How To Manage Fruit Flies In Your Worm Bin

Indoor vermicomposting can seem like a safe bet if you want to keep animals out of your worms and scraps. However, even indoors, flies and other nuisance insects can find your worm bin and take advantage of the smorgasbord.

This can be super annoying, and lead to icky infestations. There are ways you can keep these buggers out of your vermicomposter, though! Read on to learn how to manage fruit flies in your worm bin…

Always Bury Your Scraps in your bedding
The first step to getting rid of any unwanted guest is prevention! Fruit flies don’t burrow like worms do, so as long as your scraps are always well-buried in your worm bin, you should prevent them from setting up camp in the first place. They are very attracted to the smell and form of yeast that forms just when foods start to break down. This is why it can be normal to see one or two buzzing around a fruit bowl you may have.

Suck Them Up
A vacuum is a great way to quickly and easily get rid of grown fruit flies. Since they will be on the surface and around your worm bin, all you need to do is turn on your vacuum, raise the hose attachment, and wave it around the areas they congregate. This will easily suck them up and doesn’t need to disturb your worms or other stuff in your bin.

Trap Them
Fruit fly traps are super easy to make. All you need is a deep cup, some apple cider vinegar, dish soap, tape, and a piece of paper.

Fill the bottom of the glass with some ACV and a few drops of dish soap.

Fold/roll your paper into a funnel shape and tape it to the inside of the glass so the narrow end is just above the mixture.

Make sure the tape is secure to the edges of the funnel and glass, so they can’t escape up the sides.

Set up near wherever you see the fruit flies the most, and watch them disappear!

Don’t Leave Food Out For Them
Your worm bin should be safe from fruit flies as long as you remember to bury your scraps well, and keep moisture down. However, other food sources might be encouraging fruit flies to hang around. Keep scraps you have on hold in the freezer, and make sure fresh produce and other foods are either sealed or refrigerated.

Use Extra Top Bedding
If you have an especially stubborn population of fruit flies, you may need to use extra top bedding in your worm bin. After you bury your scraps, it can be helpful to add a little extra bedding to the top of your worm bin. Some peat moss or damp shredded paper over the top should deter fruit fly pests much more easily. Make sure this top layer is just a little drier than a wrung-out sponge though! You don’t want to dry out the rest of your compost or drown your worms.

Use a little Garden Top Soil

Garden soil can help your bin regulate moisture and cover scraps. You wont have as much room for scraps, but you can always freeze them in between feeding your worm bin. Soil acts as a great way to hide scraps.

Fruit flies can be a real hassle if they find their way into your worm bin. However, I hope these tips on how to manage them help you win the battle! If you have any other fruit fly deterrent tips, please share them below. 

And… Make sure you read my other vermicomposting posts, How To Keep Your Worm Bin From Stinking and Is Worm Compost Good For Plants?

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