Darlac composting bag

Hi, me again,

I recently bought one of the above composting bags (100L capacity) and wondered if anyone else uses these. Me and the hubz have noticed however, that as soon as we open the lid to put more household veggie/grass matter inside, so many tiny flies fly out. Is this normal? If not, how can we get rid of them?

Also, with the household veggie waste - is there any chance of larger flies laying eggs and maggots growing?

Should we place it somewhere sunny?

Never had much success with composting before despite many years a gardener, so all advice given will be much appreciated.

Many thanks.

 

A sunny spot will probably speed things up because it will warm things up. However, keeping the compost damp is crucial and it is perfectly possible to make compost in a shady place.

I have the tiny flies also, they go away in the winter.

I have never seen maggots in a compost heap. They are bluebottle larvae (I think) and their choice of laying venue would be meat, so unless you are putting meat scraps on your heap (not recommended) you shouldn't have a problem.

 

Thats really helpful to know. And no, I don't put any meat on the compost.