There is truly an
abundance of living creatures that inhabit compost piles. They range from slugs, centipedes and beetles
to tiny microorganisms like fungi and bacteria; some can be seen but most cannot. Some of the giant inhabitants may be toads
and rats.
The insect
population of compost piles will include ants, beetles, cockroaches,
centipedes, earwigs, millipedes, sowbugs, springtails and termites as well as
flies laying their eggs. Some insects
like earwigs and sowbugs feed on the organic matter; springtails and some
beetles like fungi to eat, as do ants; termites, of course, eat wood, and
cockroaches like decaying wood.
Spiders and tiny
mites are eight legged creatures classified as arachnids rather than
insects. Spiders feed on other insects
while mites feed on many things including decomposing plant material, nematodes
and fly larvae.
Nematode on plant root
Some nematodes are
garden pests, infesting ornamentals and edibles. But many are helpful and thrive in compost
piles. They feed on decaying matter,
bacteria, protozoa, fungal spores and other nematodes. Earthworms are especially
beneficial. They help breakdown the
organic matter, make N-P-K (nitrogen-phosphorous-potassium) available to the
plants and help till the soil.
