Shoo fly, you bother me

I’m at the end of week 2 in my composting journey. It’s kind of exciting (odd, I know) to see the old coffee grounds, orange peels, banana peels, and plant trimmings breaking down already. If I dig down below the top layer, I am now seeing sawdust colored mulchy goodness. 

Fruit Fly by Max Westby

Unfortunately, I also see a swarm of fruit flies each time I open the lid. That part is not as exciting. It’s probably the banana and orange peels that I didn’t bury well enough. I’m now careful to lift the top layer and put the fruit scraps well below the surface. I still have fruit flies, but they don’t seem to be getting any worse.

I read that you can make a funnel trap by cutting a plastic soda bottle in half, placing a little cider vinegar in the bottom and then inverting the top half inside making the funnel. The flies are supposed to be drawn to the vinegar and drown. I’ll give this a try and see if it works.