Compost piles are buggy with mites, springtails, beetles, larvae and other creepy-crawlies. Don't reach for insecticide as they are your composting crew. Bugs shred decaying plants and eat fungi and bacteria. Once finished compost is spread in the garden, the bugs join the garden ecosystem and are harmless or beneficial. Healthy soil contains hundreds of thousands of bugs per square meter. One precaution: locate your compost pile away from the house. An occasional bug wanderer may come indoors, looking for moisture. Your bug infested compost is doing exactly what it's supposed to do.
Growing Home: Bugs in Compost? Good or Bad?
