Maggots can sometimes appear in compost piles and actually can be beneficial in certain cases (and certain species are sometimes added to piles), as they break down organic material quickly. However, when they become numerous, it can be alarming. Often large populations can indicate that the pile is too wet or has too much kitchen waste.
There are several species of flies whose larvae may live in compost. A few of the more common is the black soldier fly (whose gray-white to dark brown, segmented larvae are about an inch long) and the common housefly (whose creamy white larvae are about 1/2 inch long). Houseflies are attracted to meat and dairy, and manure. Avoid adding fats or too much manure or grass clippings to the pile. Turn the pile frequently. When you add any food scraps to the pile, be sure to turn the pile immediately, as those materials should be buried in the pile, not on the surface. It sounds like you have been doing the right thing in mixing in more browns (shredded brown paper) to the pile when it becomes too wet, but perhaps try adding a little more to see if that might help. If there are air holes in the tumbler, cover the openings with fine mesh, so that the adult flies can not lay their eggs inside. Flies are attracted to warmer temperatures—is your compost tumbler in full sun? If you have a compost bucket for food scraps before they are added to the pile, keep it in a cool, dry place and add some browns to make the environment less inviting for flies.
Hi, Tony,
Maggots can sometimes appear in compost piles and actually can be beneficial in certain cases (and certain species are sometimes added to piles), as they break down organic material quickly. However, when they become numerous, it can be alarming. Often large populations can indicate that the pile is too wet or has too much kitchen waste.
There are several species of flies whose larvae may live in compost. A few of the more common is the black soldier fly (whose gray-white to dark brown, segmented larvae are about an inch long) and the common housefly (whose creamy white larvae are about 1/2 inch long). Houseflies are attracted to meat and dairy, and manure. Avoid adding fats or too much manure or grass clippings to the pile. Turn the pile frequently. When you add any food scraps to the pile, be sure to turn the pile immediately, as those materials should be buried in the pile, not on the surface. It sounds like you have been doing the right thing in mixing in more browns (shredded brown paper) to the pile when it becomes too wet, but perhaps try adding a little more to see if that might help. If there are air holes in the tumbler, cover the openings with fine mesh, so that the adult flies can not lay their eggs inside. Flies are attracted to warmer temperatures—is your compost tumbler in full sun? If you have a compost bucket for food scraps before they are added to the pile, keep it in a cool, dry place and add some browns to make the environment less inviting for flies.
Hope this helps!