Sprayed my bin with vinegar for months to keep fruit flies away, but opening the lid after feeding yesterday I saw the smell was just attracting more of them.

Turns out a thin layer of dry shredded paper on top of each new addition actually blocks them from laying eggs in the first place, has anyone else found a better cover material than paper?

2 comments

2 Comments

sandralee1mo ago

The shredded paper trick is a good one... I started using coffee filters a while back. Just lay them flat on top of the scraps before putting the lid on. They let air through but the flies can't get past them to lay eggs. Something about the texture I guess... they seem to get confused and give up. Also tried a layer of cardboard egg carton pieces torn up small, that worked pretty well too but got soggy faster than the filters. Might be worth testing what you have lying around to see what holds up best.

christopherwilliams1mo ago

@sandralee Did the coffee filters hold up better than the egg carton pieces over a few weeks? I'm guessing the cardboard would start falling apart pretty quick once it gets wet.