Worm Bin & Ticks / Neem

[John T. Jarrett]

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

[Pen]

You might have soil mites:

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

[John T. Jarrett]

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

> These things are great composters, breaking-down things that even

[Vox Humana]

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

[Pen]

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.

[John T. Jarrett]

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

[The Watcher]

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.

[Pen]

There might be info here:

came across this:

[John T. Jarrett]

wow...thanks!

John