Fruit flies prefer not to prevent fruit waste on the compost

"A fruit fly rarely comes alone" is the name of an old adage. Because the small flies multiply explosively. But there are precautionary practices to prevent them from multiplying. The best thing is not to provide a place for the fly brood. The breed nestles mainly in fruit, as the German Pest Control Association in Greven (North Rhine-Westphalia) reports.

Instead of compost organic waste bin
So that fruit flies can not spread, waste from fruits and vegetables does not come to the compost, but into a lockable bio-waste bin. Ideally, "the waste is best wrapped in newspaper," advises the association. Fruit should only be stored in apartments in the fridge. Unfortunately, avoiding infestation does not work, as the experts emphasize.

A fruit fly will only be two to three millimeters long. Some have red eyes, others have dark stripes on their abdomen. The larvae of the tiny insects are white and develop mostly in fruits that have already reached an advanced level of maturity.

16 million offspring from only one fruit fly
An entire generation can fully develop in particularly warm summer months in less than 10 days. Because the animals develop so quickly and because their growth rate is so high, a single fruit fly can create a generation of around 16 million flies in just one month. Health can also be dangerous especially for infants and the elderly, because fruit flies can transmit bacteria and other pathogens. In addition to conventional pest control natural home remedies for fruit flies can be successful. (Sb)

Image: Carina Lauer