white bugs and a slug in worm box

by Kathy
(Palo Alto, CA)

Hi Liz,

I have a very active worm composter in my basement. Lately, I've notice tiny, non-flying, very active white bugs that I think might be the mites described in the video, but those looked bigger. These are quite tiny and are running around all the time when I lift the lid to take a peek. Something else I just noticed was a fat slug! How in the world did that get into my bin?! I've only put vegetable and fruit peeling scraps. Please let me know if I should take it out. I was relieved to learn that the sow bugs are OK, and in fact, I see them by the dozens in my outdoor garden composting bin.

Thanks!



Answer from BigTex Worms

Hi there,


Yes, sounds just like white mites, mine look bigger in the video 'cause I zoomed in and magnified them. Mites are usually an indicator of overfeeding or overwatering as mentioned in the video. However, they do not harm the bin. You can remove them by trapping them in a watermelon rind and throwing it out, or just let them be.
I would remove the slug, I do not know if it is harmful, but I would just to be safe. And I am very curious myself to know how on earth it found your bin. Very weird.


Yes, sow bugs/rolly polies/pill bugs are quite good in a bin, they eat the coarse stuff.


Hope this helps,

Liz


Big Tex Worms