Bugs in my blowoff pitcher and airlocks

[TravelingLight]

Over the last few weeks I've noticed some tiny bugs getting in the airlocks on my wild yeast experiments. They're dead AF in the starsan in the airlock, but I've been dumping them and adding fresh starsan.

Yesterday I noticed some bugs dead in the blowoff pitcher on a beer I currently have fermenting. I think these are the same ones that have been getting in the airlocks in my wild yeast jars as well.

(#8 nut for scale)

Sorry for the crappy pics, but these bastards are tiny. Anyone have any thoughts? I've lived in this house for about a year. I've fermented a few beers before and never noticed these bugs, so I think this is something recent. If it's been happening on other beers, it hasn't infected or screwed up the beers to my knowledge. Thoughts?

 

[kh54s10]

Probably fruit flies. They are a nuisance, but if they don't get past the airlock or blow off catch can, there should be no problem.

 

[TravelingLight]

Probably fruit flies. They are a nuisance, but if they don't get past the airlock or blow off catch can, there should be no problem.

Excellent. Thanks. Yeah, I wasn't worried since all of them were dead and had not made it past the starsan fortress. I was more curious what the hell they were.

 

[seatazzz]

Get one of those hand-held bug zappers that look like a racquetball racket....I have one next to the kegerator and love to hear the snap crackle zzzzzt when I get those little buggers...also you can find fruit-fly traps at most restaurant supply houses.

 

[bbohanon]

I started to put my blowoff tube into a plastic water jug and cut the cap to fit the hose. This keeps the buggies out. Dont think they will hurt anything as long as they only ended up in the airlock, but I get paranoid about it so I rig up things like a milk jug with hose in cap to keep em out.

 

[Gravity]

I've had this problem a million times; they're just fruit flies. I usually put plasitc shrink wrap over the airlock and that stops them from forming and tryng to get it. I

They are attracted to the CO2 and smell of sugars that the airlock puts out. The shrink wrap helps keep them away, it helps me

 

[TravelingLight]

Get one of those hand-held bug zappers that look like a racquetball racket....I have one next to the kegerator and love to hear the snap crackle zzzzzt when I get those little buggers...also you can find fruit-fly traps at most restaurant supply houses.

Been wanting to get one of those!

 

[TravelingLight]

I started to put my blowoff tube into a plastic water jug and cut the cap to fit the hose. This keeps the buggies out. Dont think they will hurt anything as long as they only ended up in the airlock, but I get paranoid about it so I rig up things like a milk jug with hose in cap to keep em out.

I used to do exactly that with a big gatorade bottle. Might need to go back to that.

 

[seatazzz]

Been wanting to get one of those!

Got mine at Fred Meyers...it's the best toy I've bought this year (aside from brewing stuff)!!

 

[65C]

I've got carboy caps that fit a hose - the hose goes in to a jug of starsan - but it could go in to a bottle of starsan and reduce entrance area for nunus

fruit flies really like the wort - but if you have any bananas or old apple cores in bins etc. you'll see a lot of them

 

[catdaddy66]

That would be 'drosophila melangaster', or the common fruit fly. I counted thousands of those bastards in genetics class!!

A pox on their house! Lol