possible contaminated Earthworm Castings

[DARC MIND]

i find a increase of mites in my bins when i either feed to much or its too humid in ther.
Mites/critters in compost and worm bins are pretty normal, its when ther population gets to big, then your doing something wrong. i personally dont care for a bin with more mites then worms but thats me, i aim for a worm bin not a mite bin
i find that if mites get too high in numbers, then its best to stop feeding and let the bin air out some and or add more news paper or bedding. IME mites prefer humid conditions, so i open my bin and let it sit under the sun for a few days. this allows the top 2-3 inches of casting/bedding/food to dry out some and thats were i find most mites to be, it doesnt kill them all but defiantly lowers ther numbers and the worm bin looks more like a worm bin.

i also recommend you cure or let you finish product sit for a few days before using. like MM mentioned your casting needs oxygen if you want the aerobic microbes to live. when properly cured, it cause the mites and other critters to die off, leaving ther carcasses to feed the beneficial soil microbes witch imo betters the end product of mostly just pure great casting.
ther are plenty of vermicompost guides that explain composting mites in high numbers is usually caused by the bin being to humid.
http://www.greencalgary.org/images/uploads/File/Vermicomposting.pdf
HTH

 

[mad librettist]

you know another way to look at the results people get is that the mites fix the mites.

They are one of the forces balancing a bin.

 

[Protocol11]

If it's the soil, best thing you can do is solarize your final mix, and then drench it with beneficial microbes and fungi. They'll colonize your mix before anything else has a chance.

Also, mixing things like garlic and cinnamin in small amounts can repel pests.Beneficial nematodes also work.

 

[mad librettist]

Beneficial microbes won't replace everything you lose from solarizing.

The mites, for instance. Then there are the microarthropoda.

Don't solarize unless you need to, like if a field has dodder.

 

[Tactical Farmer]

Got tons of strange crawlers in my compost from start till harvest doesn't seem to cause problems.

Must be busy fighting for dominance to have time to mess with the plant.

Fungi vs. Bacteria vs. Nematodes vs. worms vs. multiple crawlers, flys, etc.

Theres a war going on in there - lady bugs are king of the jungle in these parts, only thing they have to worry about is the light bulb. lol

 

[mad librettist]

Right on tac, well said.


Any questions? Stunned disbelief? This goes against everything your mother taught you about hygiene.

 

[Zealious]

lol mad. Its def a completely different way of thinking versus the keep it all sanitairy like a lab.

By solarize your talking about naturally pasteurizing via the suns rays right?

I just recycled some soil mix by removing as much stem and root ball as possible then adding about 10% new soil, nice heaping of ewc, good amount of biotome (paultry manure, kelp meal, bone meal, blood meal, and microlife) and a bit of lime...

its in a sterlite tub indoors.. should I keep it covered or un covered.? semi moist? how long do I let it cure before I use it?