the worms were fine after they thawed-
that must have been unsettling.
Is it possible even a small amount of milk or meat products got in there?

Yeah, I was a little disappointed that they appeared no worse for the wear of single-digit temperatures. I kinda hoped our New Hampshire winters would do me some good!

I am 99% certain that only tea leaves and coffee grounds made it in. My wife does use cream in her coffee, but she puts that in the mug, and to my knowledge it never comes in contact with the grounds.

Hi, Here is a website that might help you.

http://www.happydranch.com/12.html

I would expect that things living in your compost like to eat bacteria and fungi, not live plant material.

I agree with kimpa, they sound like pot worms which are very small and white and are sometimes found in vermicomposting bins as well. they won't harm your plants and are just feeding on the decaying material.

Thanks for the link, but these are significantly shorter than the pot worms. They also seem to have survived their daylong swim; it proved more a bath than a drowning even though they were not on the surface. Here is a photo of the little critters.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:269250}}

I'd put some screening over the bin - eg. nylon window screen - to prevent any flies that might hatch from escaping, which in turn would help with identification.

Have you tried posting on the vermicomposting forum?

Could they be fruit fly larvae? That link shows a picture (see column on right). Good idea about screen to see what they hatch into.

I have to wonder if the eggs for those maggots were already in the tea leaves.