I've just got my compost bin going and although it's devoid of worms there are signs of life. I've got ants, fruit flies and some browny reddish creatures which are so tiny I can't tell what they are. They congregate usually around the lid. What are they and why do they gather around the lid rather than in the compost where they would surely be of more use?

What else might live in my bin and contribute to its wellbeing?

I often see tiny red worms around the lid. I just scoop them up and pop them back into the compost bin.

if your garden is anything like mine, woodlice rule. I believe they are helpful in breaking stuff down. They seem to be everywhere in my compost heap. What kind of soil have you got, and what kind of stuff in your bin?

Originally Posted by Reb Williams

if your garden is anything like mine, woodlice rule. I believe they are helpful in breaking stuff down. They seem to be everywhere in my compost heap. What kind of soil have you got, and what kind of stuff in your bin?

I have no woodlice yet; I expect that they will be along shortly. My soil is very poor, hardly any nutrients. Stuff in the bin is shredded cardboard and paper, grass cuttings and kitchen waste, peelings etc. I think the mix is about right; I'm just short of the critters.

Anyone know what these tiny little congregating bugs are? They are reddish brown and about the size of a pinhead.

Hi Joe,
Without seeing them i couldn't be sure, but they sound like red spider mite...not good. Try taking a photo of them, that way we'll have a better chance of identifying them for you, but with regard to not having any critters in your bin, my compost bin is on concrete and i have lots of worms in it, give it time and the good bugs will find it.

Hi Ginger Ninger

I haven't got a sophisticated camera but here are a couple of photos.

The light coloured clump is a group of hundreds with others a bit further out. I have had these bugs, whatever they are, in my bins at my old house too. I hadn't considered them to be a pest and I haven't seen them anywhere else apart from in the compost bin.

Any suggestions?

spider eggs?

Originally Posted by hamsterqueen

spider eggs?

Nah, they move!