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09-12-2008, 08:14 PM
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#1
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Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 120
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Fruit flies in my airlock... uh-oh?
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It's that time of year, it happens every year, the infestation of the fruit flies....
I'm slowly winning the battle after making a couple fly traps and cleaning the kitchen really well. I know this time next month they'll be long gone but so far 3 or 4 fruit flies drowned in the airlock on top of my blackberry mead. The airlock is full of sanitizing solution, BTW.
My thinking is, that's what you have an airlock for and to not worry about it.
What do you all say, am I OK or in for vinegar?
__________________
Primary 1: PawPaw Wheat
Primary 2 Air
Secondary 1: Experimental Wild Beer
Secondary 2: Backyard Blackberry/Grape Wine
Bottled/Drinking: Spiced Belgium Ale, Pumpkin Ale, and a variety of cider, mead and farmhouse wines
On Deck: Coffee Porter?
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09-12-2008, 08:20 PM
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#2
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Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 2,224
Liked 2 Times on 2 Posts
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Youll be fine.
__________________
Quote:
DeathBrewer:
maybe i'll post an ad:
Single male seeks double-jointed supermodel who owns a brewery and grows her own pot. Access to free concert tickets a plus!
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09-13-2008, 02:13 PM
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#3
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Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: 75081
Posts: 1,190
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Does your airlock not have a cap? Or do they get in there anyway?
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09-14-2008, 10:22 AM
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#4
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Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Portland, OR, Oregon
Posts: 6,464
Liked 26 Times on 22 Posts Likes Given: 3
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The fruitflies get into the airlock anyways. They squeeze through the tiny holes in the lid. It happens to me all the time. That said, you'll be fine.
__________________
There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
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09-14-2008, 11:12 AM
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#5
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For the love of beer!
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Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Cheshire, England
Posts: 11,850
Liked 42 Times on 36 Posts Likes Given: 29
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You can always put a little cotton wool in to cap it off.
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09-14-2008, 12:16 PM
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#6
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Join Date: May 2007
Location: Fallston, MD
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Read somewhere that they like the moisture of sink drain traps, but they're not real fond of boiling hot drain traps. Had that problem when we initially moved in our new house a few years back, boiled some water and hit all the traps in the house. No problems after that.
And I had a starter on a stir plate going and the little buggers got into it too.  Hate 'em!
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09-14-2008, 02:42 PM
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#7
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Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 663
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They breed in the sinks. You could put draino or bleach in the drains to kill them.
I like the hot water idea but never tried it.

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09-14-2008, 04:29 PM
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#8
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Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Port Orchard WA
Posts: 98
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I thought I was the only one with this fruit fly problem. Boiling water down the drain it is then.
__________________
Live better buy union
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09-14-2008, 08:55 PM
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#9
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Join Date: May 2008
Location: Hawaii
Posts: 2,280
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Reddy
that's what you have an airlock for and to not worry about it.
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As long as you had water in the airlock your be fine, and I use liberal amounts of bleach for any sitting water to keep them from setting up shop around me.
Now if only mosquitoes where as easy to deal with.
__________________
---
In Primary: Belgium Chimay clones.
In Secondary: Braggot, pale ale, end of the world white.
Conditioning: Mead, Cider, braggot, Belgium Wheat.
On Tap: Clones, Chimay Blue, Red, Porter, malted cider.
Bottles: Far, far, too many to list.
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09-25-2008, 08:43 PM
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#10
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Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Vancouver, WA
Posts: 61
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I wish I would have read this yesterday. I saw a fruit fly in my airlock so I figured I should clean it out. While trying to remove the airlock, I broke it. I was freaking out thinking that my first batch of brew was now going to be ruined. I called my local home brew shop and they said to use my siphon tube and put one end in the cork and the other end in a bucket of water. Chalk it up to a rookie mistake. Next time I wont mess with it. 
__________________
"The beer I had for breakfast wasn't bad, so I had one more for dessert"... Johnny Cash
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