Are Fruit Flies Good For Compost?

Whether or not you’re interested in composting, fruit flies will be attracted to green material in your compost pile. To avoid them, mix three parts browns to one part greens. Also, cover the greens with dry carbon materials, such as shredded paper, grass, and dried leaves.

You can also freeze your compost materials to keep fruit flies from breeding. This will also kill any eggs the fruit flies may lay. There are even kitchen compost bins that fit in a freezer. These are more effective than standard compost bins that sit on a counter.

When you are using compost, you can also place a plastic bag in the bin. You can put the bag in the freezer overnight. This will kill the flies that are responsible for destroying the food scraps. Alternatively, you can add some mint to the compost bin. Regardless of how you choose to compost, it’s important to avoid the presence of fruit flies.

Flies can affect the speed at which compost decomposes. A good rule of thumb is to use a mix of 2:1 or 50 percent brown waste to green waste. Too much green waste will slow down the decomposition process. Adding brown waste will prevent the insects from getting in and will help raise the pH level of the compost.