hang out.
Nab the worms underneath then wash your hands when you're done. I
agree, the little 'pops' from squished mites makes my hair stand, too.
Sorry I couldn't offer a better solution.

There have to be millions...I dumped the box yesterday and they are
everywhere all the way thru...and they don't squish :/ which is why I
thought they might be ticks. Those mite sites put them only a short
step from being ticks - if they are mites...

John

"Pen" wrote in message
om...
If they are soil mites, I'd rather leave them alone. They keep the
compost in balance. Without their help, you might find your worms
bailing out of the bin when you add fresh manure. Use a trowel to
flip over the surface compost where these things likes to hang out.
Nab the worms underneath then wash your hands when you're done. I
agree, the little 'pops' from squished mites makes my hair stand,
too.
Sorry I couldn't offer a better solution.

On Fri, 21 May 2004 02:34:39 GMT, "John T. Jarrett" wrote:

There have to be millions...I dumped the box yesterday and they are
everywhere all the way thru...and they don't squish :/ which is why I
thought they might be ticks. Those mite sites put them only a short
step from being ticks - if they are mites...

You want to see something really weird, let a larger bug fall in there with
those mites. They will swarm over it and cover it while it crawls along. Looks
like something from a horror movie.

There might be info he

http://www.happydranch.com/invertebrates.html

Also came across this:

http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2100.html

Ugh! shudder

wow...thanks!

John

"Pen" wrote in message
om...
There might be info he

http://www.happydranch.com/invertebrates.html

Also came across this:

http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2100.html

Ugh! shudder