Vermicomposting Question (with two responses)

This question was posed to the master composter listserve and had two great responses:

I've been vermicomposting for about a month now and I notice that I have lots of gnats buzzing around my garden and house. I really don't want them around for obvious reasons. What am I doing wrong to produce so many gnats (or are they fruit flies?)?

I would guess you probably added too much food at once and/or didn't bury it enough in the bedding. Whenever I restart a worm bin after splitting, I'm judicious in adding food at first until the worm population has a chance to stabilize and start increasing again. Also, if you don't get enough bedding over what food you do give them, the fruit flies will find it before the worms have a chance to get at it in a big way. That's for fruit flies mostly. If what you're seeing is something else, the bedding may be too wet allowing other types of fly larvae to get a toe hold.

So, I'd suggest trying to work in a little more fairly dry bedding at least near the surface. While you're digging around, see if you can see how much food they've eaten so far and cut back if there is still lots that doesn't seem to have worm activity around it.

Here is the second response:

Fungus gnats, whether in vermicompost or houseplant soil, are usually associated with inhospitable conditions--usually overly wet, compacted soils or bedding, and/or lack of turning of bedding. They can also bew introduced in worm systems with an overabundance of rotting fruit--especially bananas that are left out on the counter. The adult gnats lay eggs inside the fruit & larvae thrive in the wet conditions of the box. Several things are sometimes helpful.

1. Make sure all fruit that is utilized is kept in sealed bags or in the fridge-not out on the counter. Limit quantities of fruit used & make sure everything is buried and that bedding has several sheets of moistened newspaper on top.
2. Use a hand vacuum to literally vacuum up the gnats.
3. Use a modified 'Berlese funnel' inside the box. Set up a jar with funnel, equipped with coffee filter that has a small hole snipped in the bottom of it. Pour a small amount of beer in the bottom of jar. Gnats are attracted to fermenting liquid, fly through the hole & drown or at least are unable to escape.
4. Hang a strip of yellow 'tangletrap' tape, or paint a strip or square of cardboard w/yellow fluorescent paint that you additionally spread with the sticky tangletrap compound (available at garden centers). Hang the strip under the top lid of the box. Fungus gnats are attracted to the color yellow & get trapped. Replace the strip when it is covered w/gnats