Hi, I have Midges breeding under the lid and above the wool blanket covering the worms and their feed. Every time I take the lid off the worm farm a cloud rushes up around my head. Not pleasant. How can I rid the worm farm of them, I suspect they came with the worms that I purchased locally. Kind regards Stu

Hi Stu, without a description of the midges it is difficult to definitely say what they are, but could be fruit flies or fungus gnats. I suspect they are fungus gnats which is a small dark coloured midge that lays eggs in organic matter, the emerging larvae feed on the damp organic matter, worm farms are the perfect place for them. Fungus gnats are a problem in potted plants in nurseries, when populations increase they start feeding on plant roots, but fungus gnats mostly feed on rotting organic matter. For plants, usually reducing watering and letting the mix dry out is the answer to getting rid of them or drenching the soil with a pyrethrum based spray. This isn’t possible with worm farms because the worms need a damp environment, try applying lime or Tui Compost and Worm Farm Conditioner to the worm farm to speed up the decomposition of the organic matter. The presence of fungus gnats can also be an indication that the worm farm working tray needs emptying – when it becomes ¾ full it is time to change working trays. To do this, stop placing food in the working tray that contains the worms, place bedding in the second working tray. The bedding could be compost, coir, damp shredded newspaper, damp cardboard or garden soil. Place the tray on top or underneath the existing tray and start placing the food in the newly prepared working tray. The worms will migrate to the working tray, you can then empty the castings in the other tray once the worms vacate. Lianne.