Magpie
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 27, 2007
So, I was aware I had something of a problem when I dragged the compost out for pick up last night. There were maggots visible around the edge of the lid. Figuring there were just a few, I thought to myself, "Well, that's what you get when you put fish scraps in the compost." Our town recycles all organic matter, including meat, and it's not usually an issue except that it's been unusually warm this past week.
Didn't really think about it again, until I went out to pick up the now "empty" bins and realized that there were maggots on the road. And maggots in all my other bins, including the paper bin! They'd not only been multiplying, they'd been setting forth and colonizing new lands!
And when I peeked inside the compost bin... I swear there must have been millions in there.
So, everything had to be hauled to the back yard and rinsed out. It's going to rain, so I'm leaving the bins out there. Tomorrow, I'll spray everything with sanitizer and give it all a proper scrub.
I was also appalled to see the huge pile of maggots on the road in front of my house. Whatever will the neighbours think, I wondered? But as I went to get the hose (thinking maybe I could hose them into the grass or something)...
A robin landed. And another.
I went inside, and more birds came!
So, I'm going to leave the wee critters out there. At the rate the birds are gorging themselves, I think they'll all be gone momentarily.
And I feel like I did a good deed!
(Lesson learned: For the remainder of the summer, all meat scraps will be stored frozen, to be put out just before pick up.)
Didn't really think about it again, until I went out to pick up the now "empty" bins and realized that there were maggots on the road. And maggots in all my other bins, including the paper bin! They'd not only been multiplying, they'd been setting forth and colonizing new lands!
And when I peeked inside the compost bin... I swear there must have been millions in there.
So, everything had to be hauled to the back yard and rinsed out. It's going to rain, so I'm leaving the bins out there. Tomorrow, I'll spray everything with sanitizer and give it all a proper scrub.
I was also appalled to see the huge pile of maggots on the road in front of my house. Whatever will the neighbours think, I wondered? But as I went to get the hose (thinking maybe I could hose them into the grass or something)...
A robin landed. And another.
I went inside, and more birds came!
So, I'm going to leave the wee critters out there. At the rate the birds are gorging themselves, I think they'll all be gone momentarily.
And I feel like I did a good deed!
(Lesson learned: For the remainder of the summer, all meat scraps will be stored frozen, to be put out just before pick up.)
