Q: I like to compost but when I leave anything on the pile, roaches come to the feast. How do you control the varmints?

A: Despite the “ick” factor, roaches are a natural part of the composting process. They chew up particles too large for fungi and bacteria and make them more easily compostable. If you don’t want to accept the roaches’ help, cut one end off of several soup cans and place a plastic roach bait station (available at hardware stores) in each one. Put the cans on their sides near your compost pile. The roaches will discover the bait and their numbers will be controlled.