It was probably too high in Nitrogen and moisture. That urine smell is ammonia formed from the N. Your addition of paper should solve the problem. You want to keep your compost mixed and full of shredded paper. The compost should be three parts brown (shredded paper, junk mail) to one part green (kitchen scraps)... and it should only be moist, not wet. Keep mixing in dry shredded paper until you get rid of the smell. The compost doesn't need to be tossed, it just needs a bit of tweaking.

Hello, the Home Depot guy says that I indeed have seed corn maggots. He says that people have been in the store for weeks buying things to get rid of them and the plants in the ground are the most susceptible. The maggots have attacked my melons and watermelons so far. They have gotten to about half of them and hopefully that is it! All of my plants are grown from seed and are varieties that are not replaceable at any local nursery. So, I've been pulling the wilted plants and de-maggotting them... Don't ask...Lol. When I replanted them, they wilted right away again. So, I have brought them inside and stuck them into some DE and they are perky, but pale. They may be stunted beyond getting anything out of them, but I plan on trying to replant them again if they make it and regrow enough roots to support them in the soil. I am wondering if rooting compound might help them? Lorri D

Would it be possible to create an outdoor bin for the summer, using the 'wild' worms from the horse manure? That way you can increase your 'herd' and when cold weather nears, you can move them out of manure bedding into compost or paper or whatever bedding you use for the indoor 'herd', and get rid of the nasty critters. Re: the stick like creature. Is it a praying mantis? see link below. //// Or is it a Walking Stick bug? They are very bad news for gardens. Google on key words "Walking Stick bug pictures" http://www.mongabay.com/images/peru/tambopata/Tambopata_1026_3733.JPG Here is a link that might be useful: Praying Mantis pictures

I think different people find different results with their worms. Aside from the obvious...salt, chemicals, things of that line, I'd say pretty much anything goes. Some people don't feed their guys onions, (mine like them), citrus ....mine eat lemons and grapefruits. I feed mine rhubarb, and I wasn't sure because of the tartness, bitterness, but when the food breaks down, it's all the same, in my opinion. Even hot peppers are edible. Having said that, things in moderation is the key. Early on I fed some cooked rice mixed in with their food. The rice overheated, clumped and cooked most of my herd. I've never fed them rice since. When you're trying something new, just put a tiny amount mixed in with their regular goodies and see how they like it.