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!

Bloody Fruit Flies. Absolute pain in the rear. I once had an about 100 buzzing around my kitchen one hot summer after I left it 24 hours before throwing out a rubbish bag some melon peel was in. It may be the vapour coming off the chips that brings them out.

Anyway, here's how to coax them out and get rid of them if they're living in your oven. Get a container, a mug or something. Fill it with about 1/2 inch of the strongest alcohol you have, preferably whisky. Cover most of the top - something that allows the aroma to come out and allows them to get in but also lets the fumes underneath build up. Put it in your oven. Throw out the revolting Fruit Fly soup a couple of days later.

Sorry, should have made clear, put the mug in the oven if you think that's the source.

I was going t suggest putting half a smoke or orange in there and shut door open a few hours later to see what you get

Smoke?! * lemon

It's an integrated fan oven. No drawer underneath, just the oven unit and a kick board. My worry is the fan is brining them
In but from where?

There's no other obvious sign of flies. There's so bad smell.

The original batch of chips were McCain. Tonight's we're a different style and supermarket own brand. I'm confident it's not the chips, although that would make me sleep a bit easier.

Ooh @TheNestedIf that sounds a dastardly plan of action. I'm going to give that a whirl.

Several years ago, my refrigerator was infested with fruit flies because of a bloody artichoke I had bought, but flies in the oven is intriguing! I would have to go on a fly finding mission, to be sure.

I haven't noticed them on anything else I have cooked this week: pizza, bread, roast chicken, Yorkshire puddings.

Because it's happened before with chips we have been keeping an eye out so I am fairly sure we'd spot them.

They lay hundreds of eggs at a Time and only have a lifespan of a few days so they are finding somewhere comfortable to live. It can’t be in the oven they wouldn’t be cremated.. the eggs could be on oven trays etc that go into an oven, oven not used for a day and eggs hatch?
They will survive in a clean bin even under a bin bag with even a crumb of food to feed from.
They could be based near veg rack/ fruit bowl.
Is your bin in a cupboard?
Pull out grudges etc anything u can get under.i would remove kickboards and look under neath.
Any juice spillage, rotten piece of food, even beer bottles wine bottles anything , they will nest on and feed. I would leave oven door open, put fruit in, then turn oven on and kill. Do over and again and deep clean kitchen in mean time til they are gone.

Grudges = fridges
Bloody auto correct

Pets? Cat/dog/ animal bowls around?

This is the weirdest thing ever. Surely they would be on other foods

I know it's weird. I'm so disturbed.

@QueefLatifah I like that idea.

We recently had a leak in the kitchen, all the flooring was removed so the floor boards could dry out. The kick boards were removed so it's not impossible that some rogue food got under the kick boards and they're nesting down there. The surfaces are relatively clean and the bin is a recycling bin with a sealed food caddy inside - I'm confident it's not from there.

It’s your leak. We had one recently too and those fuckers were everywhere. Not in our oven though - they’re getting in there somehow and being incinerated and you’re seeing them on chips because of the pale colour as a pp said. Bleurgh.

This morning we've had the oven liner out, there was some debris on it but nothing out of the ordinary.

Had all the shelves out. Shone torches into the oven, had the oven fan on.

No sign of flies dead or alive in the oven.

Had all the baking trays out. They live with casserole dishes and chopping boards. No sign of flies, dead or alive. I held by breath as we pulled out the Yorkshire pudding tin - nothing.

The oven is due a clean, I was going to get someone in but it's not that bad so we're going to tackle it today. Mr G is going to pull the kick boards off to have a look.

In the meantime we emptied the bag of oven chips into a baking sheet and there was nothing untoward so definitely not the chips.

We're stumped. And also feeling slightly sick. Wtf are they coming from?

Where do you store your baking trays? Are they in a cupboard? What is in the cupboard? Is it a solid cupboard or is there a gap inside on any of the boards? (Mine have space a On back board)
Failing that they could be living in another room elsewhere and filtering through when food is being prepared. Strange if you haven’t seen any though. They are annoying and fly low and around your Face if you are eating etc. I’d think you would have noticed.
I guess flies come from maggots could there be some somewhere you can’t reach? do fruit flies start as maggots?! No idea. Could they be from underneath are you in a flat?
Could they be in fridge and escape when you open? I know that sounds gross but possible with food in there

Just a thought - if you’re putting vinegar on the chips the fruit flies may be in the vinegar bottle. This happened to someone I know.

Oh God, this is my worst nightmare. Check your salt and vinegar maybe?

Have you checked the vinegar bottle? Fruit flies love vinegar.

I was going to suggest the vinegar too; if they were on the chips in the oven, they would be... crisper.

Bleughhhh hope you find the cause and let us all know please

Vile I hate to think of the germs they carry I would recommend a professional clean of your Oven and home

Vinegar! I bet you're right!

(sorry OP, am far too invested in this )

Did you try the whisky? I need to know how this ends!!!

I was going to suggest vinegar before I read the replies then saw other people have suggested it. I had EXACTLY the same issue, then realised it was the vinegar. No idea how they got in there but after 3 lots of chips being ruined before I cottoned on to it being the vinegar and I took off the lid and poured it out and there were hundreds of th things floating in the liquid