Fruit fly infestation in your worm bin? Here's how to prevent and get rid of it.

For some people, a fruit fly infestation is probably the most unpleasant and feared possible situation in vermicomposting. But there are easy, simple and effective solutions to prevent it or get rid of it. 🚫 🪰👍🏼

A. HOW TO PREVENT A FRUIT FLY INFESTATION

1. Add Beneficial Nematodes and BTI to your worm bin 🦠
   Beneficial nematodes are microscopic worms that hunt and kill fruit fly larvae. Simply add a pouch in the moist bedding and let the beneficial nematodes colonize the worm bedding.
   
   Bacillus Thuringiensis Israelensis is a naturally occurring bacterium found in soils. When eaten by mosquito larvae, blackflies, and fungus gnats, BTI produces toxins that kill these insects. BTI is safe for people, pets and other animals, aquatic life, or other insects, including honeybees.
   
   
2. Freeze your kitchen scraps ❄️
   The skin of fruits and vegetables may have fruit fly eggs on them. By freezing your kitchen scraps, you will kill all the potential fruit fly eggs. And no need to unfreeze your food waste before adding them to your worm bin.
   
   
3. Burry your food waste under the worm bedding ⛏️
   You will greatly reduce the risk of a fly infestation by creating physical barriers between the food waste and a potential fruit fly in your house. Burying your food waste under the worm bedding is one of them.
   
   
4. Use a worm blanket 🛏️
   Another physical barrier is the worm blanket. Not only it helps to maintain the moisture level and make the worms more comfortable to vermicompost on the surface under the worm blanket, but it will make it harder for any fruit fly to access to the food waste. You can use, by example, an old t-shirt made of natural fibers like coton or a wet newspaper as worm blanket, or simply buy one.

B. HOW TO GET RID OF A FRUIT FLY INFESTATION

1. Apply the advice above ✅
   What helps to prevent the fruit fly infestation will also help to get rid of it.
   
   
2. Stop feeding your worm bin 🛑 
   The fruit flies can reproduce easily because of their access to the food in the worm bin. If you stop feeding your worm bin, and wait that your worms transform all of it into vermicompost, the fruit flies population will drop drastically.
   
   
3. Add a layer thick of bedding 🧱
   Make it hard for the fruit flies to get out of there, and to get in there too. Put a thick layer of clean moist coconut coir, shredded paper/cardboard or peat moss in your tray.
   
   
4. Prevent the fruit flies from escaping the worm bin into your home 🏠
   If you are using a worm bin like the Worm Factory 360 or Urbalive Worm Farm, you can prevent the fruit flies from bothering you in your home until the infestation is solved. Simply use a transparent plastic bag (e.g. the blue recycling one) and place it over your worm bin. Make sure to not tie it at the bottom as the worms need oxygen to live. The fruit flies may espace out the the worm bin, but they will stay trapped at the top of the bag, trying to fly towards the light. But the air will still be able to circulate from the bottom of the bag.

I hope these advices have been helpful. Feel free to comment at the end of the page. 👇🏼