If you’ve lifted the lid on your wormery or in-soil composter and discovered that the worms have acquired some six-legged housemates, don’t panic.
A few ants aren’t usually a problem. They’re part of the garden ecosystem and generally won’t cause serious harm to a healthy population of composting worms.
However, you probably don’t want an entire ant colony moving in.
Will ants eat worms or worm eggs?
They can.
Ants are opportunistic feeders, and some species may eat worm cocoons (what we tend to call worm eggs), very young worms, or worms that are weak or injured.
That doesn’t mean that spotting a few ants is cause for alarm. A healthy, established worm population should cope perfectly well. But if there are LOTS of ants, it’s worth doing something about them.
Ants can actually tell you something useful
The interesting thing is that ants and composting worms have rather different ideas about the perfect home.
Ants generally like things relatively dry. Composting worms prefer things damp.
So if ants have decided that your wormery is prime real estate, it can be a useful indication that the contents have become a little too dry.
What should you do?
First, check the moisture.
The contents of a wormery should be damp rather than soaking wet – think along the lines of a wrung-out sponge.
If it feels dry:
-
Add a little water
-
Add plenty of damp torn-up cardboard or paper
-
Continue adding suitable kitchen scraps
-
Gently disturb any obvious ant nests or concentrations of ants
Ants don't particularly appreciate having their home repeatedly rearranged, and improving the moisture levels makes the wormery a much better environment for your worms and a rather less desirable one for the ants.
Don't reach for the ant killer
There's really no need – and you certainly don't want pesticides anywhere near your wormery.
Instead, change the conditions.
That's often the answer with worm composting. Rather than trying to kill whatever has appeared, work out why it's there and adjust the environment.
Keep things nicely moist, keep feeding your worms and disturb any ant nests you find.
Your worms should be happier – and with any luck, the ants will decide there are better places to live.
Happy worm composting! 🪱
