Mass of worms found in compost--good or bad ones? - Ask Extension
I was distributing some compost and found a mass of whitish colored worms in a ball. They seemed to be hibernating. I covered them up carefully and we...
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Mass of worms found in compost--good or bad ones? #233279
Asked March 27, 2015, 5:32 PM EDT
I was distributing some compost and found a mass of whitish colored worms in a ball. They seemed to be hibernating. I covered them up carefully and went to go get a camera. When I came back most had dispersed. I am including a picture of some of them. I would say they are about an inch long, no legs and the mass was about a cup. To me they look like maggots. I am going to have my daughter come over and try and get as many as she can find for her chickens. What I want to know is what they might be and if they are harmful to my garden because I already used a lot of compost in my garden and might have spread some around. Thank you.
Deschutes County Oregon
Expert Response
From the photo, I'd say those are some kind of larvae rather than true worms per se.
The chicken solution sounds like a good one.
Without knowing just which larvae these are, there is some risk of (for example) root feeding or other damage to your garden plants. Assuming that you can find and pick out the remaining larvae, the compost is fine to use. They've been there eating, pooping, and enriching your compost.
Thanks for including the photo. That was enormously helpful.
The chicken solution sounds like a good one.
Without knowing just which larvae these are, there is some risk of (for example) root feeding or other damage to your garden plants. Assuming that you can find and pick out the remaining larvae, the compost is fine to use. They've been there eating, pooping, and enriching your compost.
Thanks for including the photo. That was enormously helpful.
