If your compost is cooking right it will cook insects.

Myra,

Like Kathy says If your compost is cooking right it will cook insects.

Here are some good sites with information all about composting.
TAMU

Composting

More Composting

I heard about this. So I did a search and found the linked article.

Here is a link that might be useful: cooked turkey in compost

Most insects are beneficial, not bad. It is, or it should be impossible to garden without insects. Insects are necessary for pollination and for helping to break down the organic matter you put into your compost. Yes, a properly heated compost pile will kill most of the insects that are a bother, but you definately don't want to kill everything. The color being sapped from your coleus sounds like more of a problem with too much sun or too much water, or even possibly not enough sun. I doubt if any insects were responsible.

Sally

Ants help break down the compost until you reach critical level - enough compost to cook. I've also found giant grubs (not all grubs are bad) in mine. I quit composting when my dog caught a rat and I thought it was a rabbit.

My secret? Chickens. They love grubs! I think turning it often,putting a dark tarp to heat it up and adding DE would eliminate most of the bugs. I'm too lazy myself. The chickens love grubs so I just hand em over.
Rats and mice! UG! Never had rats/mice in my whole life before!!! They were living under the sheds when I arrived. Most of my neighbors have them too. We're fairly near stores and restaurants. The compost drew them out and the dogs got rid of them. The thing I've noticed that attracts rats/mice isn't compost at all. Birdseed does. My neighbor across the street LOVES to attract and feed birds. She had a terrible rat problem despite trying to be very tidy. She finally gave in and got a dog. PJ

Just a little hint - D.E. in a compost pile will not be effective against insects because a compost pile is moist, and D.E. doesn't work when it's wet or moist. It has to be dry. If your compost pile is dry enough for d.e. to work, then it's probably too dry to do it's composting thing.

Sally

Oh well...thanks Sally! I read that somewhere. PJ