# Fruit flies



## banannabiker (Jan 30, 2012)

I have heard lots of bad things about fruit flies, and the DO seem to magically appear around anything with wine in it. I recently found one floating in the top of my primary, and just wanted to know when the flies actually become a problem for the wine. One fly in the primary doesn't seem like a problem-but is it? How do they ruin the wine-thruough bacterial action-dying and decaying...what is it that they do that is the real problem, so I know what to watch out for.

Thanks


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## grapeman (Jan 30, 2012)

Fruit flies carry acetobacter bacteria on their feet. This is the bacteria that can cause vinegar to form. One fly usually is not cause for alarm. As soon as you can, get the proper sulfites in the wine after fermentation has finished and it will keep the bacteria from multiplying and causing a problem. Those who do not sulfite at all are more at risk for vinegar formation.


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## Turock (Jan 30, 2012)

It takes more than one. But be aware that if you don't kill them off, you'll ALWAYS have them as they reproduce like crazy. We set out wine for them in a shallow container until we've got them all killed and see no more of them. They are a real problem as they even hang around a container of meta water and get into it at bottling time. Get them killed for sure.


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## robie (Jan 30, 2012)

I heard a report from a pro in Napa that these flies sometime lay their larvae around the outside of a bung, so they will fall into the wine when the bung is opened. A quick visual inspection can prevent this.


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## winemaker_3352 (Jan 30, 2012)

robie said:


> I heard a report from a pro in Napa that these flies sometime lay their larvae around the outside of a bung, so they will fall into the wine when the bung is opened. A quick visual inspection can prevent this.



Nasty a** flies. Good info robie - did not even think about that..


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## non-grapenut (Jan 30, 2012)

winemaker_3352 said:


> Nasty a** flies. Good info robie - did not even think about that..



I know I will get some boos and hisses from the forum, but Saturday night I had some unexpected company over when I was racking some wine. I put the carboy on the ground and forgot about it overnight with the lees left in it. I'll be darn if all my fruitflies aren't gone! Just for good measure, I covered the carboy with saran wrap and poked a few holes in it throughout Sunday. I normally am OCD about cleaning my freshly-racked carboys, but was interrupted and lost my winemaking mojo...drinking wine at the time didn't help, I am sure!


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## Runningwolf (Jan 30, 2012)

robie said:


> I heard a report from a pro in Napa that these flies sometime lay their larvae around the outside of a bung, so they will fall into the wine when the bung is opened. A quick visual inspection can prevent this.



I have witnessed this!


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## stevenstead (Aug 30, 2012)

Apologies for bringing up an old thread but I'm having similar issues.

When I took the cloth from the top of the fermenting bucket to stir, I saw a couple of fruit flies dive in to the liquid. They were quick! How do you guys stop this happening?

Same again when taking readings, bungs are out, lids are off. I'm being as careful as possible but it seems they love wine more than me. Straining the pulp out was the same thing, the wine is open to the elements for quite some time and would love to know what you guys do.

Lastly, what about oxygen during stirring, straining, taking readings, tasting, racking etc? I'm on tenderhooks as to whether to do anything in case I spoil the wine. I used campden tablets for the first fermentation, and I will use one again when racking but is this enough?

Absolute lastly, if the flies carry the bacteria on their feet, why is important to not let any eggs in there?

Thanks in advance.

Regards

Steve.


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## joeswine (Aug 30, 2012)

*fun with flies*

 On the other hand fun with flies is very interesting,sometimes when this event raises its ugly head ,i play a game with the flies,i get out my shop vac (5hp) with hose and lye in ambush,waiting for the pry to a lite upon the quarry only to be sucked in to my vortex,in some cases they do not succeed,in other its a waiting game,but i shall always prevail ,when the swarm takes flight,


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## JohnT (Aug 30, 2012)

stevenstead said:


> Apologies for bringing up an old thread but I'm having similar issues.
> 
> When I took the cloth from the top of the fermenting bucket to stir, I saw a couple of fruit flies dive in to the liquid. They were quick! How do you guys stop this happening?
> 
> ...


 

What I try to do is kill off the fruitflies. I like to create "fruit fly traps". (take a 2 liter soda bottle, cut the top 1/3 off to form a funnel. Pour some wine or must into the bottom portion, and insert the top portion (neck side down). The result is a perfect flytrap. the buggers fly in, but can't find a way out and end up drowning). 

By killing or removing the flies, you will have no problem. Even if there are a few that remain, this should not be a big deal. 


Sanitation is important. You do seem to worry a lot, though. Without the use of k-meta, there are very few forms of bacertia that can exist in wine that can hurt things. If you are using k-meta, and at the proper levels, you should have nothing to fear from bacteria.


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## joeswine (Aug 30, 2012)

*fun with flies*

 On the other hand fun with flies is very interesting,sometimes when this event raises its ugly head ,i play a game with the flies,i get out my shop vac (5hp) with hose and lye in ambush,waiting for the pry to a lite upon the quarry only to be sucked in to my vortex,in some cases they do not suceed,in other its a waiting game,but i shall always prevail


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## jswordy (Aug 30, 2012)

I take reasonable precautions to prevent their access to the wine and then I don't worry about them.


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## Dugger (Aug 30, 2012)

Like the others I try to keep them under control with the traps and also a shop vac. Once I had a particularly heavy crop of flies and put a fan on my bench at the right level to blow across my bucket as I was stirring/punching/racking etc. and this kept them at bay.


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## joea132 (Aug 30, 2012)

I hang a few sticky fly traps and if they get really bad I'll set up a funnel trap.


