I brought my Saison fermenter up to about 90 degrees. The fermentation has become more vigorousand it's putting out a lot of fermentation odors. I don't mind because unlike the starter it smells pretty good but unfortunately the fruit flies have found it as well. Is there anything I can do to keep these buggers away?

Smack em.

or

http://www.gardeners.com/Fruit%20Fly%20Traps/05-243,default,pd.html?SC=XNET8419

I use good old fashioned fly paper and it works really well.

Just don't let em' get in you fermenter.I lost a batch of mulberry wine I made last year when they got into a dried out airlock and runied the batch.

Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.

Sorry, couldn't resist that. Actually if you don't want to use flypaper you can lure them away by slicing some oranges and/or other fruit (like bananas) into a pan and add some water. Place this across the room from the fermenter and empty it every day or so.

You could take a 2L plastic bottle, cut the top off and invert it so that the opening is facing down. Drill a little hole in it, large enough for the flies to get in, maybe a little large for good measure, but not too big. Then fill with some red wine, beer, anything sweet that would attract them, and seal the two parts together, I like a hot glue gun for that purpose. The little buggers will fly in and won't be able to figure out how to get out, and they'll eventually drown.

What TimO says - I too lost a batch to them buggars. Keep a tight seal and, like the others said, lay out traps.

John.

Use a nice well sealed combined blow off bucket for all of your fermentations. That's what I always do when I have multiples going. Make it deep enough that it holds a good CO2 blanket. The flies go in because it smells like fermentation and they are looking for a moist food rotting place to lay their eggs. Then they end up just choked out and dead in the water that is far from your actual fermentation.

Keep in mind you want to take extra measures on sanitation on your blow offs and bucket as fruit flies tend to carry acetobacter.

I knew about them carrying acetobacterium, that's what got me worried. I found a trick on a wine making website to place a glass of vinegar with some dish detergent in the area and they would be attracted to the vinegar and trapped by the film created by the soap. Within a half hour this morning there were fruit flies in the glass. When I got home tonight none. Could vinegar dissolve flies that quickly?

If you have fruit flies they are coming from somewhere else. Garbage, doors open, fruit on the counter etc. If you eliminate the source (close doors, dump garbage, eat fruit), then they will go away. During wine production I found that if I keep my doors shut, my problem almost goes away. Fly strips (bait with fruit, they lover grapes) and vacuum cleaners are really effective.

Any other food, garbage, etc is quite far away on another floor of the house behind a closed door and the brew itself is behind a closed door and inside a cabinet with closed doors. Maybe my local flies are just more persistent!. We always seem to have fruit flies around but I usually ferment in the garage or basement, which sees to ward them off, because of lower temps but apparently these saison yeasts like it a little warmer so that's not an option this time. I guess I'll put up a fly strip tomorrow.

Also watch for fruit flies around sink drains.

That is interesting that the flies in the vinegar dissapeared. Now, I feel like setting up an experiment to see if I can replicate the results. Maybe some larger bug came and ate them.

Yeah, don't know. I was under the impression that the soap would create a layer that makes it real tough for them to get out.

"I use good old fashioned fly paper and it works really well. "

I try to use the chemicals that have been banned, they really work

Yeah, a thin layer of Clorodane on top of your wort will take care of just about anything.

GeezBB, I know you don't agree with some of my posts in other threads but that's a bit extreme isn't it.

FWIW, the soap in solution will break surface tension, making the flies sink and drown. I'm sure most of you have seen those water bugs on lakes that walk on water, same idea. Take a paperclip and set it horizontally in some water, you ought to be able to make it float. If you add soap to the water, the paperclip will sink. That's my science lesson of the day.

Don't worry, I was actually agreeing with Jim.

BB, can you get me some Clorodane? That stuff rocks!

I hear its still legal in Europe.

My Dad used to have some, but it's long gone. He put it completely around his slab to protect aganst termites.

Thats what I used it for. Maybe Richard the Guniess brewer will get some for us.

FWIW, I'd read that if you have a constant fruit fly infestation the best method was to pour some Clorox down all the drains in the house before you leave in the morning so that it sits all day undisturbed. The story was that they were laying eggs in the water trap of the drain, thus it always seemed like I could never get rid of them. The Clorox did the trick for me...and made my garbage disposal smell better.

15% Roasted Barley!!!

You better get in here, Richard
Someones taking the piss. LOL