Where do these damn fruit flies come from??

[Still Life]

And don't say from mommy & daddy fruit flies.

Latest mash of Honey Bear Bourbon must've attracted every fruit fly in the county.
I've seen small swarms before, but this was a large herd this time 'round.
How do they know?
And I've never seen a fruit fly outside of distilling.

[hellbilly007]

Fruit flys are alcoholic lil bastards. They're coming for a free buzz. In the meantime, they're turning ferments into vinegar as they carry acetobacter. Best to keep em out of your ferments.

Sorry I didn't give a more scientific explanation

[der wo]

You wouldn't have them, if your ugly spirits wouldn't have so much foreshots.
Just kidding...
But it's true, they love foreshots more than hearts. You could try to place a glass with fores benath your still, perhaps this keeps them away from your hearts container. Or try vinegar instead of fores.

Edit: And solve a bit soap in it.

[still_stirrin]

'Tis the season (already).

If you don't take the garbage out to the bin in a timely manner, the fruit flies will flourish around the waste cans too. And their reproduction cycle is so fast, they'll multiply almost daily. Food scraps, especially fruit waste, is a prime attractant.

Annoying little rascals. And the love "heads". Acetylaldehyde has a "green apple" smell and those insects can smell that long before you can.

Good luck with the critters. The good news....they don't drink much...and they're lousy swimmers!
ss

[Bushman]

I have seen fancy parrots with a screen over them to prevent fruit flies from entering the collection. Also have used der wo's method of setting some fores to the side. He is right about the fores as when I have my jars covered and resting the top of the first jars collected always have more of those little bastards hanging around.

[Truckinbutch]

I hang sticky strips in the still house that catch them and the dog pecker gnats . I also put a funnel in the top of a Clorox jug and pour foreshots in . They crawl in and can't get out . A little duct tape securing the funnel to the jug doesn't hurt .

[just sayin]

Seal a small funnel to the rim of a jar ( small end down ). Bait the "trap" with beer, vinegar or heads/foreshots or any combination add a drop of soap to break surface tension. Keep several traps in your fermenting room and you thin the little SOBs out. Can reduce clouds to a few stragglers.

[shadylane]

And don't say from mommy & daddy fruit flies.

Ok, daddies and mommies are where the fruit flies come from.
We supply the environment for the flies to procreate.
If your drunk enough
It might Kinda make you feel like God

[Still Life]

Good tips. Well heeded advice.

[Kareltje]

Generatio spontanea, of course.
Just like mice grow in sacs of grain or sheep on a fence.

[Still Life]

Seems just a plain jar of fores has done the trick. The thick swarm is now contained in the small acetone swimming pool.
Death by mass suicide it would appear. I feel like Jim Jones.

[Edit: Thanks, Der Wo]

[Truckinbutch]

You should'nt . Your cause is just .

[Pikey]

Brilliant thread and thanks to der wo for the solution. As an old winemaker, I'm very concerned about the little sods, although they're less of a bother to this brancj of teh hobby I know - force of habit I guess.

Thanks again - I'll put a jar out as soon as !

[freefall]

I had a bad infestation from ripening peppers in the window....That was nothing compared to what I have now with ferments and stilling in the house. They are everywhere. at least they have calmed down since I am not running anything. But they like sourdough bread too.

[HDNB]

don't know where they come from but Pyrethrum makes them go away.

[goose eye]

A long while back one nite the ole boys run a charge took it down an juged it up.
Anyways as the story goes the ole boys was getin it gone an a good ole boys said hey, what's that in the bottom. Well the ole boy didn't miss a beat an said good mezcal got a worm this type has a fly, but dont eat it.

So I'm tole

[Danespirit]

+1 Goose...ha,ha..that's a good one.

You wouldn't have them, if your ugly spirits wouldn't have so much foreshots.
Just kidding...
But it's true, they love foreshots more than hearts. You could try to place a glass with fores benath your still, perhaps this keeps them away from your hearts container. Or try vinegar instead of fores.

Edit: And solve a bit soap in it.

Yep, these winged bastards, love foreshots.
I'm living in a clean and tidy home, regardless these creatures find their way in.
Found out they seem to put their eggs into the topsoil of my plants.

I keep a jar of foreshots around, mixed with a little sugar.
There is a hole in the metal lid, so they can crawl down, but they can't manage to get out again.
The mixture works for hornets ,too...

[Truckinbutch]

The mixture works for hornets ,too...
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Try not to molest them hornets . They eat flies

[Danespirit]

Didn't know that Butch..
Maybe I should make the hole in the lid a little smaller.

[Truckinbutch]

Didn't know that Butch..
Maybe I should make the hole in the lid a little smaller.

Nawp . Just don't molest their paper nests . They get in your still house ; they deserve what they get . Shouldna been there to begin with .

[Kareltje]

Hornets look very dangerous like extra large wasps, but in fact they eat all kinds of insects, including wasp and bees.

But I wonder if they think fruit flies are worth the trouble of hunting them?

[Still Life]

I now think these things are outta control.
Got sticky fly strips hanging in the ferment area and they're filling up fast.
Spraying the others with atomized isopropyl. Kills 'em dead. No residue.
Fores, heads, tails jars collecting, too.

This is becoming a zombie apocalypse.
Send help. Don't know how much longe...<transmission lost>

[Kareltje]

Let us take two minutes of silence in memory of Still Life, who now sadly is Still Dead.
He died while doing what he liked to do most: still.

[freefall]

lol...The apocolypse is here as well

[The Baker]

lol...The apocolypse is here as well

And so is the solstice; winter solstice here.

And ancient rites, involving virgins; there is a frantic search going on to find one in time...

Geoff

[RedwoodHillBilly]

And ancient rites, involving virgins; there is a frantic search going on to find one in time...
Geoff

Good luck with that

[Single Malt Yinzer]

I currently have a single fruit fly embalming in low wines I ran last night. Unlike some of my other odd experiments this was not done on purpose. I hope it improves the flavor. I had a bunch of them hanging about the fermentor and they migrated over to the still as I was running it. Little jerks.

Maybe we can start a thing - a fruit fly is to whiskey as a worm is to tequila?

[Kareltje]

Today I saw a remedy against fruit flies.
Take 2 cups of milk, 100 gr sugar and 50 gr ground pepper. Let it simmer and cool. The flies are attracted by it and then drown in it.
Some herb they do not like is rue (Ruta graveolens), so you place that in the window and around your still.
Did not test it, so I am not sure it will work, but it is worth a try.