Guest guest Posted October 9, 2008 Report Share Posted October 9, 2008 Fruit flies like bananas. " After several days study I think I can now report that fruit flies A) Have the ability to teleport. May also clone in flight. Every time I get one in my sights, ready to " Clap it to dead " there it is ... gone. Drew a bead on one of the little beggars ... suddenly there were two. Not having been into my SCOBOTEL for some time I found, on uncovering it, a second generation of fruit flies with the pupa cases still stuck on the wall. Panic not, plenty spares. ... SO ... as a test I removed the top 1/2 dozen layers, shifted the rest into new premises and re- covered it. I'll try a small batch with the next in line and see how she goes. (UK) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 9, 2008 Report Share Posted October 9, 2008 Ugh.....been a bad year for me with them, too.... :-( I haven't had any get into my brews, but not for want of them trying!! And you are correct...they DO teleport! I've witnessed it, also! Gayle " Time flies like an arrow, > Fruit flies like bananas. " > After several days study I think I can now report that fruit flies > A) Have the ability to teleport. > May also clone in flight. > Every time I get one in my sights, ready to " Clap it to dead " there it > is ... gone. Drew a bead on one of the little beggars ... suddenly > there were two. > Not having been into my SCOBOTEL for some time I found, on uncovering > it, a second generation of fruit flies with the pupa cases still stuck > on the wall. Panic not, plenty spares. ... SO ... as a test I removed > the top 1/2 dozen layers, shifted the rest into new premises and re- > covered it. I'll try a small batch with the next in line and see how > she goes. > (UK) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 9, 2008 Report Share Posted October 9, 2008 LOL You poor guy! Glad you didn't panic though. ;-) (no offence , but your post did cause quit a stir back a while ago) :-D Actually I had just been looking back over the " HELP! One GNAT on top of mushroom! " thread and considering to post about my recent humbling experience with fruit flies in MY kt. Then I saw 's post. Those " parisites " are always sitting around on top my jars just waiting for a chance to get in. , here is another fact about fruit flies: They can collect their daily necesary nutrition from the aroma of brewing kombucha. I don't know where they come from and where they reproduce. Certainly not in my kt! I did have a few get in though a few days ago. I had taken the coffee filter off to look in, and here the scoby had a huge bubble; I'd say about an inch high. I wanted my dad to come take a look and so I just laid the filter on top without the rubber band. I think we got sidetracked with something else and I never did put the rubber band on. A whole 24 hrs later I found it. (not as bad as you, !) By then there was quite a number of those suckers in there. Yes, three or four dead ones and eggs. The eggs are tiny, only a little bigger than a grain of sand. I could just so see them. I carefully pulled the scoby out and rinsed it off good at the sink. I tried to get all the eggs, but they were so hard to see and seemed to be slightly emmbeded in the scoby. I started a new batch just for that scoby alone, for an experiment. We shall see. So far all seems to be normal. Sorry for myverylongwindedness, Rodrick " Time flies like an arrow, Fruit flies like bananas. " After several days study I think I can now report that fruit flies A) Have the ability to teleport. May also clone in flight. Every time I get one in my sights, ready to " Clap it to dead " there it is ... gone. Drew a bead on one of the little beggars ... suddenly there were two. Not having been into my SCOBOTEL for some time I found, on uncovering it, a second generation of fruit flies with the pupa cases still stuck on the wall. Panic not, plenty spares. ... SO ... as a test I removed the top 1/2 dozen layers, shifted the rest into new premises and re- covered it. I'll try a small batch with the next in line and see how she goes. (UK) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 16, 2008 Report Share Posted October 16, 2008 you guys are a riot! fruit flies breed and hide in your sink drains. try taping a clear plastic bag over it at night and see how many you trap by morning. you can poke a small hole and use a straw to pipe in some kind of toxic (to the FF, not to you) gas. you wont significantly lower your fruit fly population (because after all they DO clone in mid air!), but you'll feel better having zapped a few. by the way, FFs hate citronella oil, so i always keep some on hand. a spritzer bottle of water, distilled vinegar, a few drops of citronella, and a drop or two of liquid soap helps with all manner of flying pests, cats who wont stay off the counter, and other noxious pests. I keep a bottle handy for my horses during fly season. it works as well as poison sprays do, but does not work as long. it is oh-so-much better for your and your loved ones (human and otherwise). if you dont like the smell of vinegar and citronella, you can add another essential oil that is more to your liking to the mix. there are quite a few that repell insects and smell good too. a word of warning though, your dogs will HATE this stuff, and if you spray them they will find something that smells better to them (like cow droppings or a dead skunk!!!) to roll in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 16, 2008 Report Share Posted October 16, 2008 you guys are a riot! fruit flies breed and hide in your sink drains. try taping a clear plastic bag over it at night and see how many you trap by morning. you can poke a small hole and use a straw to pipe in some kind of toxic (to the FF, not to you) gas. you wont significantly lower your fruit fly population (because after all they DO clone in mid air!), but you'll feel better having zapped a few. by the way, FFs hate citronella oil, so i always keep some on hand. a spritzer bottle of water, distilled vinegar, a few drops of citronella, and a drop or two of liquid soap helps with all manner of flying pests, cats who wont stay off the counter, and other noxious pests. I keep a bottle handy for my horses during fly season. it works as well as poison sprays do, but does not work as long. it is oh-so-much better for your and your loved ones (human and otherwise). if you dont like the smell of vinegar and citronella, you can add another essential oil that is more to your liking to the mix. there are quite a few that repell insects and smell good too. a word of warning though, your dogs will HATE this stuff, and if you spray them they will find something that smells better to them (like cow droppings or a dead skunk!!!) to roll in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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