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## stevenstead (Aug 31, 2012)

Thanks for the replies!

I really am worrying far too much then, but I dare say it's my fault as every article or book you read has a block capital bold section to avoid fruit flies and air at all costs, then all of a sudden I have a small colony moving in hahaha.

I best start making traps for the little fellas and I believe I have some hanging fly traps in the garage too. Bonus.

I shall joeswine's attitude from now on


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## cimbaliw (Oct 23, 2013)

Sorry for resurrecting an old thread but I made a John T trap and baited it with some finished Chardonnay leavins that I had. The results were good but not great. Last night after racking off a primary, I re-baited with cab slurry. Oh, my what a party. Fruit flies came out in droves, I even had an amorous a couple fornicating in the interior slope of the trap. Today, they must all be sleeping it off 'cause ain't no body flying around. I suspect they are all dead in the slurry but the bait is too dark to tell!


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## Brew and Wine Supply (Oct 23, 2013)

I have also misted them with some k-meta, that will kill the ones you hit and sanitize anything else it hits too. Guess that would work around the bung too.


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## Tess (Oct 23, 2013)

seems like I have one pesky one that wants to make my life miserable every time I go down to my wine room. I brought them in on my maters! 
I wish it would swan dive into my brew bucket because it would be dead!!! 
I hear all about their life span on here but I think they are immortal!! Im not believing any if it anymore!! Just so you know  they are evil!!


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## Tess (Oct 24, 2013)

I know (Shame) one fruit fly!! Its a pain though , and it begins with one!! lol


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## JohnT (Oct 24, 2013)

Tess said:


> I know (Shame) one fruit fly!! Its a pain though , and it begins with one!! lol


 

Tess, 

Here is what you do..

Nab it by the wings, then smak it on its back saying "Spit it out"!
Every little bit of wine is precious!


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## Runningwolf (Oct 24, 2013)

Why fight something that adds body?


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## Brew and Wine Supply (Oct 25, 2013)

Runningwolf said:


> Why fight something that adds body?


 the body of a fly...::


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## joeswine (Oct 26, 2013)

*The remedied*

* TAKE OUT YOUR SHOP VAC A BOTTLE OF YOUR BEST WINE!*

NEXT PLACE YOUR SELF WITH IN ARM LENGTH WITH THE SHOP VAC,MAKE SURE THE BOTTLE IS NOW OPEN AND YOUR GLASS IS FILLED ,NOW SITTING BACK IN YOUR FAVORITE CHAIR TAKE A NICE MOUTHFUL OF YOUR FAVORITE WINE ,RELAX TO THE MUSIC IN THE BACKGROUND OR THE TV IN FRONT OF YOU,WHEN FLIES START TO GATHER TURN OF THE SHOP VAC AND WATCH THEM DISAPPEAR.

NO STRESS........THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX


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## DoodleBug (Oct 26, 2013)

I liked the above, but I skipped the shop vac and drank until the flies disappeared.


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## Runningwolf (Oct 26, 2013)

Dang bugs I hate 'em


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## reefman (Oct 26, 2013)

I like Joe's idea with the Shopvac. I set out a 2 liter bottle with the top cut off and flipped over inside the bottom. Added some wine and waited for the buggers to show up.


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## jamesngalveston (Oct 26, 2013)

dang guys flys have to eat too...lol 
love the vacum zapper joe.


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## dessertmaker (Oct 27, 2013)

You don't need a trap.

An open wide mouth container with some fermenting wine in it and a couple of drops of dawn soap to break the surface tension will work just fine if not better.


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## WI_Wino (Oct 27, 2013)

dessertmaker said:


> You don't need a trap.
> 
> An open wide mouth container with some fermenting wine in it and a couple of drops of dawn soap to break the surface tension will work just fine if not better.



This has been my experience as well. I use pint canning jars.


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## coryc51 (Jun 3, 2015)

Sorry to rekindle an old tread but I am having some trouble that I believe is going to lead me to toss all my wine equipment and start over. 

I believe I have a real bad case of Acetobacter infestation. The classic high acidity, vinegar taste and nail polish/perm solution smell. 

Four batches of wine ago I was in the middle of a move and did not clean a plastic primary fermenter out after racking. Left the lees and all in the bottom for over two weeks... Smelled awful and was a swarming mess of flies. I cleaned it out a little better than normal and went back to making wine. The next batch was so bad that I couldn't drink it. So I did a little research and cleaned the primary supper well, sanitized like crazy and tried again. Not quite at bad but still a definite vinegar taste. After that I purchased a new primary and tried another batch. Still like vinegar. I did notice that the smells and taste developed later in the process (week 3 or 4).

During my last attempt to sanitize everything I used almost a gallon of bleach... I was confident that i killed that stuff, only to come back a week later and sniff a few piece of equipment and I still get a whiff of vinegar. I cant get rid of it and don't know what else to do except throw it all out and start over. 

Any thoughts, anyone else ever run into this?


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## JohnT (Jun 4, 2015)

I would clean the equipment again. Try using a solution of screaming hot water and automatic dish washer detergent (the gel type). A good squirt of this in a gallon of screaming hot water should do the trick.


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## JohnT (Jun 4, 2015)

Just an aside...

If you folks are anything like me, and you catch a fruit fly in your wine, your simply grab it by the scruff of the neck, tap it one its back, and yell.. "Spit it out"!


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## GaDawg (Jun 5, 2015)

Time flies like an arrow and fruit flies like a banana


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