fruit flies

[paulphipps]

how do u get rid of them

[football]

Don't eat fruit or veg. then they go away.

[New Forester]

They breed in fruit, rotten potatoes, bits of mushroom or anything else vegetable and slushy. Kitchen-waste buckets are a favourite. I find whenever I have a lot of fruit flies, it's because there's a disgusting bag of old potatoes somewhere that I'd forgotten about. If you keep all fruit covered, the lid on the kitchen bucket, and don't leave things lying about, you'll not have too much of a problem. Of course, they don't do much real harm, except if you're doing home brewing, when they can infect your brew with vinegar.

[Lindy Loo]

Fruit flies can also be found in vivariums, if you use damp 'chipped bark' or similar substrates. (we've got 4!) The flies are not a problem, but can be mistaken for mites...eek, panic!! New Forester were your comments on home brewing from 'bitter' experience?!! Sorry... I couldn't resist the temptation!!

[Toffee]

I know little about insects but from observation in UK this year there seem to be far more small flies than I can remember ever before. I'm sure they're not only fruit flies. You can sit in a restaurant or pub and be plagued by them. I try to catch and dispatch them by hand. Some definitely have been biting because when tou swat them, blood exudes -- too much to be all their own! I don't know the answer but I hope somebody does. Is it just that we need a very cold winter?