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Fruit Fly Control?

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  • #16
    faucet brushes

    yeah...those faucet brushes are awesome...esp if you are using the old snotty cross vent faucets
    Larry Horwitz

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    • #17
      the ONLY reason IMO to have bleach around all that SS

      Clean, clean, clean (obvious stated- check)

      still not working right? Tip from and old-timer bug guy: a dash of bleach in every drain (the idea is for the bleach to sit in trap overnight...i was told this is where they throw their sex parties).

      worked for me for years here in Western WA (never got the chance to try back in Missouri where the mosquito and fruit fly are in a tie for being the next state bird), keep an eye on blowoff buckets too (treat blow-off water as needed (sani, acid, bleach etc.) to make in-hospitable for horny fruit flies)

      seems overly-simple right?
      - Smart Workier, Not Harder and just say no to pesticides in brewery
      Last edited by Jephro; 07-06-2013, 07:34 AM.
      Jeff Byrne

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      • #18
        Originally posted by Larry Horwitz View Post
        yeah...those faucet brushes are awesome...esp if you are using the old snotty cross vent faucets
        +1 love those thingis
        Jeff Byrne

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        • #19
          Originally posted by Larry Horwitz View Post
          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!!
          How safe are the Hot Shot strips? I picked up some to use in our brewery and bar, but the owner vetoed them after reading on the packaging that they are not for use in food service and not for use in a room occupied for more than 4 hours. I assume that nobody has keeled over from using them in their breweries; I am just wondering what people's opinions are regarding their safety in a food-service environment.

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          • #20
            Originally posted by BrewerRev View Post
            How safe are the Hot Shot strips? I picked up some to use in our brewery and bar, but the owner vetoed them after reading on the packaging that they are not for use in food service and not for use in a room occupied for more than 4 hours. I assume that nobody has keeled over from using them in their breweries; I am just wondering what people's opinions are regarding their safety in a food-service environment.
            We use these in our non food/brewing areas. After fully reading the MSDS on the dichlorvos it was my decision, that with our seasonal usage, we will not be getting much exposure of the actual chemical. We also are using these in well ventilated areas. Furthermore, upon research, the chemical does not seem to have a direct known hazard to humans through acute toxicity. I feel the manufacturers 4 hour limit is half the OSHA limit in order to cover them legally incase you open ten packages in one room. The measurements you should be comcerened with are below. Realize that your patrons are not at risk, but employees will have the greatest rate of exposure. The product works extremely well, and if you have concerns about exposure I would recommend reading into it. As I said before, you'd have to actually consume a lot of the chemical for a period of time to have a detrimental effect.
            Personally I believe these to be perfectly safe if used as intended. Just a suggestion, maybe use the chemical at night when less employees are present and remove it during the day.
            Although we don't use them in the brewery directly, it is my opinion that our product (beer) is mainly contained in a vessel at all times and therefore unable to come into contact with the dichlorvos anyways.

            The OSHA Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) 1.0 mg/m3
            The NIOSH Recommended Exposure Limit (REL) 1.0 mg/m3
            The ACGIH Threshold Limit Value (TLV) 0.1 mg/m3
            The OSHA Immediately Dangerous to Life and Health (IDLH) 100mg/m3
            LD50 is another measurement I feel is important.

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            • #21
              Agreed. Does wonders for keeping the fruit flies down in your dirty keg pile if you store your dirty kegs indoors.
              Russell Everett
              Co-Founder / Head Brewer
              Bainbridge Island Brewing
              Bainbridge Island, WA

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              • #22
                If you have a cat in the brewery do NOT use pyrethrum. It is extremely toxic to cats.

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                • #23
                  Battle Vs. War

                  Like most have already said, clean, clean, clean. In a perfect brewery, this would eliminate the problem, but in most every other situation, something will always be missed. Without skipping over the obvious like refuse removal, bleach in drains, and faucet plugs, there are additional tactics to employ in the war with fruit flies. Our brewery is very small having only 2100 square feet to deal with. Recently I spent a span of four days away from the brewery (wedding season), leaving it in capable hands. Upon my return, I came upon the worst fruit fly infestation I have ever seen. More than likely, the trash was not removed between shifts over the weekend, but I'm not sure. Also to compound the issue, a dry hopped FV had overflowed leaving sticky beer/hop residue all over the place. The first step was to remove the breeding grounds. I then began employing the passive homemade traps (soda bottle cut in half, top upside down with bait, and plastic cups with cello wrap over the top and holes punched in that) but, this only caught about 30 each at that. The next, and best step I employed, was to break out the shop vac. While the traps caught their fair share, it was no match for the army of flies just sitting on and around the traps. If you let the swarm settle, it is very easy to capture massive amounts of them at a time using the shop vac. The few remaining are easily removed using the same method, but it takes a little more work. Leaving out a paper towel with a few drops of beer on it acts like chum, and much like blood in the water to sharks, the flies are instantly attracted to it. At that point, the shop vac easily removes them from the situation. Again, I have to echo, that proper cleaning practices, not leaving dirty kegs inside, and refuse removal are paramount in the war with fruit flies, but if you find yourself needing to win a battle, break out the shop vac!
                  Aaren M. Simoncini
                  The Beer'd Brewing Co. LLC
                  22 Bayview Ave. Unit # 15
                  Stonington, CT. 06378
                  Aaren@beerdbrewing.com

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                  • #24
                    Are the products me ruined in this thread good for house flies as well?

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                    • #25
                      My Solution

                      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!
                      I placed an electric fly swat over a pail of apple cider vinegar. It sounds like popcorn popping, it's killing them so fast! DEATH BY ELECTRICICITY!!
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