# Coffee grounds and Fruit Flies.



## Alan Kilroy (Dec 22, 2017)

Ongoing problem.

Fruit flies seem to be hugely attracted to grinds and obviously fruit in the kitchen. I see flies hanging off my machine and grinder, loitering with intent.

Mostly a summer pastime, especially with bananas knocking about etc etc.

'Er indoors insists that I bring my grinds well down the garden, which I do, good for the compost and good around . my brassicas to keep the slugs away.

My kitchen bins, one for veg scraps, are of the modern design with a close'ish fitting lids.

They get in everywhere, God love their little wings.

They come up against my "tea towel truncheon" daily in my war against them!!!! ??

Yes.....fruit is kept, mostly, outside the kitchen now but...............they're very good at infiltrating.


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

They may not be coming from far away, when there's no fruit they can also be found hanging around sinks, baths, showers etc.

They don't seem seem able to resist the temptation of drowning themselves in red wine :-l


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## Inspector (Feb 23, 2017)




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## Syenitic (Dec 1, 2013)

If you have a bright spot nearby why not try a couple of Sarracenia's, they'll happily deal with them.


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## Alan Kilroy (Dec 22, 2017)

Actually last year, comes to mind............Apple Cider Vinegar was like heroine to them. In a saucer they'd dive bomb it.

I found it a tad expensive to buy though for pesky flies............Apple Cider......easyyyyy..........???


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## Slowpress (Jun 11, 2019)

Interesting.... My coffee grinds don't attract fruit flies at all! However, I do keep those spent grounds in a separate dish from all other food scraps, so that might explain it.? (The dish with spent coffee grinds doesn't get emptied every day, whereas the food scrap bowl gets emptied frequently each day.) As long as I put the daily banana peel &/or apple peel straight outside into the compost bin (pronto!), no fruit flies appear indoors.... but, if the peel sits for even 10 minutes, a swarm of them will appear, and in no time I have an invasion of the critters! The emptied compost bowl needs to be completely rinsed (or washed)... the slightest bit of residue will be enough to attract them. They are impressive fellows, albeit annoying!??


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## Alan Kilroy (Dec 22, 2017)

Correct.........one would want to empty a couple of times a day, depending on your fruit/vegetable consumption, now that we're all going vegan (cough).

We fill a scraps bin quite fast with pieces of paper, skins, eggshells tbags, dogs hair, two of them ?.

I've got a good big compost heap going, more than a sq. metre so I love my scraps, grinds etc.


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## Norvin (Sep 10, 2014)

There are some lurking near the bananas in my kitchen, none near the grinder/grounds tray.

I guess Groucho Marx was right when he said " Time flies like the wind, fruit flies like bananas".


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## VonPete (Aug 1, 2019)

I second Syenitic's pitcher plant (sarracenia) suggestion. They'll happily eat tons of fruit flies and they look good too.


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