Best way to kill fruit flies?

[NeverDie]

Now that I've upscaled to doing 5 gallon batches of mead, a lot more fruit flies have taken interest. I'm thinking that maybe bubbling a blow-off tube through apple cider vinegar might be a good way to attract the fruit flies to their doom? Anyone found a better way?

 

[RPh_Guy]

Yeah, make a trap.

https://lilluna.com/diy-fruit-fly-trap/

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

Chopsticks

 

[AkTom]

Bug Bomb. I just used one. So nice not to have fruit flies everywhere.

 

[beermanpete]

Bats?

 

[NeverDie]

Yeah, make a trap.

View attachment 627882

https://lilluna.com/diy-fruit-fly-trap/

It turns out to work fairly quickly even without the funnel!

 

[ESBrewer]

They like to go to a warm place where there is no air flow. If it is cool weather outside you could open a door or window and position a trap (plastic bag with mouth open etc.) with some sweet fruit and possibly a bit of vinegar on the opposite side of room or where there is no flow & temp is higher so they will soon find the trap. They eventually tend to drop to the handy liquid trap above but sometimes it takes time so it could be more efficient to wait until they are inside a good sweet fruit bag and then shut the bag mouth and dump them outside the house. Could also spray insecticide to the bag to kill 'em. If you use liquid trap a drop of soap (dish detergent) that will decrease surface tension of water makes the liquid trap even more deadly.

 

[madscientist451]

 

[dmtaylor]

Yeah, make a trap.

https://lilluna.com/diy-fruit-fly-trap/

That kind of trap is exactly what I do. Only need a half inch of ANY alcohol down there. When I pop a beer or cider, I put enough in the jar to cover the bottom, cone a piece of paper, and DONE. Wait a few days and you'll catch dozens of the buggers.

 

[gratus fermentatio]

To protect your fermenters: Fill your airlocks with Starsan (mixed at the proper ratio).
You might also spray your yard, trees, shrubs, etc... with Malathion.
Regards, GF.

 

[NeverDie]

Reporting back: one glass with a half inch of "live" apple cider vinegar and a few drops of dish soap managed to kill all four of the fruit flies overnight. i.e. it killed 100% of the enemy. It even killed two of the four in the first 10 minutes. Impressive! Not sure if the darkness helped over not: maybe they simply couldn't see what they were landing on.

 

[Maylar]

Be aware that they carry acetobacter, the bacteria that converts alcohol into vinegar. They're the enemy in a brew room.

 

[ApolloSimcoe]

I'm a little late to this. I have had great success with the apple cider vinegar and a few drops of lemon dish detergent in a small container. Works great.

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

It even killed two of the four in the first 10 minutes.

wait...You have 4 fruit flies ....not exactly a swarm LOL
Couldnt you just have clapped them between your hands and flick them off your finger and be done....they're not exactly speedy

We use Apple cider vinegar in a cup near the fruit bowl in the summer. Works good

 

[Maylar]

wait...You have 4 fruit flies ....not exactly a swarm LOL

Yeah, but they breed quickly. They're used in genetics research because their life cycle is so short. And one female can lay 400 eggs at a time. 4 can become a swarm in no time.

We use Apple cider vinegar in a cup near the fruit bowl in the summer. Works good

The little buggers like beer too.

 

[NeverDie]

wait...You have 4 fruit flies ....not exactly a swarm LOL
Couldnt you just have clapped them between your hands and flick them off your finger and be done....they're not exactly speedy

You think there aren't any more where they came from?

wait...You have 4 fruit flies ....not exactly a swarm LOL
Couldnt you just have clapped them between your hands and flick them off your finger and be done....they're not exactly speedy

There's sure to be more where those four came from: my neighbor as a large lo quat tree 10 feet away that's dropping ripe fruit on the ground all over the place.

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

You think there aren't any more where they came from?


There's sure to be more where those four came from: my neighbor as a large lo quat tree 10 feet away that's dropping ripe fruit on the ground all over the place.

Just kiddin around bud...ACV works good

 

[NeverDie]

Just kiddin around bud...ACV works good

No problem. You'll always get a pass because you turned me on to oxyclean.

In retrospect, it probably was my drying out a large Kveik yeast cake on parchment paper (to hopefully make dry Hornindal yeast) that baited them to come inside. Note to self: next time, do this in the winter!

 

[Novacor]

 

[Blacksmith1]

You think there aren't any more where they came from?
There's sure to be more where those four came from: my neighbor as a large lo quat tree 10 feet away that's dropping ripe fruit on the ground all over the place.

And you aren't collecting this fruit to use in your brews?

 

[NeverDie]

To maintain efficacy, each day I have to change out the solution and use fresh vinegar.

 

[Braufessor]

I got one of these last year and now I am honestly a little disappointed when I can't find a couple fruit flies to shoot in my brew room
https://www.bugasalt.com

 

[MaxStout]

I got one of these last year and now I am honestly a little disappointed when I can't find a couple fruit flies to shoot in my brew room
https://www.bugasalt.com

Don't worry. With all the rain we've been getting in this part of the country you'll get plenty of target practice soon on mosquitoes and gnats.

 

[Seamonkey84]

I got one of these last year and now I am honestly a little disappointed when I can't find a couple fruit flies to shoot in my brew room
https://www.bugasalt.com

I hear you, I got one a while ago, and I just had to dial in “shot size” based on target. Different size rock salts can be sifted out with different size screens

 

[MaxStout]

I hear you, I got one a while ago, and I just had to dial in “shot size” based on target. Different size rock salts can be sifted out with different size screens

Can you use it with coarse kosher salt?

 

[NeverDie]

I got one of these last year and now I am honestly a little disappointed when I can't find a couple fruit flies to shoot in my brew room
https://www.bugasalt.com

Is version 3.0 a lot more effective than version 2.0?

https://www.bugasalt.com/products/bug-a-salt-3-0-black-fly-edition

 

[Seamonkey84]

Can you use it with coarse kosher salt?

Yes, fairly effective against up to regular house flies. The big blue/green blot flies need some of the bigger grains though. While straight rock salt are usually a bit big and don’t provide a dense shot pattern or go with enough speed. Idk about newer versions lol.
DON’T use sugar, that’s how you get ants Lmfao.

 

[Braufessor]

Is version 3.0 a lot more effective than version 2.0?

https://www.bugasalt.com/products/bug-a-salt-3-0-black-fly-edition

Not sure..... I have the 2.0 and just saw that one when I looked at their site tonight.

 

[MMM2]

Whatever home brew I pour I leave that 1/2 inch old yeast in the bottle. Shaking it up with some sugar and a drop of soap, then position it around where my brew attracts little buggers... I got the feeling the leftover from meads work best.
And: The more I drink the more traps I get! Fascinated...

 

[MMM2]

In case fruit flies cannot make up their minds if entering into the bottle is a good idea I enjoy the help and convenience of a little handheld vacuum.

Off Topic(?): Also usable to collect mosquitoes after they landed on ceilings or walls.