Fruit flies

Fruit flies - a trusty sign that summer has arrived! While harmless, fruit flies can be annoying. If fruit flies are surviving in your Bokashi bin, it suggests that the contents are not acidic enough. Try adding a few more sprays of liquid bokashi when adding food scraps. 

To prevent fruit flies from entering your Bokashi bin, make sure that the bin is kept closed when not in use and collect your food scraps in a sealed container. 

Maggots

Eek - maggots can be a little unsightly but don’t worry, they won’t do any harm and even add a little bit of protein to your fermented scraps. 

Maggots arrive in your bokashi bin when a sneaky fly lays eggs on your food waste (either in your collection caddy or when you are loading the bin). If you have accidentally left the lid open, this may have also allowed the flies inside where they have laid eggs. 

The maggots hatch within 24 hours of being laid but won’t survive in the Bokashi bin due to the acidic, anaerobic environment. 

To minimise the arrival of maggots in your bokashi bin: