Fruit Flies

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I am new to the wine making forum and have really enjoyed reading all the informative posts and now I have a question. I seem to have attracted numerous fruit flies around my primary fermentation vessels. Is there anything I can do to help eliminate these nasty pests? I am a very clean person and bugs really bother me so it is not that I am not being sanitary they just really want to get to my wine!

Thanks for any help!
 
Welcome cowgirlallison.....Hope you stay awhile.


I get the creeps when those fruit flies circle too. I keep the fermentaion vessel tightly covered with a peice of fabric held down with a string and rubber band....and...when I do open it make sure is is only briefly and keep an eye on it.....Soon you will transfer it to a carboy where it will be safely under an airlock.


This is the season for fruit flies around here too... I have been keeping all the fruit and tomtoes out of the house this year.


I have heard people set 'traps' with little bowls full of apple cider vinegar and dish soap...it never worked very well for me, but worth a try.


What wines do you have fermenting????
 
You can take a plasticsoda bottle and cut off the top were its starts to bottle neck up. wash it good. Put some juice or a banana peal in the bottom , than turn the top you cut off upside down then tape around the edge. The flys will fly inside and wont be able to get back out. well most of them. Allot will drown in the juice at the bottom.
<DIV id=ms__id14>Clean up every drop of juice or sager items in the area if not the whole house. Keeping an asolating fan on in the room helps deter them too. They don't like windy environments.
<DIV id=ms__id15>
<DIV id=ms__id16>I had a small problem with the Lil turds awhile back and got em taken care of pretty well doing what i explained above. The only time I see any around now is when I'm starting primary fermentation. They seem to come from far and wide to try get a sip. I also fill my airlock with a Heavy K-meta solution so the sulfer keeps them from trien to crawl in the airlock.
<DIV id=ms__id33>
<DIV id=ms__id34> On a side note , I only recomend the bottle trick to thin em out while you clean out your area. The object, obviously, is to not attract them so the bottle is a double edge sword.
<DIV id=ms__id35> Clean and sanatize you equipgood before using em. These beasts of mother nature carry the vinger culture right on there feet.Edited by: Aaronh
 
Muscadine and Plum right now. We have Pear in secondary as we speak. I am wanting to put on some peach soon. Thanks for the reply!
 
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well i get Redd of them the high tech method ,i use a shop vacuum,if your clean or not you still can get them,shop vacuum they never know what hit them,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
 
Just use the old Italian method. Hang a string of garlic around the primary fermenter. It will also keep vampires and werewolves from stealing your wine.
 
It works. I tried it for a week and guess what. No vampires. There weren't any elephants or giraffes either so I guess it works for them.
Come to think of it. I didn't see George in my cellar either.


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We've used the Northern Winos recipe and had moderate success. Better than no success. Give it a try!
 
saran wrap over a bowl w a little bit of wine in it......punch a few pencil tip holes in the saran wrap that you have placed snugly on the bowl....the critters get in and die off
 
I THINK SEEING THEM SUCKED OFF IN A WINK IS VERY COOL AND YOU THINK ITS EASY TRY WHEN THEIR ON THE FLY,THEIR QUICK,I TELL YOU,QUICK======================================





 
I got out the dust buster and was trying to suck them up out of the air...pretty comical running around with my dust buster in the air...will give all the suggestions a shot when I start my next batch if the little @#$%^& are still around! Thanks for all the ideas!
 
Running a fan in the room will drive them away. It doesnt need to run all the time, just when you have any containers open so they dont get in.
 
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I think the fan only blows them away because its to much air volume for them to over come ,i think!
 
Exactly, but it keeps them away from your wine when its exposed which is really what we are trying to do. Those traps actually attract them and there are millions so its a never ending battle.
 
Yup the flies are dedicated and always seem to pop up. The only way to eradicate emis to have a pressurized Bio room 300 feet below ground. That will be the 3rd thing I buy after I win the power ball.
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Im thinken of putting cheese cloth over my window screen next year and sealing my room up watertight.
<DIV id=ms__id300>
<DIV id=ms__id301>Scotty, either you are being sarcastic or go threw great simplyingenious ways to combat those flies. I don't think i could bring my self to hang garlic in my room because it would probably scare away everything except Italians
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Edited by: Aaronh
 
Dont knock it till you try it. It was invented by a pope who drank too much wine.
 
We haven't had many flies at all this summer....Then I froze sweet corn the other day.....When I took the cobs outside the side of the house was covered with house flies....What opertunists. Lucky none got indoors.

I am sure as soon as I mix up a batch of wine those fruit flies will arrive.
 
WELL THE CALIFORNIANS CAME IN AND I PICKED MINE UP AND YES NO MATTER WHAT THE FLIES CAME ALSO,SO I DID A DIRTY HARRY ON THEM AND I MADE THEIR DAY,THEY WEREN,T LUCKY,PULL OUT THE MAGNUM HALF HORSE POWER SHOP VACUME AND LEVELED THEM ALL,,,,,HOW EVER THIS MORNING I WENT DOWN TO CHECK OF FERMENTATION ANTHERE THEY WERE,,,,I,LL GIVE THEM A DAYS REST AND EVACUATE THEM AGAIN TOMMORO,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
 

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