Fruit flies around the worm tray

Small flies in the air around the tray, and maggots in any food that is sitting on the surface.

One of thirty faults recorded at this bench · last reviewed 2026-09-18 · By The Compost Desk

01Symptom

Small flies in the air around the tray, and maggots in any food that is sitting on the surface.

2 published logs ran into this — linked in section 04.

02Why it happens

Food left on the surface. Fruit flies lay on exposed material and complete a generation in about a week, so a surface feed becomes an infestation quickly.

03What to do

01 Bury every feed at least 5 cm deep under the bedding.
02 Stop feeding for 10 days and fluff the bedding to dry the surface.
03 Set a small vinegar trap next to the tray to catch the adults.
04 Freeze fruit scraps for 24 hours before feeding them in summer.

04Where this has come up in the logs

05Related logs

Every published log that touches this fault is already listed in section 04.