maggots in airlock

[sudsy]

Ok, i went to check the fermentation of my sugar wash this morning to be confronted with maggot larvae around the top of the airlock in one clump, i thought, "I've sanitized, i've keep pretty safe precautions, my house is clean, but summer in Perth is nearing and the fly's are coming back out, i had to look twice at this little white clump and thought it couldn't be larvae so i took it off and looked in brighter light, and yes their were hundreds of immature eggs, so i took out the airlock and steeped it in some spare 180 proof and added some to my airlock everything seems to be ok, but just a post to show you , you can never be to careful, i even used brewing sanitizer

ps, now i wish i hadn't thrown away that little red lid they give you with your fermenter i now have a button bag wrapped around the top held by a rubber band

[NO1DLR]

Maggots don't appear for no reason. What was in your airlock to attract the flies in the first place?

[sudsy]

the whole room smelt like banana's i'm thinking that attracted them, other than that water from the kettle as i always do never had a ferment smell like bananas before but i am new to this, the one i'm running at the moment smells a little like rotten eggs (now using plain ol sugar wash recipe, dap,citric acid, epson salts, lowens dried yeast, i know use the airlock little cap i got with the fermenter, thos pesky flies wont be getting in anymore.

[ArcticTern]

that's gross. I have the biggest land carnivore in the world, which i dont mind and am carefull with; bugs?...ah ahh..no thanks. put your air lock commercial in the cupboard steralized in a bag and leave it thar'; then run a sterilized hose to a jar filled with hootch from your fermenter. i only see and dont mind maggots on dead things cleaning up dead things from the land.

[Caprimulgus]

It's not your sanitation. Fruit flies are attracted to fermentation and alcohol. The lucky bastards are actually drunk most of the time, because if their natural diet. A cotton ball in the top of the air lock will keep them out of there.

[sudsy]

yep i put it in boiling water once i found it, and now i use 85 % likker instead of boiled water, i was mainly just letting everybody know you cant be too careful as i've read people using bags and rubber bands as airlocks, or even letting c02 discharge freely from a not so closed lid, although this could work in practice i doubt is a very good idea, your idea with the hose is a great one i've seen it used alot, although i've never tried that method

ps thanks for the heads up m8, i will do that.

[NO1DLR]

You could always put some neutral spirit in your airlock.

[sudsy]

You could always put some neutral spirit in your airlock.

yes i have resorted to that now thanks for all your responses everybody.

[tinboat]

I don't have any maggots, but I just spotted wevils in my corn.
I'm doing a USJM varient. I think I'll just dump my boiling sugar water right on em.
DIE YA LITTLE VERMIN

[beelah]

why waste good neutral??? Back when I first started making wine, one book I read recommended usinf a sulfite solution in the air lock when the fermintion and racking was all done and you were letting your wine bulk age fo r a few months.

They recommended the same concentration that you use in sterlizing your equipment with. I will check and see if I can find a refernce and post it.

[sudsy]

mainly because its cheap easy and on hand but other ways are of interest, i only end up putting around half a shot maybe a little more.