Brew Room Observation...

To begin with, my fermentation/kegging/soon to be bottling room is in my basement. It is a fairly decent sized room and it always smells delicious IMHO. Now one of my big concerns about brewing was the development of fruit flies. I knew I wouldn't always clean up messes and that eventually, since I use this enclosed room, I would get some fruit flies. Well it finally happened after more than few months where I will see an occasional fruit fly if I leave the garbage in the room too long with beer/wort soaked paper towels in it. I know I should have wrung them into a glass but hey stuff happens . I also have a quantifiable sh*t ton of spiders in this room. I mean EVERYWHERE!. It doesn't matter how many I get rid of, they are always there. I figure what the heck, if they eat any fruit flies that develop then they are alright by me. And as long as I keep all liquids capped then I won't have to get angry and kill them all because they infected anything. I guess it means my air quality must be good down there. Does anyone else happen to have ridiculous amounts of spiders inhabit their brew rooms, after they have been turned into brew rooms? I know some were their before but this is a ridiculous increase in population. Sorry just thought I'd inquire about this silly observation.

My unfinished side of the basment is one big web but my brew room (also on that side) is not. I never see any in there. Now earwigs on the otherhand is a different story.

I do keep a fruit fly trap in my kitchen and one in the brew room so not much problems there.

If ya want to get rid of the fruit flies, put a large cup of water in the open with Cider Vinegar water and a few good squirts of dish soap. You will be amazed.

+1 what Drunkensatyr says. In 2 days, you'll have no fruit flies at all. Just make an inverted cone with a piece of paper to put in the top of the jar.

Professor Frink said:

+1 what Drunkensatyr says. In 2 days, you'll have no fruit flies at all. Just make an inverted cone with a piece of paper to put in the top of the jar.

Click to expand...

This is what I have, two half gallon growlers with the paper cone shoved in the top and tapped on with two cups of apple vinager in them. The flys go in and don't come back out.

Thw wife and I belong to a share farm and we get an asston of veggies a week. If I don;t get rid of the veggies in time, bam we have flys.

put a couple gecko's in that brew room and you'll be free of spiders and flies!

just have to stick a small aquarium with a lamp and heat stone in it in a corner of the room so they have a 'home' to retire to.

So far this winter - 2 mice and 1 huntsman spider (about 7cm!) plus misc beasties.
My cellar is next to my woodpile so the creepies tend to wander in from time to time - keeps you on your toes. When you open the door and walk in and get covered in web that is a scary feeling. No flies though - too many things eating them probably!

Summer is a different issue. Mosquitos are the worst.

I seem to remember reading that the Belgians are obsessed with keeping spiders in breweries for good luck...