Comments on Root Simple: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Grub

I'm impressed with how calmly others have hand...

2009-10-06T22:56:16.701-07:00

I'm impressed with how calmly others have handled their compost being invaded by BSFL. The first time it happened to me I literally shrieked, cried and ran around the yard for an hour in hysterics. I hate things writhing where there shouldn't be anything writhing.
I am generally a vermicomposting savant, but one day after many uneventful years of composting with worms, I got overly excited and overfed them. BSFL ensued- I was disgusted. I try to keep my compost in balance to avoid them, but since I have chickens, I guess I should let them breed so the chickens may have some crack.

The hell with BSFL! We want bees in a shop vac! Th...

2009-10-03T20:08:01.357-07:00

The hell with BSFL! We want bees in a shop vac! The People have spoken.

I had a bunch of BSF larvae move into my compost p...

2009-10-03T13:27:02.396-07:00

I had a bunch of BSF larvae move into my compost pile a couple of months ago - I had too much wet and "green" material, apparently. At first I was concerned, but a quick search of the internet revealed that the larvae do an amazing job of converting kitchen waste into compost. So, I let them do their jobs, and wow - do they work fast! The only problem I've seen is that the pile can get way too wet and stinky - but I've just been adding lots of dry leaves and shredded newspaper, which has solved the problem. And now, I've got tons of nice, black compost ready for the garden!

HE - I hadn't seen distinctions between green ...

2009-10-03T00:07:26.319-07:00

HE - I hadn't seen distinctions between green June bugs and Japanese beetles before looking them up thanks to your comment. Since I'd been told by an arborist that our plum had Japanese beetle damage I assumed all of our larvae were Japanese beetle, but based on how they've looked in the garden, they seem to be green June beetle...

Ohh Yah! Thats what Friday nights are all about!

2009-10-02T14:41:44.626-07:00

Ohh Yah! Thats what Friday nights are all about!

Hey Sue, Probably green june beetles--Scarabaeida...

2009-10-02T13:14:55.605-07:00

Hey Sue,

Probably green june beetles--Scarabaeidae Cotinis nitida. Like the soldier fly larvae they help break down compost and are beneficial insects, and yeah our hens like them too. Another bug for the folks at 1916 home to fry up! Mmmmmm.

My compost pile always has tons of those black fly...

2009-10-02T12:48:27.525-07:00

My compost pile always has tons of those black fly larva, but I also have lots of bigger, jucier grubs (whitish, get to be as big as my little finger, smaller ones curl up like roly polies) which I sift out of my compost when it goes in the garden and feed to the chickens (definitely chicken crack!!) I have never been able to figure out what these grubs mature into, though. Moths? Beetles? Way too big to be flies. They DO look like something you would be forced to cook and eat on Survivor.

On top of it all, they taste great too! Grill '...

2009-10-02T12:19:32.794-07:00

On top of it all, they taste great too! Grill 'em along with some veggies!

A few years back these buggers moved into my compo...

2009-10-02T12:13:26.503-07:00

A few years back these buggers moved into my composter, and at first I thought they were wasps, which is bad because I'm sensitive to their stings. But I too looked on the internet and discovered that they were benign so I left them to do their composting work. The larvae were getting a little out of control, so I started to give them to the chickens I had at the time. They would go absolutely bonkers, it was like chicken crack. As soon as they realized I was giving them their favorite wriggly treat a chicken riot would ensue. Tons of fun.

I don't have the chickens anymore and the flies aren't quite as prolific, but they're still hanging out in the composter.

I love my BSFL! I give the mature ones to the gal ...

2009-10-02T11:35:14.365-07:00

I love my BSFL! I give the mature ones to the gal who sells me eggs.

My bucket is one of the big Rubbermaid containers - hubby split open a piece of PVC to act as the exit ramp for the pupating-ready larvae to crawl out on. It's currently covered with a random piece of window screen we had lying around (provides plenty of opportunity for more eggs to be laid and baby larvae to fall in) weighted down with some old bed frame chunks hubby had lying in his metal scrap pile. I occasionally find a local varmint (we get cats, possums, and raccoons regularly) have disturbed it, but I think they're usually so startled by the cover beign there and nonrigid that they don't actually get to grubbing in the bucket. Yet. My BSFL showed up uninvited when I was still trying to get a worm bin going in said bucket. Instead of running screaming I hit the internet and found out what they were. I think I like them better than worms!

My biggest issue was it going septic (ew...stinky!) due to overload/high moisture content. Mixing in some coconut coir to help absorb the excess moisture has helped immensely with that. I'm also noting lately that my self-harvesting is way down - they're just finding plenty of dry spots in the bucket to pupate and not bothering to climb out...