My bokashi bin got absolutely invaded by fruit flies and it changed my whole approach

I was doing the whole apartment composting thing with a bokashi bucket under my sink for about 4 months and honestly thought I had it dialed in. Then last Tuesday I came home from my delivery shift and lifted the lid and there were hundreds of tiny fruit flies swarming out of it (gross, I know). I realized I had been dumping in mango peels and watermelon rinds without burying them under the bran properly. So I had to haul the whole bucket down to my building's trash room, dump it out, and start fresh. Now I keep a little spray bottle with vinegar water next to the bin and hit it every time I open the lid. Also I started freezing my scraps for 24 hours before adding them to the bucket, which kills any eggs before they can hatch. Has anyone else dealt with getting an infestation under control without just giving up on the whole system?

2 comments

2 Comments

christopher_west111d ago

Wait, did you say you actually counted the fruit flies or was it more of a "hundreds-ish" situation? I had the same panic attack last summer when my bin turned into a tiny airport terminal, and I nearly threw the whole thing in the dumpster out of pure shame. Freezing the scraps is a lifesaver though, now I feel like a mad scientist prepping my trash for bedtime.

webb.jordan10d ago

@christopher_west1 you're telling me you actually counted them too? I sat there with a notepad like a total weirdo trying to see if the number was going up or down after I sprayed vinegar. Ended up around 47 before I lost track and gave up. Freezing the scraps changed my life though, I keep a little bucket in the freezer now and it feels wrong but works perfect. Did you ever figure out where they were coming from in the first place?