[Sgt. Pepper]

A friend brought me a vinegar mother back from France. Its in a glass jug, and she said occasionally to add more wine to it, then let it set for a few weeks until it turns to vinegar. She said leave the cap open on the jug and keep it in a cool dark place. PROBLEM...the vinegar/wine has attracted what appears to be gnats around and in the jug. QUESTION...Is there any way to get rid of and/or keep from getting these pests in my vinegar? I love the idea of making my own vinegar, but won't put up with infestation for it.

[AprilB]

We have a ton of them on occasion and any fruit drink or open wine bottle is fair game.

Depending on how big they are, I would imagine getting some fine mesh cheesecloth, or something similar, and securing it over your 'bottle' top (rubber band...duct tape? ) would keep them out?

Yeah, they're SO annoying. I've resorted to leaving a half glass of red wine on the counter to collect them. I have NO idea what kind of life cycle they have or where they lay their eggs in the first place. Think I'll give it to my daughter for a science project.

April

[siduri]

Originally Posted by AprilB

I have NO idea what kind of life cycle they have or where they lay their eggs in the first place.

April

one thing i can tell you is this: fruitflies are used in genetics because they reproduce so quickly!

[mudbug]

Sgt. Pepper & AprilB,

From egg to adult, the life cycle is about a week, the total life span is 14 days. They can lay up to 500 eggs.

Cheesecloth won't work. They'll work their way in. Try a couple of layers of paper towel of a couple of coffee filters with several large tight rubber bands.

You can set a trap for others by leaving out a small glass of old wine covered by plastic wrap and a small nail hole poked in the top.

[oldschool1982]

Be careful there things don't nest in your drains. To be safe flush all the drains in the house with bleach every coule days for the next 2 weeks. They are the hardest things to get rid of. If they still reappear you need to seek a professional exterminator!

Nasty little things!


The cheese cloth thing is what my family did when making vinegar too. Works great. Unfortunately if you are going to be making things like vinegar/beer/wine etc at home, fruitflies are always gonna be an issue to contend with.

Home made vinegar. Makes my mouth water just thinking of it.

[kokopuffs]

Bartenders use some sort of pour spout attached to liquor bottles. Certain brands of those pour spouts contain an internal fine wire mesh screen to comply with the health department and to avoid the problems your describe.

[AprilB]

Like Kokopuffs said. Only you can get it at a hardware store. It's like SS cloth.

Hmmm...(need icon that is pondering and scratching chin reflectively)

April

[Jock]

I'm told by my pest control guy that one of the most effective ways to deal with fruit flies is to use a fan. They need to come to rest in order to reproduce and because they are so small even a little breeze will prevent them from landing in the neighborhood and no more 500 eggs. It's worth a try at least with a cheap little battery operated fan.

Jock

[Sgt. Pepper]

Thanks for the advice. We'll see how it goes.