Pest Management Professional, December 2017
ConduCive Conditions By Mark Sheperdigian BCE Contributor These lowly dropped onions are like manna from heaven to Drosophila spp Photo Mark ShePerdigian BCe i n restaurants grocery stores and even homes you should never look at an onion without thinking about vinegar flies Drosophila spp or small fruit flies as they are also called The association has to do with the way onions are shipped and sold in open mesh bags When stacked up in large crates the onions on the bottom get crushed and begin to rot around their crushed parts Within a week or so the yeast that grows as a result readily attracts and feeds Drosophila Whenever you see bulk onions in a produce section or in a storeroom walk by and gently jostle them If the flies are there they will take flight immediately Look under counters to check for onions that have fallen and rolled out of sight They will continue to breed vinegar flies until someone has the good sense to get on the floor and look underneath or more likely until the flies finish the onion Because vinegar flies are common in onions in grocery stores they also are common in homes that have onions If a client is complaining about little gnats or small fruit flies in the kitchen the three most likely sources are the onions the fruit bowl or the garbage disposal Well talk about garbage disposals in a future issue pMp You can reach Sheperdigian vice president of technical services Rose Pest Solutions Troy Mich at shep@ rosepest com Why do vinegar flies love onions TM YOUR BE BEST DEF DEFENSE 1 year warranty High quality materials Simple to use Hand tested products Less than 1 return rate Built to perform 17 0191 54 December 2017 pest Management professional mypmp net
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