slugs in compost

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peter
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robo wrote:Wormwood shrubs is a bit far for our worms to walk but they do have strangeways


They should be like my slugs and dart Moor. :oops:
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Pa Snip
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robo wrote:Wormwood shrubs is a bit far for our worms to walk but they do have strangeways



:lol:

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I went down the plot yesterday with a large bag of leaves collected for me by one of my daughter's, I have five compost bins mainly for chicken droppings one of the bins I thought was empty when removing the top I found it a third full with some type of manure it was old but very damp when I tried to turn it with a fork I found it full of maggots and I mean full, that gave me an idea for people who suffer with slugs and snails in their compost why not throw a hand full of maggots in it ,they will eat every thing and are easy to kill
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Pa Snip
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Hi robo

I am now wondering what attracted whatever laid the eggs that became the maggots. Dead rat or two perhaps?
Your description of how damp it was again leaves me wondering. I am intrigued, was the main contents perhaps badly rotted brassica stems or grass.
Sounds like whatever was in there was mainly green stuff with not a lot of soil or other matter added


As for introducing maggots to dispose of slugs and snails I think I would prefer the resultant large slugs or snails to have to deal with.
Maggots have a habit of producing flies

Just remembered my fishing days, used to keep maggots in a bait box and if I didn't add some bran or sawdust after a couple of days the whole lot became a slithering slimy mass from where they sweated.

Typing this at breakfast time, anybody been put off their morning bran :)

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Hi pa snip it was pure animal waste I think one of my mates down the plot must have put it in when we were away as I don't remember using that particular bin
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On the question of slugs in compost, can I once again raise the issue of worms in commercial compost.? I never used to notice them.

I was under the impression that commercial compost was produced as a result of heat treatment. Certainly that's how our council environment department produces it, heating down garden waste to a high temperature. How come then, that I'm finding so many worms in my bags of commercial compost these days? How do worm eggs survive that kind of heat or is there some way of them appearing post heat treatment? It's a mystery to me.
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Pa Snip
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Morning Primrose

Firstly may I offer my congratulations.
First person to post on the forums for 26 hours.

Now to your worms, well not your worms but the worms in the compost.
Are you talking about worms in bagged compost just purchased or have you had the bags a little while

If I dare mention my bulk deliveries of composted horse manure, there is certainly no worms in that when delivered and that is because of the process it goes through literally a day or two before delivery

Yesterday I opened 6 bags of J Arthurs multi purpose compost which has been laying unopened on the plot for about 6 months.
There were worms between the bags but none within them. The air vent holes on the bags were miniscule so I don't think worms could get in but I have opened freshly purchased bags before and found worms in.

They must take up residence post production and bagging so I assume it is down to where the item is stored post production and pre purchase.

Another of the gardeners mysteries in life

The danger when people start to believe their own publicity is that they often fall off their own ego.

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