Roaches in the Compost! I Don't Want Them to Come into the House
Question
January 2, 2025
Hello! I have successfully composted in four other states but am failing here in NM! I need help. Our full 96 gal bin is overrun with roaches. We are at wits end and want to offload the entire pile and start fresh, unless you have tips for us. I'd spread it out and use diatomaceous earth but I don't want them running to the house - our yard is small. Can you offer any tips? You are our last stop before we bag and take it to the dump, which I don't want to do.
Answer(s)
Answer by WR: Questions about roaches might be the number one question we get, so you are not alone in your concern! Yes, roaches are creepy but they are not harming your compost. They are actually beneficial in the decomposition process. We understand that you might not to want to put up with the creepiness. The information on the following page on our website might be helpful (scroll down to the section on "Roaches" near the end): https://www.nmcomposters.org/critters
You probably do not need to worry about them coming into your house. In case this story might reassure you a little, I'll tell you my cockroach story: I bought a small miniature greenhouse off of Craig's List. It had dirt and rocks in the bottom. I decided to dump the dirt and rocks out onto my patio and clean the greenhouse up a bit. To my horror, when I did this, hundreds (it seemed like thousands) of cockroaches streamed out of the dirt and rocks. This was right next to my house. I was sure I'd start seeing huge numbers of these inside my house. But to my surprise, the number of cockroaches in my house didn't increase. (Over the years, I've probably seen an average of one roach every couple of months in my house. This average didn't go up.) The roaches scattered everywhere but, evidently, didn't want to go into my house.
Please don't bag and take the unfinished compost to the dump. If you do decide to give up on the 96 gallon bin, do you have a garden or lawn where you can spread the unfinished compost? I'm pretty sure that as soon as you do so, the roaches will flee. Of, perhaps you can dig a trench and put the unfinished compost in that. Or use it to do sheet mulching (https://www.nmcomposters.org/sheet-mulching).
Some of the other people who will receive your email via our compost-question list might also respond. Please keep writing and talking with us until you feel comfortable with your situation. We don't want you to give up on composting in New Mexico! Best of luck and let us know how it is going.
Response from original questioner: Thank you so much! I'm sorry you had a rough go of it with your greenhouse but I'm glad the roaches went elsewhere. I appreciate all the ideas in here and I've signed up for a composting class on the 14th as well, to improve what I'm doing.
Response from WR: It's great to hear from you. I'm glad you will attend the class on the 14th. It sounds like you have a lot of experience composting but perhaps not in a high desert environment? So I think you'll learn some new things and I think you'll be able to discuss the roach issue as well.
Response from JZ: You might enjoy reading the composting in the desert brochure, prior to the class: https://www.nmcomposters.org/_files/ugd/9ed432_2efaef3fb0404de2b74b646940ed51ac.pdf
See you then.