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This level is made up of carnivores, or physical
decomposers, and include centipedes, predatory mites, rove beetles, ants,
spiders, pseudoscorpions, and
earwigs.
Most of these creatures function best at medium or
mesophilic
temperatures, so they will not be in the pile at all times.
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Centipedes are flattened, segmented worms with 15 or more pairs of legs--one
pair per segment. They hatch from eggs laid during the warm months and
gradually grow to their adult size. Centipedes are third-level consumers,
feeding only on living animals, especially insects and spiders. |
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Mites are related to ticks, spiders, and horseshoe crabs because they have
in common six leg-like, jointed appendages. Some mites are small enough to be
invisible to the naked eye, while some tropical species are up to a
half-inch in length. Mites reproduce very rapidly, moving through larval,
nymph, adult, and dormant stages. They attack plant matter, but some are also
second-level consumers, ingesting nematodes, fly larvae, other mites, and
springtails. |
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Rove Beetles are the most common beetles in compost. While feather-winged beetles feed on fungal spores,
the larger rove beetles prey on other insects. Beetles are easily visible
insects with two pairs of wings, the more forward-placed of these
serving as a cover or shield for the folded and thinner back-set ones
that are used for flying. These beetles prey on snails, insects, and
other small animals.
The black rove beetle is an acknowledged predator of snails and slugs. Some
people import them to their gardens when slugs become a garden problem. |
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Ants feed on a variety of material, including aphid honeydew, fungi, seeds,
sweets, scraps, other insects, and sometimes other ants. Compost provides
some of these foods, and it also provides shelter for nests and hills. They
will remain only while the pile is relatively cool. Ants prey on
first-level consumers, and may benefit the composting process by bringing
fungi and other organisms into their nests. The work of ants can make
compost richer in phosphorus and potassium by moving minerals from one place
to another. |
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Spiders feed on insects and other small invertebrates. |
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Pseudoscorpions are predators which seize victims
with their visible front claws, then inject poison from glands located at
the tips of the claws. But don't panic! Pseudoscorpians are so small, their
prey include tiny nematode worms, mites, larvae,
and small earthworms. |
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Earwigs are large predators, easily seen with the naked
eye. They move about quickly. Some are predators, others feed chiefly
on decayed vegetation. |
Compost Critters Home
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