Like many things in life, it’s the unsung heroes that do the heavy lifting by performing the jobs that many would have no interest in doing. Believe it or not, insects do this in the composting process. The chemical decomposers like bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms play a critical role in the process, changing the chemistry of organic matter in the decomposition process. But insects do the dirty work, literally.

Sow bugs, Springtails, mites, and a variety of other macroorganisms work in the trenches eating, crunching, tearing, chewing, biting, and grinding organic matter into smaller bits. They do the physical work in the compost bin. And like in many other ecosystems, insects are both predator and prey. The feed on primary decomposers like bacteria and nematodes and are themselves food for larger tertiary decomposers such as centipedes, beetles, and ants.

There’s no doubt that microorganisms, specifically the aerobic decomposers, do the most important work but it’s the insects that help to break all that organic matter down into bite sized morsels for the bacteria to do its work.