"Flies Attack" in Lab - Looking for ideas to get rid of flies... (Sep/07/2009 )

Hi all,

Yes, I had clean the lab from bottom up...I was wondering whether flies can hatch inside our laminar hood or incubator, i mean the internal machinery part.???

Dear phage434,
do I need to shake the "vinegar trap" to create bubbles in order to catch flies?

Anyway, I will try the cider vinegar+washing soap. Meanwhile if I can catch a fly sample I will keep it posted here.

Have to go shopping using private money to buy vinegar...haha.

adrian kohsf on Sep 10 2009, 02:11 PM said:

Haha, funny topic.

I had some problems myself latetly with flies.
I had them in my agar etc... everytime I made a bottle and autoclaved it, there would be a fly in it haha.
Oh well, the fly is sterilised too and in the laminair flow, they get sucked away each time.

I think the fruit thingie is indeed a good idea: if they eat some fruit and trow it in the garbage , you can bet your life on it that you will get flies.

Or I just attrack flies ? Maybe you too? haha

I would hang some flystrips and like phage343 said, try out dishes with 1/2 vol cider vinegar and 1/2 vol dish washing soap to trap fruit flies or try it with some sugarwater with some soap in it, that works too.

Do you have a floor drain in the lab? Maybe it is under the safety shower. Sometimes flies will grow in the trap. (It happens with our facility, which has adjacent animal rooms.) Pour a disinfectant down the drain 1-2 times a week to get rid of them.

this topic definitely caught my attention. anyone out there ever experienced drosophilla attacking the lab when someone uses organic solvent?

everytime i run my column using chloroform, there's definitely a drosophilla hanging around at my bench. only one though, not a whole swarm.

Hi there,

Flies not a chance, but because my lab is located below the ground, we have earthworm problems, but they are founf in the corridor only during rainy days. Otherwise dont have any pest prob in the whole dept.

With the flies, buy a fly catcher- htose electric blue light bulbs, i know it is un ethical, all i can think off is check around the area, if there are any dumping sites or garbage lying around, check those place which you dont usually dont visit in the lab, like the fire hose spot, hazardous chemicals room, or water drain from the roof.

All the best