Big Beetles In My Vermincompost...

[SundayAfternoon]

So, my little worm bin has some big, black, beasties living in it. They're large beetles, and they move fast! Burying into the vermicast quickly.

They're not a problem in my worm bin - but they are making their way into my container pots and this is causing havoc!

They seem to live in the bottom of the pots, where it's wettest, and I guess they are 'trapped' in there. They seem to cause the soil to aereate, and it drops out of the bottom of the pots. All this activitiey must be disturbing the roots of the plants, as they always seem to look 'sick'. I can tell instantly which pots will have a beetle in them.

It seems that there's only ONE beetle in each pot - maybe they're territorial or they kill each other. But it's a real pain to have to repot the plant, and have to kill the beastie.

Is there some way of drying out/cleaning the vermicompost before transfering it to my containers, so that I kill any beasties or their eggs/larve?

[loong]

Difficult to know what to suggest. I get beetles in my compost, but they fly off when they are adults.

Maybe you have a different type of beetle?

If your pots are not too big, you could put the whole pot in a bucket/bowl of slightly soapy water. This will either drive the bugs to the surface where you are able to dispose of them, drown them or the soap may kill them.

Larger pots, tilt and block the drain hole and fill to the top of the soil level with the soapy water.

Obviously drain and water well afterwards so that you don't have too much soap residue.