Keeping the Pests out of your Compost Bin
Have the local rodents found your compost bin? Here are a collection of tips that will help keep those mice and rats out of your compost. First of all, keep the compost bin in the open, away from walls, ditches, and any other areas that hide rodents. Then…
1 Items to avoid putting into your compost include: bread and baked items, cooked and processed foods, meat or fish waste, dairy products, bones, oils, fatty foods, and pet manures.
2 Keep the pile moist; like a dish sponge after its been wrung out, with a good balance between green and brown materials. Add water if the heap becomes too dry.
3 Visit the compost frequently to scare off rodent.
4 A hot compost method is more likely to deter rodents than a cold compost method.
5 Bury food waste deeply, keep a scoop next to the bin and add a layer of leaves, soil, or finished compost over the food scraps.
6 Locating the compost near tree branches encourage local birds of prey to visit the compost heap.
7 Keep a lid on the compost heap and mesh under the compost to prevent rodents from getting in, yet letting worms in and water out.
8 Remove the completed compost every three to six months; doing so can remove potential nesting temptations from the rodents. pests pests pests
