How can I identify what this substance is? My worms destroy all the oatmeal I put on top and I am starting to think that the moldy stuff is not moldy oatmeal but those mite eggs that I read about. My worms love the oatmeal mix so much; they leave no time for mold to develop. How can I identify this moldy substance? Do I need a microscope, or is there another way?

Thanks

I'm with steamyb on burying. Depending on how large a surface area your bin has I think that burying in a corner would allow your worms to escape from any excess heat.

Do you only feed this oatmeal mix? I don't blend food because of the extra water you need to add in order to blend it up but a lot of people do. Maybe try blending it up dry and sprinkling it on top if your bin is too wet.

In the end they are part of the decomposition process. In my bin they tend to get to the fruit and vegetable scraps that I put on the surface before the worms do but they get the decomp process going and my worms finish it off. They also appear first on the dry shredded cardboard I put on top of everything as it starts to absorb moisture. After the mites start to go to work on the wet parts the worms start to move in. I think I've read that the mite's feces also add to the microbes working on compost as well.

Not scientific analysis, just my observation of what I believe to be happening. As steamyb says, keep it simple. Figure out what are good conditions, what are bad conditions and try to keep within that range but remember there is a wide margin for error. These critters all do well left alone in nature.

I'm left the cover off so it could dry out a bit. I had it at what I thought the perfect moisture level - damp but not enough to leak out of the bottom. The bottom of the bin did seem a little MOOSHY. I have a tote and a couple of flower pots in it (to boost the population with close quarters) don't know what's going on. . . the end of our Hawaii summer was HOT and HUMID.

Weird - but I guess it isn't as gross as dots all over the lid.

I'm gonna look at them again!

The only recent changes are I cut back on eggshells (so I boiled a dozen for deviled egg sandwich sack lunches) and haven't added cornmeal in a long time. Poor wormies. . . they are still there - but my blues look skinnier than usual. Hope the mites aren't sucking them dry.

When I want to use the worm castings in my garden, there are still mites in them. What do I do about them before (when) I want to use them to fertilize the veggies I'm growing? I don't want to just cook the castings, or use soap or anything to kill the mites, although I suppose I could, but neither do I wish to move mites into the garden, per se, at least not without more information on what the bugs are actually doing.

Do they harm plants in the garden? Still go on working? or do they get eaten by beneficial insects? Anyone know?

thanks in advance,
Gina

The mites in your worm bin eat decaying organic matter; They are not interested in your living plants. When you spread the compost they will either continue breaking down decaying organic matter in your soil or they will die.

If the mites bug you still you can let your finished vermicompost sit out to dry a bit before use. As it dries most of the mites will leave and it is not as messy to apply. I use one of those plastic 4 lbs strawberry containers since it has vents in the top and bottom, but any vented container or sack will work. I place mine in the shade and give it a stir once a week or so and use as needed on my houseplants and veggies.

Thanks for the information. I have no idea how to search on google for this information...what are the mites' name, does anyone know? Worm mites just doesn't seem to hack it...if you know what I mean!
Gina

Bentley has a great blog on his site redwormcomposting.com. He covers lots of random questions that come up. He did a basic write up on mites in worm bins a while back that I found helpful.

Hope it helps,