Still Smarter

Is anyone else being bothered by midge sized flies at the moment?
It is a new seaonal phenomenom for myself.
And given the outdoor temps. around these parts, I cannot figure where the little feckers are hatching.

Mebee it is in my skanky home?
So, I have started an early spring-clean!

I may yet find a dead mouse under the cooker or fridge and blame the cat for an escapee.
He has done it before.

If he wasn't as cute and strokesome as myself, I would shoot the the bugger.

Robert

I do claim the copyright/first useage of the new word, 'strokesome'.
Speak to my legal people.

Robert.

Fergot to say that wee flies dip their many feet in any ferments that I have ongoing, and have the capability to cross contamimate, as I don't airlock. My problem not yours.

Go your own way!

Robert.

Are they coming in on logs? We have had a few huge wasps recently.

That said they do sound more like fruit flies....

I have had these little sods end up in an airlock before, they are certainly attracted by brewing

We have problems with these bastards all summer. This works:

Apple Cider Vinegar with a drop or too of washing up liquid in a cup/barrell/bucket with cling film over the top.
Put little holes in the cling film with a fork tine or the tip of a sharp knife.

Robert is your mother’s brother

It does sound like Fruit Flies, I had a little problem with them last year.
Drains pour bleach down and around the plughole its where they breed.
Sanitise surfaces and I bought some ludicrous Yellow A4 fly sheets. Put
them where the flies gather. It gives your home that 60,s wow look.
All the flies stick to them and no shagging so bingo.

They are attracted to the CO2 given off by the brew. That bit I know. The puzzle is what the flock of a breeding on?

I do like your idea Moss - I have a blue light at the moment.

Moss wrote: Fri Feb 12, 2021 9:56 am Robert is your mother’s brother

Uncle Robert - now that has got mileage

A lot of sinks, especially bathroom sinks, have an over flow port.
Fruit flies tend to breed in there as well.

Bill

billythekid wrote: Fri Feb 12, 2021 2:36 pm A lot of sinks, especially bathroom sinks, have an over flow port.
Fruit flies tend to breed in there as well.

Bill

What causes that then... There's no food for them in there... Is there?

What causes that then... There's no food for them in there... Is there?

The over flow leads directly to the drain pipe. Besides needing to drink water, there must be something growing and or rotting in the trap. They like the over flow because water is not typically flowing down that, like it is the main drain pipe.

Bill

Ooooeeee yuuk.

Mash wrote: Fri Feb 12, 2021 10:59 am I do like your idea Moss - I have a blue light at the moment.

It works quite well.

These flies mostly are in the vicinity of my shower room, so I like the plug hole theory.
Only about 6 feet away from a blue fly light zapper.
I now keep the electrified zapper racket in there.
No bleach down the plug holes due to using a septic tank.
I have also been taking care not to dump yeast and lees down the shower drain for a couple of months.
Will give the cider vinegar trap a try.

Robert

We have a septic tank which is in fantastic condition.
Due to the ammount of lees it gets.
We do use bleach (but sparingly).
It is emptied every 8 years.

My yeast and lees go down the toilet, easier that way to see that they have left the building.
And Elvis is at the bottom of my septic tank, better than dead rabbit!

Robert.

I have used squirty foamy oven cleaner in overflows. Works like a charm.

What does that do to your septic tank?
I treat my septic tank like a family member, OK, I dont send it Birthday cards, but I watch what I put down plug holes, and have not had need for it to be cleaned out in 21 years, A short stay in it sees all matter decompose and drain into surrounding soil, via a soakaway. Coffee grounds are dealt with separately; a 1/2 kilo (Dry) a week, take some time to decompose.
Win, win.
My septic tank is licenced, and a provision of that that licence is that I follow the manufactures guidelines.
Guess who designed and built it?, me.

When I use oven cleaner or other harsh chemicals like Chlorine bleach, they do not go there.
They end up being poured on saccrificial land, which with a few shovels of muck, rain and time, sort them out to be as least enviromentally damaging as I can make them.

Cleaning, at my place, requires a little thought!
And don't ask about the levels that I go to, to avoid 'fat-bergs'!
Although most fat get's fed to the wild birds at this time of year.

Robert.

Feckin fruit flies seem to materialise out of thin air whenever I brush past an fv I've sometimes seen the smaller fly that likes to hang around sink overflows. A couple of days ago when it was very cold with snow on the ground I noticed a new spider's web in the corner of the window in my stillery. I remember thinking, hmmm you're a bit previous. Today I saw it sucking on a fruitfly. I love 🕷

Yes, these little feckers do seem to have two sizes.
Two species, or male and female?

Robert.

Two species I reckon Robert. Never seen a fruitfly hanging around any sink overflow or plug hole, and never seen the smaller delta wing shaped fly hanging around my fruit bowl or fermenters. I haven't been to specsavers for a while though

Yeah, if these are fruit flies, why do they ignore my fruit bowl?
I reckon they are of the Genus 'Plug hole fly'.

Robert.