Hi all,

Has anyone else here whose made comfrey liquid ever found anything (animal)
growing in the liquid ???

This is a 40 gallon blue waterbutt, it was full of water and I stuck in
quick a lot of comfrey. Anyway after a few weeks I went to check on the
state of the fermentation! only to find that the top of the waterbutt has
two large, more than fist sized, clumps of what can only be described as
large wriggling maggots. These things are up to 1.5 inches long, about 5mm
in diameter, excuse units, and seem to have a very long thin tail coming out
of one end. A few are clinging to the lid of the water butt, but the vast
majority are in the two clumps and wriggling around.The lid is quite tight
fitting, no light gets in, but obviously smallish insects could.

Does anyone have any idea what these might be, are they good guys, don't
look it!, or are they baddies, and why oh why are they living in my comfrey
liquid, which I can't use until I've figured out what these things are.

Help, and many thanks
Duncan

p.s. Does anyone else remember the Dr Who episode with the giant maggots
???, okay now im scaring myself.

On Mon, 16 Jun 2003 09:22:09 +0100, "Druss" wrote:

These things are up to 1.5 inches long, about 5mm
in diameter, excuse units, and seem to have a very long thin tail coming out
of one end.

Tadpoles?

Bart

"Bart Bailey" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 16 Jun 2003 09:22:09 +0100, "Druss" wrote:

These things are up to 1.5 inches long, about 5mm
in diameter, excuse units, and seem to have a very long thin tail coming
out
of one end.

Rat-tailed maggots? They are the larva of a kind of hoverfly.

In article ,
(Pickle) wrote:

hoverfly.

Who are good guys

Steve Harris - Cheltenham - Real address steve AT netservs DOT com

"Bart Bailey" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 16 Jun 2003 09:22:09 +0100, "Druss" wrote:

These things are up to 1.5 inches long, about 5mm
in diameter, excuse units, and seem to have a very long thin tail coming
out
of one end.

Tadpoles?

Bart

I wish, though I'd also be very impressed with a frog/toad that could get in
one of these barrrels
Duncan

"Pickle" wrote in message
...

"Bart Bailey" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 16 Jun 2003 09:22:09 +0100, "Druss" wrote:

These things are up to 1.5 inches long, about 5mm
in diameter, excuse units, and seem to have a very long thin tail
coming
out
of one end.

Rat-tailed maggots? They are the larva of a kind of hoverfly.

They sound about right from descriptions on the web, though they cover a lot
of adult stages. I only hope they are all the aphid eating types of
hoverflies.
Duncan

On Tue, 17 Jun 2003 11:14:12 +0100, Druss wrote:

"Pickle" wrote in message
...

"Bart Bailey" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 16 Jun 2003 09:22:09 +0100, "Druss"
wrote:

These things are up to 1.5 inches long, about 5mm
in diameter, excuse units, and seem to have a very long thin tail
coming
out
of one end.

Rat-tailed maggots? They are the larva of a kind of hoverfly.

They sound about right from descriptions on the web, though they cover a
lot
of adult stages. I only hope they are all the aphid eating types of
hoverflies.

Isn't it only the larvae of hoverflies that feed on aphids? The adults
drink nectar, I thought. Like lacewings.
So.... rat-tailed maggots are useless for eating aphids. Hoverflies are
nice anyway.
Tim.

"Tim" wrote in message
newsprqwsxfw3wxhha1@localhost...
On Tue, 17 Jun 2003 11:14:12 +0100, Druss wrote:

"Pickle" wrote in message
...

"Bart Bailey" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 16 Jun 2003 09:22:09 +0100, "Druss"
wrote:

These things are up to 1.5 inches long, about 5mm
in diameter, excuse units, and seem to have a very long thin tail
coming
out
of one end.

Rat-tailed maggots? They are the larva of a kind of hoverfly.

They sound about right from descriptions on the web, though they cover a
lot
of adult stages. I only hope they are all the aphid eating types of
hoverflies.

Isn't it only the larvae of hoverflies that feed on aphids? The adults
drink nectar, I thought. Like lacewings.
So.... rat-tailed maggots are useless for eating aphids. Hoverflies are
nice anyway.
Tim.

This would seem to be true, they are not going to eat many aphids in teh
comfrey liquid, however they are apparently still good polinators.
One point though, having made no provision for them to be able to get out, I
found at least half of them dead the other day, fished the otehrs out and
set them free to squirm through the grass, i.e. I think I may have fed the
birds !!!, but one or two might survive it.

Duncan

On Fri, 20 Jun 2003 15:30:33 +0100, Druss wrote:

"Tim" wrote in message
newsprqwsxfw3wxhha1@localhost...
On Tue, 17 Jun 2003 11:14:12 +0100, Druss wrote:

"Pickle" wrote in message

Isn't it only the larvae of hoverflies that feed on aphids? The adults
drink nectar, I thought. Like lacewings.
So.... rat-tailed maggots are useless for eating aphids. Hoverflies are
nice anyway.
Tim.

This would seem to be true, they are not going to eat many aphids in teh
comfrey liquid, however they are apparently still good polinators.

Ah, why didn't I think of that? Maybe my mind is too highly trained.
(apologies to Douglas Adams)



One point though, having made no provision for them to be able to get
out, I
found at least half of them dead the other day, fished the otehrs out and
set them free to squirm through the grass, i.e. I think I may have fed
the
birds !!!, but one or two might survive it.

If a couple survived it's probabaly more than would have done if you'd've
left them in the butt.
Tim.