Counter tip

What helps against annoying fruit flies?

Summer is approaching, the temperatures are rising and the first surprises are appearing. Fruits and fruit that you could store in the fruit basket behind the counter in winter without any problems now quickly start to become overripe.
Fruit flies - the pests of summer.

For fruit flies, this is the best time of the year, the gourmets' paradise has opened. How can you get on top of the situation and get rid of the pests - or prevent them from appearing in the first place? Fruit fly, fruit fly, vinegar fly - they all have one thing in common, the name fruit fly.

What few people know is that fruit flies are ideal laboratory animals for genetic and developmental biology studies. They have been used there since 1907. In the bar, however, they are small pests, two to four millimetres in size.

So how do you get to our bars?

The females lay their eggs, invisible to the naked eye, on fruit and vegetables. When we buy fruit, we also unintentionally buy fruit flies. Therefore, it is important to always wash fruit thoroughly. The females can lay up to 400 eggs within a few days. Thus, a single fruit fly can quickly become a plague.

Muddy fruit waste is the perfect breeding ground for the larvae.

Fruit flies also have a very good sense of smell. They immediately perceive yeasts from old fruit or wine.

Fruit flies
Fruit flies can quickly become a nuisance.

How to control fruit flies in your bar

  • Rinse traps. For these you need a small bowl that you fill with a little vinegar and/or apple juice. Theoretically, you can also use any other juice, but it is important that it ferments slightly or is already cloudy. Now add a few drops of household washing-up liquid and the dishwashing liquid trap is ready. Adding the washing-up liquid breaks the surface tension and makes the attracted animals unfit to fly, so that they drown. Another option is sugar syrup, which glues the wings together.
  • Store fresh fruit and vegetables in the fridge or refrigerator drawer and only take them out shortly before use. It is also advisable to buy only as much as you think you will need in time for cocktails.
  • Cover the fruit. The best way is with a cotton or oilcloth so that enough air gets to the fruit. Close-meshed protective covers also keep the fruit flies away.
  • Keep the work surface clean. Syrup, sweet drinks and fruit waste magically attract fruit flies. So you should not leave drinks standing around openly and regularly take away and seal the rubbish.
  • Cover pourers at night, close syrup bottles immediately after use, and with Dash Bottles you can stick a cocktail stick in the opening, for example.

Fruit flies are unpleasant and disgusting for many people, but they are NOT dangerous. They do not transmit diseases and with the measures mentioned above, fruit flies are well under control. Nevertheless, to be on the safe side, double strain wherever possible ...

Basically, hygiene and clean work are indispensable.

Günther Strobl

The warm temperatures cause improperly stored products to spoil even faster and herbs to dry out quickly. Use storage tins with moistened cloths for mint, basil, etc., wipe used liquor bottles daily and rinse pourers often.

Do your guests and yourself a favour and don't leave the ice scoop in the ice bucket. Bacteria can also accumulate in the ice and when it melts, the scoop will quickly sink into a lake of melted water.

This article appeared in
Issue 3-2020

BAR NEWS magazine as single issue

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