On Sat, 16 Jul 2016 22:19:09 +0100, Vir Campestris wrote:

On 16/07/2016 15:04, Phil L wrote:
David wrote:
With the unexpected arrival of warm weather we seem to be plagued by
little flies (probably fruit flies) breeding inside the compost caddy.

We empty it regularly (every day or so) and wash it out but the flies
are there again very quickly.

I understand that the eggs arrive on fresh fruit and vegetables so
there will be a constant supply.

The only solution (wait for it) I've seen advocated is to build a
fruit fly trap from a jam jar with a bit of banana skin (because fruit
flies like a banana) and some cider vinegar as bait.

Blasting your future compost (or at least the Council's) with fly
spray seems non-green.

Any other sensible solutions?

fly spray doesn't work on fruit flies as they don't breathe through
their skin like other flies. They do breathe, but not in the same way
as, say houseflies or bluebottles.

I hope you have a source for that... but... back to the OP

The life cycle of the Drosophila, the geneticist's favourite fruit fly,
is IIRC about three weeks. So they won't be breeding in their in a day,
they'll be flying n from somewhere else.

Andy

Hmmm....temperature dependant.

"Under ideal conditions, the development time at 25 °C (77 °F) is 8.5 days"

"The eggs, which are about 0.5 mm long, hatch after 12€“15 hours (at 25 °C
or 77 °F).[6][7] The resulting larvae grow for about 4 days (at 25 °C)
while molting twice (into second- and third-instar larvae), at about 24
and 48 h after hatching.[6][7] During this time, they feed on the
microorganisms that decompose the fruit, as well as on the sugar of the
fruit itself. The mother puts feces on the egg sacs to establish the same
microbial composition in the larvae's guts which has worked positively for
herself.[11] Then the larvae encapsulate in the puparium and undergo a
four-day-long metamorphosis (at 25 °C), after which the adults eclose
(emerge).[6][7]"

So they have to be already present in the larval stage on the fruit and
vegetables when the scraps are put into the caddy, or they have to be
adults from elsewhere which have homed in on a suitable breeding ground
and have evaded the lid to get into the caddy.

All fascinating scientific stuff, but I am still looking for a reasonable
way to get rid of the little buggers.

Cheers


Dave R





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