Flies in my oven

[BeverlyGoldberg]

Mumsnet I need some help.

The past two times we have had oven chips we have noticed small flies on them on the plate. We changed the brand we get, thinking it was the chips, it wasn't. Tonight with a new bag, completely different brand, we again noticed flies.

The oven was professionally cleaned fairly recently. Our kitchen is clean. We haven't noticed flies around the kitchen.

What is happening to us? Where are they coming from? Is this a common problem

Please no judgment. We're not filthy animals. We need advice, not a roasting!

Surely flies can't survive the 15 minutes or so in an oven while the chips are cooking?! Or are they dead?

Is it definitely not bits of dirt flaking off in the oven and landing on the chips? When we've not cleaned the oven for a while it gets this gross lining of dark black grime that flakes off

Or little black flecks of the roasting pan surface coming off?

How crazy! Are the flies alive or all dead? Have you tried putting a piece of fruit/food in the oven while it's off to see if there are more of them?

Are they definitely flies? Could it be soot or something similar?

What! do you have photos?

They're always dead and always stuck to the oven chips. We haven't noticed them on anything else.

If they're in the oven then obviously they die when we cook - but then next time we do oven chips they're there again. How do they get in, where do they come from?

Here's a photo. They're tiny, this is zoomed in.

I would be putting some food in there with no heat on right away to see if more come out.

Looks like fruit flies, have you got something decomposing in your kitchen that you’ve missed maybe?

Is it the tray you are using?
They could be coming from where you store your oven trays...

Has some food fallen down the back of your oven or behind/under the cooker?

Do you see them anywhere else but the oven?

This is bizarre OP! Never heard of flies in an oven of all places

I'm pretty sure it can't be the tray. I have a nifty baking tray/chopping board storage thing which makes me feel like a real life grown up.

It's not impossible food has fallen somewhere but how are they getting in the oven between uses, dying and then more getting in?

Do you only cook oven chips in your oven??? Have you ever noticed it on anything else?

No we cook lots of other things but only noticed them on oven chips - which we don't have that often - maybe once a week.

Do you ever see the flies alive? Do you store your chips in a different place? Are the flies in the bag when you shake out the chips? Surely an oven is a solid unit, how are they getting in unless they can open the door?

This is bizarre, firstly cook something else and have a look?

Wow that is weird. Has something fallen into the vets? I would have thought that if it had it would have dried out by the oven and no longer attract the flies.. 🤷‍♀️

Vents not vets....

How bizarre. Of course, I can offer you no advice, but I'm very intrigued!

Are they McCain chips?

I'm curious that they only seem to be on the chips! We had an flurry of them in summer before we moved the fruit into the fridge. Something must have sipped down the back of cookers that's slowly fermenting. Little sods.

Do you just abort the dinner every time flies come? Is there a nest (do flies nest?) near the fan blowing them in? Do you have a door/drawer built in under oven

They cant only like chips. They will be on everything if they are in the oven. Just more noticeable on pale chips.. I’d be binning the oven

Could they have 'nested' (or whatever flies do) in the fan compartment and get blown out while it's on?

Wouldn't explain why it's only happening to chips though.