Grrrr Fruit Flies

[vvolf34]

Well I looked into my primary last night and discovered a fruit fly stuck to the side about an inch below the lid, but not touching the must. How it got in with the lid on I do not know. Now the wait game begins to see if this pest has ruined my wine.

 

[Tom]

The fruit fly dies a HAPPY DEATH!
A little protien never hurt any one. No worry you will be fine.

 

[vvolf34]

OK good to know. I always thought fruit flies were the death of wine!! I don't know if he died happy as he never reached the fruit of his labor. The sides of my fermentor are very wet and I think he may drowned before he got to the golden nectar of my Piesporter!

 

[deboard]

I read somewhere that back in the old old days, in France, if a mouse got in the fermenter and died, they would cremate the mouse and add the ashes to the wine, believing that this was the only way to save the wine. Do you still have that fruit fly carcass?

 

[vvolf34]

Hahaha nice one one, I like it. Alas though, I threw it out! I am now officially DOOMED!!!

 

[Wade E]

It would take more then 1 fruit fly to do any damage and that fruit fly was most likely on your lid when you snapped it on. they are quick to get in. It also takes quite a bit of oxygen exposuer for theat bacteria to kick in even if there was enough bactria in there.

 

[vvolf34]

Not snapping on, it just losely sits on it and he wasn't in there a coule days ago, or if he was, I didn't notice the little bugger. But I am glad to know that my wine should be fine!! It's amazing, I keep finding the door to my wine room open. It must be a ghost doing it, because everyone in the house says "it wasn't me"!!!

 

[koda_ky]

No worries he probably didn't drink much. lol

 

[Manimal]

Wade's post is right on... it's the bacteria that the fruit flies carry that are the problem and it would take more fruit flies in conjunction with oxygen exposure and low SO2 levels for it to ruin your wine. That being said, I hate fruit flies and I understand your concern upon finding one in your fermenter... at least he got what was coming to him.

 

[rawlus]

when i am using a fermenter with a gravity fit lid, i put a book on top to help minimize fruitfly ingress. if they are really bad that time of year, i'll put a 375ml bottle with some wine mixed with a drop of dish soap on the table near the fermenter... they go after that instead and die... it can only be a drop of soap tho, too much and they'll know.

 

[vvolf34]

I was thinking after that I need to weight it down. Thanks for the suggestion about the soap. Will have to try it, because summer time is usually a problem!!

 

[winekit]

wheat bugs in must

Happy monday to all! i'm making another batch of carrot wine(j.Keller recipe) after adding the wheat,i covered it with a sterilzed cloth. This morning i see about a dozen tiny wheat bugs (dead) on the slices of the oranges and lemons. Ihave not sulphited the must(was not called for in recipe) as the boiling liquid from the cooked carrots was poured over the ingredients. There fore is this must salvagable? It's a gallon batch.
thanks in advance for the replies!
winekit

 

[GrandpasFootsteps]

I saw a fruit fly in my wining area yesterday. I was sort of expecting them come spring since I have so many every year anyways in the kitchen. I hate those things. I got sort of freaked out - where did he come from in wintertime? I have the same loose lid on my primary as the OP, so I covered the whole thing bucket down to the floor with my extra large mesh straining bag.

I presume he was a scout. I expect full on war this spring.

 

[abefroman]

One good thing about the north is we don't have those flies, at least not this time of year.

 

[Runningwolf]

Knowing you have an issue be proactive and set traps out early to git 'em as they come in and before they breed.

 

[AlFulchino]

we had a hint of a warm up last week...two days in the 50's..what do i see on the winery door window two days in a row? a fruit fly....just a itchin to get started again

 

[Sirs]

myself I take the rubber gasket out of my lid, cover the bucket with floursack cloth then snap the lid on of course my lid has a big hole cut in the center for air to be able to circulate. It keeps all the little and big critters out of my wine while it's perking

 

[JohnT]

I hate those little buggers!.

Chances are that the fruit fly was already dead and just happened to be in the grapes you were using.

I agree that 1 fly is nothing to be concerned about. Keep a lookout for more of them.

If the fruit fly was still alive, I would grab it by the wings and make him spit out any wine that it might have in its mouth!