Thanks to the borough’s sustainability efforts and Bergen County’s growing environmental awareness, Fort Lee residents have jumped into composting with both feet. Yet, while it began as an environmentally conscious approach, it has led to a somewhat surprising side effect in local kitchens: continued fruit fly swarms. Especially in the hot, muggy summer, when temperatures in Fort Lee often top the mid-80s, these little pests love the temperature.
Composters are full of organic matter ideal for breeding: many homeowners are battling swarms of these annoying insects, most often overnight. For a serious problem, a good Fort Lee pest control company can offer practical methods for managing the infestations.
Familiar Composting Mistakes Residents Of Fort Lee Make
- Adding Too Much Citrus and Sweet Fruits
Fort Lee residents unwittingly make fruit fly magnets by dumping orange peels, banana skins, and rotten fruits in excess into their compost bins. Because of the dairy-rich nature of these sugary materials, they ferment quickly in the humid climate of New Jersey.
- Placing Compost Bins in the Wrong Locations
During Fort Lee’s warm seasons, when fruit flies can often migrate inside the kitchen, many residents have positioned their compost bins adjacent to kitchen windows or near a back door, thereby creating an easy access route for the flies.
- Not Covering Food Scraps Properly
When fresh food scraps are left out in the open on top of piles, you invite local fruit fly populations to saddle up immediately.
- Overwatering Compost Materials
With an average annual rainfall of 47 inches, Fort Lee’s outdoor compost bins receive excessive moisture, creating ideal conditions for fruit flies to thrive in damp, soggy conditions.
- Using Diseased or Pest-Infested Materials
Composting organic matter that has already been contaminated by fruit flies from the garden or the grocery store introduces fruit fly eggs directly into the composting system.
- Neglecting Regular Turning and Maintenance
Busy residents in Fort Lee, NJ, turn their compost infrequently, creating anaerobic conditions in their piles that smell and attract even more unwelcome pests.
- Creating Compost Piles That Are Too Small
Reduced numbers and pathogen levels, combined with not enough heat to kill fruit flies properly, are the bane of small-scale compost heaps.
How Composting Creates the Perfect Breeding Ground?
There are 40% to 60% moisture levels in the compost bins, which is ideal for the breeding of fruit flies. Under such favorable conditions, studies find that fruit flies can cycle through their entire life span in as little as 8 to 10 days.
Besides, Fort Lee’s average summer temperatures of 75-85°F are optimal for fruit fly reproduction. The temperature that a compost bin retains is also to this extent, which helps females lay as many as 500 eggs at once.
Fruit fly larvae feed on decomposing organic matter, which is endlessly rich in food. Adult flies are drawn from quite a distance to fermenting fruits and vegetables, and the alcohols and acids produced during that process feed the adult flies.
Furthermore, a compost (pH 6.0-7.0) environment that is mildly acidic allows the Drosophila to develop, but inhibits many beneficial insects that may have provided natural control over the Drosophila.
When the Buzz Becomes a Bigger Problem
Peak composting season typically runs from May through September, and Bergen County health statistics cited a 40% increase in service calls for pest-related problems.
Many Fort Lee citizens discovered that their DIY remedies were ineffective for infestations that were this severe. Utterly unaware of composting limitations on what other people nearby, not just you, are doing in their own homes, Alliance Pest Services is fully trained on the local parameters by professional pest control services. They can locate all breeding grounds, apply targeted treatments, and advise on the prevention of a new infestation in a way that is compatible with sustainable composting methods.
