Anti-fruit fly kitchen caddy, compost.

[Leoislazy]

Hi, my local council recently introduced a weekly compost collection. The bin they provided for indoor use was fine over the winter months but now I’m getting an exodus of fruit flies every time I open the damn lid. I’ve probably been lucky that I have not yet had blow flies and maggots, but I’m sure they’ve got their eyes on it.

Can anyone recommend a kitchen caddy that has a lid that fits securely? The compost bin looks ok but clearly they are getting in somehow.

We use this, with the green caddy liners. Lid fits well and we tie up the liner and empty it into the outdoor compost bin daily. No issue with flies.

Empty it daily. Job done.

It takes a while to go through the life cycle from adult flies, eggs, larvae, pupae and back round to adults again. I think you need to be emptying more frequently and/or cleaning it out better in between uses.

Wow - a few assumptions maybe? I didn’t think this was aibu 😆
I do empty it daily - I have 3 teens and I empty leftover cat food in there as well. It’s a small bin that fills up quickly so I have to empty it in to the outdoor bin every day. I’ve also developed an ability to smell the slightest odour, I assume something to do with peri menopause, so I can’t stand even the slightest whiff from my bins.

But thank you, I’ll assume you meant that helpfully!

My kitchen windows are left open for 6ish months of the year, I’m assuming they are possibly coming in that way? I don’t think that they are hatching in there but ‘visiting’ if that makes sense.

Coming in to the kitchen that way, I mean. And then having a party in the compost.

I put mine ( the whole caddy ) into a mesh bag , the type you get for buying loose fruit/ veg in or washing your delicates .

Also the bin is spotless, I use the compost bags and nothing gets on to the plastic so I think it is just about finding a bin with a good seal. I’ve seen the Jospeh bins but I would rather not spend too much money and find out it doesn’t have a good seal on it. Hence the request for recommendations.

I’ll have a look at that one @OatFlatWhiteForMe - do you know what brand it is?

We have had these for two summers now. Never had flies in them. Am also peri.

Your flies aren't laying eggs, then flying out in a day.

Have you got any house plants? We had an infestation of fruit flies last year and solved it by putting sticky traps next to the fruit bowl and compost caddy, and nematodes in all the house plants. Once the nematodes (Amazon) were in situ the amount of dead flies/fungus gnats on the caddy and fruit bowl sticky traps went right down and then nothing at all after a week or so.

No, they are not - you are right. Although I had no idea what the lifecycle was, until Mazzika posted it.

So I do think they are simply flying in to have a munch, that I’m seeing those same ones fly out an hour or few hours later, whenever I next open the lid. I live in central London so I am very close to lots of neighbours, I back on to a school and it’s big bins and I close to the local shops etc. Lors of places they could be flying from 🤷🏻‍♀️

So yes - still looking for recommendations for a bin with a good lid seal…

Thank you @SansOgm - I do have quite a few plants. I haven’t noticed any activity around them but I will try everything you’ve mentioned. The nematodes in particular sound like a great idea. I have lots of homemade apple cider vinegar traps but sticky traps will also go on the list.

@Leoislazyits from IKEA. It’s washed each day and still looking fresh 4 years down the line.

Put bleach down your kitchen sink plug hole they can breed in there.

I don't recommend the Joseph Joseph one. We have it and the seal isn't great.

I found those little flies were attracted to the fruit bowl. Got a big glass cake dome lid to put over the top which keeps them out. But they are annoying.

I bought a metal caddy (like a mini old style dustbin) but the real key is to use paper kitchen compost bags.

We now never have fruit flies where we used to all the time in the past. And we don’t empty it till it’s full to bursting.

I have a 2 litre metal kitchen caddy. We empty it every day but still get fruit flies in summer. I put a bottle with apple cider vinegar beside the caddy & they are more attracted to that than the bin.

Nematodes are the best things for fruit flies and fungus gnats.

Paper caddy bags!

Have never found a suitable paper caddy bag in Ireland. We use compostable doggie poo bags.

Ah, I didn’t know that. I can buy them here in London in Sainsbury’s and Waitrose and they’ve really done the trick.

Came to say this.

Interesting. I sometimes do a day trip to Sainsbury’s in Lisburn (NI) so will keep that in mind for my next visit.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I think the little buggers are either coming in through my windows or are doing their thing in the pot plants (I repotted many of them a few weeks ago, that may have triggered it). I hadn’t noticed as they seem to be hiding behind all the foliage when their not partying in the caddy. I’ve ordered nematodes and a Simplehuman caddy which looks a little more airtight than the council caddy. Hopefully that will stop them getting in to it. The apple cider has been working but not as fast as they seem to be breeding!

Honestly - try paper caddy bags. You can buy them in the supermarket. We have et had a single fruit fly since making the change.