Comments on: Diverse Compost Ecosystem – Protection From Fruit Flies?

By: Rich A.

Rich A. — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 21:21:40 +0000

I have both fruit flies and fungus gnats. The fruit fly problem I seem to have solved by stopping new feeding for a week, and thereafter freezing all scraps first.

The fungus gnat problem has been tougher. I use fly paper, insecticidal soap, and most recently ScanMask predatory nematodes. These three methods and some colder temperatures in the garage have kept the problem manageable.

By: Bentley

Bentley — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 21:06:42 +0000

Adam – your comment definitely made me smile!

Keep in mind that I #1) am a walking disaster zone, #2) run a vermicomposting business out of my home (so lots of bins etc), and #3) am a vermicomposting educator, so I almost encourage these infestations from time to time just so people can learn from my mistakes!

Listen to Sherry and Mary – they are clearly masters of the ‘an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure’ school of thought. (something I agree with wholeheartedly, by the way).

That being said, I’d be surprised if there is anyone who has vermicomposted for numerous years without ANY sort of invasion from at least SOME type of undesirable critter.

Don’t sweat it Adam. ‘Angry Wife Syndrome’ (or ‘AWS’ among us experts) is usually a temporary condition, often cured with chocolate and flowers.

By: Mary@SimplyForties

Mary@SimplyForties — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 05:13:20 +0000

Adam – I keep my bin in the basement and have no real problems with fruit flies or any other insects or smells. Like Sherry, I freeze all my scraps, which I think kills the fruit fly eggs. Unlike Sherry, I do not thaw them first. I just put the frozen scraps in the bin, assuming the worms will move out of the way and not come back until the food is thawed and ready to go. My bin is very active and very productive so I have to assume my hypothesis is correct. Sure beats having thawing food scraps on the counter! I mostly just dice my scraps small and do not run them through the food processor. Another benefit of freezing the scraps is that they break down more quickly. Good luck!

By: Sherry

Sherry — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 00:49:09 +0000

Adam,
I have 4 working bins in the spare bedroom of my apartment. My greatest fear is having a massive fruit fly problem. Hubby is fine with my worms, “as long as he doesn’t see one” but a fruit fly infestation will definitely cause him to throw the bins over the balcony.

I’ve had these bins for several months, and have never had fruit flies, or fungas gnats. (Kocking on my head for luck). My sincere advice to you is to freeze all your food first. This kills any fruit fly eggs on the food. Thaw and drain for a few days to get it nice and palatable for the worms. I use the food processor to mince my food and freeze in plastic bags. They gobble this up very quickly, in fact I have to feed them more often than I am. I’m currently feeding them 2 large ice cream containers per week and I have to feed more.

By: Adam Nelson

Adam Nelson — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 21:27:00 +0000

I have just ordered my first batch of worms and am waiting for them to arrive to their freshly made (slightly rotten) home. In the mean time I have been reading up on all the worm issues, and one theme that I am picking up is that whether it be fruit flies, gnats, biting flies, or some other type of pest there is going to be a certain bit of just dealing with it (necessary evil). Am I wrong or are these just horror cases. I have been planning on keeping my bin in the basement and my wife definitely is not a big fan of that. Please let me know if this a norm or something that can be managed to avoid angry wife syndrome.

By: Red Icculus

Red Icculus — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 17:07:23 +0000

It’s funny you bring up your diverse ecosystem to prevent infestation. I use vermicompost for amending soil in the garden. I use Subculture B by General Hydroponics to bacterially amend the castings before introducing into soil. It breaks down nutrients in high salt environments to be made available to plants. I haven’t had any fruit fly infestations since using it.