You trap them using an apple cider vinegar trap. Also, an old beer, as they will be attracted by the beer inside but can’t come out since the neck is narrow.
The other alternative is purchasing a trap from the stores. apart from that ensure all the surfaces in the kitchen are clean and all fruits and vegetables are kept in the fridge.
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Fruit flies can be so irritating. You go to pick something and a bunch of them fly out from food scraps. You clean, but somehow they don’t seem to go away.
They make you feel all dirty, and the worst of it all is if you delay dealing with them, the next minute there are more thousands of them.
Fruit flies are attracted by kitchen scraps which include overripe fruits, vegetables, or other rotting things like banana peels.
This article will show you how you can keep the kitchen compost bin with no fruit flies and how to trap them in the container and leave your kitchen clean and safe.
Keeping Kitchen Compost Bin With No Fruit Flies
Using a Vacuum Cleaner
First, start by placing your vacuum cleaner where it is located. After that, switch it on and direct the vacuum cleaner hose to the direction they are in. when doing so, you need to be careful not to vacuum the home scraps in the bin.
Apart from that, make sure your compost bin has a lid to ensure the fruit flies don’t come out. A fruit fly can leave bacteria on your fruit, which can be an issue when you consume it. For that reason, they should be dealt with immediately.
Using a Trap
The second method of dealing with fruit flies is setting up a trap to capture them. you can make some of the traps on your home, or you can purchase one in a shop as you buy other products. Making a trap is simple, as you will learn from the tips below.
After you have dealt with them, you should get their source to prevent the fruit flies from getting back. Wipe all the countertops and put the fruits and vegetables in the freezer. Empty the compost bin and clean any scraps off it.
Does the Bin Need Air Holes?
From above, it’s clear your compost bin needs a lid to keep the fruit flies away. But now, should the top have air holes or not? The first step is ensuring you get a bin with a tightly sealed lid.
After that, ensure the bin lid has air holes for “breathing.” For the compost to decompose, there are bacterias and microbes involved in the process. These two need an environment with sufficient oxygen.
Apart from that, the compost will produce heat; with the air holes, the heat will easily get out.
You should also get the right place away from the pantry or food preparation area to place the bin. Below the sink, if there is space, is the best place to put the bin.
Do Compost Bins Attract Fruit Flies?
What is contained in the compost pile? All kinds of scraps from food waste from banana peels, all other fruit peels, overripe fruits, vegetable waste, and many more.
What attracts fruit flies? Any fermenting food, overripened fruits, empty cans, and bottles will attract flies. And this is exactly what is located in the compost bin. This means the compost heap will attract the flies.
One adult fruit fly will also fly from outside to the compost bin and bleed from the composter the same as red wiggler worms in vegetable waste.
What makes them increase in number at a high rate is their entire lifecycle which takes around one week. one female fruit fly will lay 500 eggs, and in a week, all of the eggs are adult flies.
The worst part about them is they will contaminate the food with bacteria and other disease-causing microorganisms. When they are attracted to the compost and the environment from that point, they have access to every point in the cookhouse including your countertop. For that reason, you need to get rid of them ASAP.
How to Keep Compost Odourless
The pile is made of rotten food scraps, and that means it will stink. Worms from the rotten farm produce may stink.
The way to deal with the odor is using a charcoal filter, which is bought in packs. The charcoal filter is attached to the compost bin lid. This will ensure the air is still flowing, but now the smell is filtered.
Never add components to the compost to stop the smell, as they will interfere with the fertilizer and the decomposing process, especially if you plan to use the heap after it is fully composted in your garden.
Keeping Fruit Flies Out of Home Composting Bin
Now that we have discovered compost attracts flies, you need ways to keep them out of the composter as they will contaminate your space. The solution to putting them away from the compost pile is adding more brown material to your compost balancing with the plant material such as coffee.
The composting process in the compost container attracts the fly when you add brown material; they help to dry up the compost.
That way, they keep off any fruit fly. Brown material include sawdust, leaves, twigs, plants that have dried fabrics, and many more.
Another trick is putting more brown material on the top of the compost so the fruit fly can’t access the decomposing component. That way, they won’t find food and will have to go elsewhere.
How Do Fruit Flies Get Into the House?
A fruit fly is attracted by fermenting components from food scraps like over-ripening fruits and vegetables in your house. Also, when apartment dwellers spill juice or any other sugary scraps, they get attracted. Any moist place is also a source and a place for them to breed.
To keep them off, you need to ensure all the surfaces are clean and dry. Don’t wait too long to dry any spilled juice or scraps as it will attract them. Ensure all the wine, beer, and juice bottles are entirely sealed and any other container that has sugary content.
How to Make a Fruit Fly Trap
Using Vinegar
The first trap you can make is using vinegar to fill a glass or a container with apple vinegar, cover it up with a plastic wrap, and use a rubber band to seal it at the edge and poke some holes. The fly gets attracted by the apple vinegar and they get in but won’t find their path out.
You can add dish soap in the vinegar to decrease the liquid’s surface tension, which will cause the flies to get immersed in the liquid after getting in.
Old Beer
The next trap is where you use an old beer. Leave it open, and the fruit flies will be attracted inside, but they won’t find their path out because of the narrow neck.
Ripe Banana
The other trap is where you use ripe bananas in place of vinegar. Place a ripe banana on a container, seal it with a rubber band and plastic paper.
After that, poke holes for the flies to get in. After that, they will be trapped in the container.
Best Home Made Fruit Fly Trap [VIDEO]
Conclusion
From the above information, no fruit fly will be an issue for you. it’s clear how fruit flies get their way in your home, how you can prevent it, and how you can get rid of them.
Always ensure you get rid of them in time before they cause any contamination before they bleed to a thousand of them.
If you use a worm farm for fertilizer, take the necessary precautions.
