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  • Fruit Fly Control?

    We're approaching fruit fly season and I'm wondering if anyone has tips for control. We've tried the mason jar full of cider vinegar thing with little success.

    Would love to hear if y'all have found anything that works well against these pesky insects.

    Thanks!

  • #2
    Have growler filled with brett fermenting wort. Fruit flies and natts love it because brett smells like wild yeast fermenting rotten fruit.

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    • #3
      Secret Ingredient

      Try a drop of ivory liquid soap in the mason jar w/ cider vinegar. It works!
      It puts a sheen on the surface they think they can land and they fall right in.

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      • #4
        Lot of breweries, wineries, and bars use DDVP (Dichlorvos) pest control strips. They basically emit an odorless, heavier than air gas for about 4 months. Seeps into cracks and crevices, kills fruit flies and other bugs pretty darn well. Downsides are that DDVP has been banned in the EU but not by the EPA here, though they've thought about it several times, so take that for what you will. Maybe something best brought out when other methods have failed miserably.
        Russell Everett
        Co-Founder / Head Brewer
        Bainbridge Island Brewing
        Bainbridge Island, WA

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        • #5
          Chrysanthemum extract

          I was having this fruit fly problem in the brewery and a friend gave me some Chrysanthemum extract to spray around. It killed all the fruit flies hanging around and kept them out for a few days as well. The product I had seemed pretty natural and safe, maybe better than spraying poison around the brewery.

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by apoxbrew View Post
            We're approaching fruit fly season and I'm wondering if anyone has tips for control. We've tried the mason jar full of cider vinegar thing with little success.

            Would love to hear if y'all have found anything that works well against these pesky insects.

            Thanks!
            Not sure what's in these suckers, but wow.

            Pax.

            Liam
            Liam McKenna
            www.yellowbellybrewery.com

            Comment


            • #7
              I've used the traps that Liam just posted. They definitely attract the fruit flies, but they don't eliminate the problem. You have to eliminate where they are breeding. Even if you kill all the flies you see, they'll be back in a few days. Thoroughly clean your drains and get some drain gel to pour in them overnight (or over a weekend). Do it weekly. Make sure any beer spills or water puddles are consistently cleaned up.

              You might not be able to prevent them entirely, but you can make the problem manageable.
              Hutch Kugeman
              Head Brewer
              Brooklyn Brewery at the Culinary Institute of America
              Hyde Park, NY

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              • #8
                Thanks everyone!!

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                • #9
                  Bleach, bleach, bleach...
                  Kevin Shertz
                  Chester River Brewing Company
                  Chestertown, MD

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                  • #10
                    +1...they are the best

                    Originally posted by Bainbridge View Post
                    Lot of breweries, wineries, and bars use DDVP (Dichlorvos) pest control strips. They basically emit an odorless, heavier than air gas for about 4 months. Seeps into cracks and crevices, kills fruit flies and other bugs pretty darn well. Downsides are that DDVP has been banned in the EU but not by the EPA here, though they've thought about it several times, so take that for what you will. Maybe something best brought out when other methods have failed miserably.
                    We have tried EVERYTHING...and these are hands down the best. Try 'Hot Shot' brand...sold at every Home Depot on the planet. Oh, and clean the crap out of everything every day. Drain flies are the worst!!
                    Larry Horwitz

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                    • #11
                      Learn to identify the egg clusters. They look like tiny brown spots, often on shiny white surfaces, windows...

                      Each cluster contains thousands...tens of thousands of viable eggs. You will be amazed how many of these are around. They need to be scrubbed off...I use hot water and floor juice, because I've ruined so many shirts using bleach.

                      If you can eliminate the eggs...or at least mostly eliminate the eggs, then once you get rid of your first round of flies, the problem is mostly gone. I've found that simply vacuuming them out of the air with a dust collector works pretty well.

                      Also, it turns out that using a foaming acid surface cleaner seems to pretty much eliminate them. I'm not sure why, but...whatever works!

                      Nat

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                      • #12
                        Fruit Fly extract

                        Originally posted by jherrington View Post
                        I was having this fruit fly problem in the brewery and a friend gave me some Chrysanthemum extract to spray around. It killed all the fruit flies hanging around and kept them out for a few days as well. The product I had seemed pretty natural and safe, maybe better than spraying poison around the brewery.
                        Hi
                        Thanks for the post.
                        Does his Chrysanthemum extract have a trade name? I'd like to try it.

                        We use something called Inficin which is apparently a plug of spent grains mixed with a bio-cultue and an insecticide of spme sorts. It keeps the Fruit flies in check but it also stinks strongly.

                        Cheers

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Originally posted by aswissbrewer View Post

                          Does his Chrysanthemum extract have a trade name? I'd like to try it.
                          Pyrethrin is the chemical. A lot of commercial pesticides use this with other chemicals. It is (pyrethrin) pretty foodsafe and has low mammalian toxicity.

                          Pax.

                          Liam
                          Last edited by liammckenna; 06-25-2013, 07:48 AM. Reason: extra word
                          Liam McKenna
                          www.yellowbellybrewery.com

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                          • #14
                            Originally posted by liammckenna View Post
                            Pyrethrin is the chemical. A lot of commercial pesticides use this with other chemicals. It is (pyrethrin) pretty foodsafe and has low mammalian toxicity.

                            Pax.

                            Liam
                            I worked with flowers many years. This is correct. (Chrysanthemum) Very common in food preservation. Still, wash your food. It tends to loose its effectiveness drastically after about 48 hours. I believe it breaks down into non hazardous chemicals at that point. It is effective on most types of pests in plants and foods. Great stuff overall. Usually must be directly applied.

                            The dioclorvos is believed to excrete fast out of the human body and supposedly cause no human harm if kept below threshold limits and exposure time limits. I believe the excretion occurs over about 48hrs. Ban concers from the EU stem from concers that dioclorvos can bind to DNA. I believe the EPA or whoever feels that it safe because it leaves the body before it can bind to our DNA. You need to eat a lot of it, more than say 10grams, to approach a 50/50 shot of dying from it. I think someone said, it works through the air. Very effective. It is recommended to use in well ventilated areas though.

                            I would use the pyrethrum to remove any "nests" or groups that you are aware of, but use DDVP to prevent any future problems. If these are only seasonal issues, you should have no worries of chronic exposure. It's mainly a concern for manufacturing and industrial applications.

                            Don't underestimate the ability for a pest problem to increase exponentially. It's always best to stay ahead of it. I am not an EPA guy or nothing but I can read MSDS and have been down this road a few times.

                            Another common pesticide is nicotine, however I don't think it would be a good solution here. Also an organic (I believe) option sometimes is neem oil. You can put some in drains and such. Good luck.

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                            • #15
                              Faucet Inserts

                              I haven't seen this mentioned yet, but definitely get these: http://www.amazon.com/Kleen-Plug-Dra...er+faucet+caps

                              Put them in every night - keeps them out of one of the places they most often invade.
                              Noah A. Bolmer

                              Barley and Hops Tavern
                              Occidental, CA
                              www.barleynhops.com

                              Warped Brewing Company
                              Sebastopol, CA

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