Funny creatures with tails in my worm farm

Rat tailed maggots

Rat tailed maggots

Hello I found these strange looking pupae in my worm bin a few days ago, at first I thought that they were rats droppings wonder if you could help me identify the creature responsible curious to now what they are .Many thanks M.Parton.

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Mar 16, 2018
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Re: funny creatures with tales in a worm bin
by: Stephan

Hello Mr. Parton,

these creatures look very much like rat tailed maggots which are usually the offspring of certain Hoverflies.

They usually like to live in stagnant water which is low in oxygen and high in organic content. I never had them in worm bins but found them occasionally in bins with lots of old and wet paper pulp.

If you found them in your worm bin it might indicate that there are oxygen depleted areas in it with lots of moisture.

So it might be a good idea to aerate it for a while and to reduce the moisture content.

Hope this helps.

Kind regards and please keep us posted.

Stephan Kloppert

Author of "How to start a profitable worm business on a shoestring budget"

Editor of www.worm-composting-help.com

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From a 25-year worm farmer
Turn your worms into a profitable business
How to Start a Profitable Worm Business on a Shoestring Budget by Stephan Kloppert
On Special
“How to Start a Profitable Worm Business on a Shoestring Budget”
by Stephan Kloppert
Paperback$12.99
Kindle$4.99
Order on Amazon Get Kindle Edition →
★ Special prices valid till 31.07.2026
Verified Amazon Customer Reviews
★★★★★
“Everything about building a worm farm is described step by step. Highly recommended!”
— Hubertus, Germany ✓ Verified Purchase
★★★★★
“Well written, informative and oftentimes humorous. A very cost efficient and simple business.”
— Adam J. McKee, United States ✓ Verified Purchase
★★★★★
“No crazy tricks — just straight forward, useable information.”
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