[Dan78]

I was putting the usual kitchen waste into the dalek just now and when i opened the lid there appear to be quite a lot of ants in there 

Its mainly kitchen waste and toilet rolls, kitchen rolls and the odd bit of newspaper etc.. they seem to be loving it in there! 

Now... question 1 should I be worried ? Its not going to spoil the compost is it ?

Question 2 How do i get rid of them and also stop more from coming back ? Ill be putting some ant powder round it but a little worried with my 2 and a half year old running around in the garden :s

[azubah]

I had ants in one of my compost heaps last year. They helped to make the best compost that I have ever had. The only draw-back is when you come to empty the heap. If you do it too early in the year they will run about everywhere.

[Dan78]

haha really ? cool! I shall not be too worried then!

More worried that ive been adding stuff for over 2 years and when i open the lid at the bottom i can still see bits of tea bag and stuff that isnt rotted! :S

Shall i stop adding to it and give it a turn over with a fork ? Should I have put it in the sun rather than in complete shade ?

Can I just empty the whole thing and take to my allotment compost heap ? 

sorry for all the questions!

[SarahB]

Mine's in complete shade and I think it was a mistake - stuff isn't rotting down quickly, though there seems to be some good stuff at the bottom.  It can get too dry in the composter, so you can try watering it every now and then.  But I think turning the compost is probably the key.  I'm going to do that with mine, add some activator, and see how it goes.

If it's any consolation, Joy Larkcom reckons you can dig semi-rotted composted directly into the beds, and it provides more food for worms than the completely rotted stuff.  I should imagine you wouldn't be able to plant into that bed immediately though, unless the compost was a way down...

[Rangerkris]

Dan i have a couple of compost bin's and every now and again i put an unused one a few feet away remove the first and fork it all into the second one i find it help with the process of getting it all broken down.

[FERDY]

Mine's in complete shade and I think it was a mistake - stuff isn't rotting down quickly, though there seems to be some good stuff at the bottom.  It can get too dry in the composter, so you can try watering it every now and then.  But I think turning the compost is probably the key.  I'm going to do that with mine, add some activator, and see how it goes.

If it's any consolation, Joy Larkcom reckons you can dig semi-rotted composted directly into the beds, and it provides more food for worms than the completely rotted stuff.  I should imagine you wouldn't be able to plant into that bed immediately though, unless the compost was a way down...

I often Pee on mine which speeds things up, I do not buy activator as pee is free (needs to be male though, I've read) and quite oftenput the half rotted stuff goes on the rhubarb which works quite well.

[fallen angel]

Will girl wee do compost harm then as I was hoping to have a bucket in a shed for the kids (2 girls 1 boy) and possibly me if I can't hold it till I get home lol with the intention of throwing it on the compost bin. Now I am worried I will need 2 buckets 1 girl and 1 boy and if so what do I do with the contents of the girl bucket lol.

Nicky.

[sclarke624]

Quick call in Dr Who, he always defeats the daleks.  On the other hand if the ants are attacking the dalek maybe he is the cause. 

[HugglescoteGrower]

I have varying levels of sucess with the "Dalek" type compost bin in the garden.

As previously mentioned, male wee is supposed to be the best thing to get it going, something about the enzymes, but keeping it in a sunny spot should help, as the warmer the heap the quicker it will rot.

Just one tip. Get one of those travel type unrinals and wee in private, my neighbours seem to object to me stanmding on a chair and delivering "on draught" so to speak. 

[aelf]

ants are a sign that the bin is too dry. Chuck a bucket of water in every so often, that should stop the ants and encourage more worms which will help break the compost down quicker.

[Dan78]

Thank you all for your advice.. I shall be watering the compost in 2 different ways tomorrow hahaha!

Huggles that really made me laugh

[Siouxfly]

Are you guys serious about male pee in the compost bin?
I've got 3 boys should I now be asking them to collect some pee as I have an almost full bin that needs turning, should I turn it, then soak it with some pee or what?
Yuk and all for a few veggies too!
 

[aelf]

a little pee is good, too much is probably not a good idea 

[SarahB]

I often Pee on mine which speeds things up, I do not buy activator as pee is free (needs to be male though, I've read) and quite often put the half rotted stuff goes on the rhubarb which works quite well.

When I said "activator" I was being polite!    And yes, I'd heard the bit about it being male pee only, though no-one seems to know why.  Given the nitrogen content, I reckon any pee's better than no pee for getting it going, though I may now have to do a field trial!

[woodburner]

I know it's male pee for discouraging foxes, but I don't see why it would make any difference on a compost heap, except for the relative difficulty of application.