Larvae/eggs in our produce?

[juliebove]

I've got yet another problem with fruit flies. I am pretty sure they came in on some bananas. Daughter has been insisting on bananas since she is no longer allergic to them.

I can manage to get down to maybe 2 flies left, but then of course they multiply and I have the problem all over again. Frustrating.

I currently have all of our fruit and veg. in the fridge except for the last 3 bananas, a bag of Cuties and the bin of potatoes.

I have been smashing the flies as I see them. I find this works best with wet hands. I hate killing stuff but this seems to be the only way. None of the traps I've tried has worked.

Anyway... In researching this on the Internet, I saw reference to something that skeeved me. It said the miniscule fruit fly larvae and/or eggs were present it most all of the produce that we buy. It only hatches or matures if the produce gets old.

Anyone know if this is true? If so, ick!

[Raw Angel Mom]

They will go away, just make sure to keep the banana spill away all the time. This is normal but it happens only when the banana get very brown.

[juliebove]

They will go away, just make sure to keep the banana spill away all the time. This is normal but it happens only when the banana get very brown.

I have been throwing them away when they get brown.

[rawstrength]

Don't worry about the larva in your food. They won't make you sick; they will only give you extra protein and maybe some B12. We all consume critters everyday (whether we like it or not, acknowledge it or not)

Do you have a banana rack? They are useful in keeping the bottom of your bananas from rotting before the rest of the fruit.
http://www.mountainwoods.com/images/RattanBananaHUC_RBHUC_S.jpg

[Crazy Healer Lady]

Especially buying organic, there's not way to 100% keep bugs out of our food. I won't actively eat them, but I think as a society we have to get away from the whole "Bugs are gross" thing. If meat-eaters switched to bugs as a source of protein, we'd have less irridation, less pesticides, less soil erosion, less hunger, etc etc etc.

But as a vegan, I can understand that whole, "I don't want to eat something that has legs" feeling.

We had fruit fly problems. Just keep all your fruit in the fridge until they're gone. After that, just wash your fruit well when you get home, even bananas.

If you're in a cold area right now, you can always open all your windows for a day. It's actually a flea infestation trick. Heat your house to encourage the eggs to hatch, then turn it off, open all the windows to freeze them.

Hope this helps! Also, make sure to keep any fruit peels or leftovers in the compost *outside* if possible.

[Bananna]

I would rather deal with fruit flies than the meat/other flies I used to deal with...

Fruit flies are a pain, I agree. Bananas freeze well, as soon as they're starting to go, toss them in the freezer peel and all if you have to and then just put them in smoothies.

Oh, also I am going to get one of those glass 'cones of silence'...I saw one and thought it would be the perfect sheild for my fruit, didn't buy it, wish I had, will the next time I see one...They are about as wide as a dinner plate and probably a foot high with a big ball shaped handle on the top.

also the banana rack pictured above does help, I just use the big hooks under my cupboards, works just the same but doesn't take up counter space.

[iamacranberry]

I would rather deal with fruit flies than the meat/other flies I used to deal with...

Fruit flies are a pain, I agree. Bananas freeze well, as soon as they're starting to go, toss them in the freezer peel and all if you have to and then just put them in smoothies.

Oh, also I am going to get one of those glass 'cones of silence'...I saw one and thought it would be the perfect sheild for my fruit, didn't buy it, wish I had, will the next time I see one...They are about as wide as a dinner plate and probably a foot high with a big ball shaped handle on the top.

also the banana rack pictured above does help, I just use the big hooks under my cupboards, works just the same but doesn't take up counter space.

Or just put the bananas in a plastic bag. Flies can't get in then.

[juliebove]

Don't worry about the larva in your food. They won't make you sick; they will only give you extra protein and maybe some B12. We all consume critters everyday (whether we like it or not, acknowledge it or not)

Do you have a banana rack? They are useful in keeping the bottom of your bananas from rotting before the rest of the fruit.
http://www.mountainwoods.com/images/RattanBananaHUC_RBHUC_S.jpg


I used to have a banana rack but it became a breeding ground for fruit flies so I got rid of it.

[Bananna]

lol, they do...thankfully bananas also have a thick protective peel. It's the other fruit that doesn't that's really the problem...

[NoGMO!]

better to eat a bug than pesticide.. if the bugs are happy dining there, I know it's probably good and safe and if they die from nibbling it, well...:D

I think you can attract them to another food source in a narrow neck bottle, then take them outside and set them free..

[Ilse W.]

Somebody said the other day (I think it was the latest interviewee on Rawkin Radio), that the eggs/larvae on produce are the reason nobody is a true vegan. Think about it, our system needs the little gritters we ingest. Without them, we can't have the B-12 we need, and probably a host of other things "science" hasn't figured out yet. It's the people who wash their bodies with anti-bacterial soap and try to live in a sanitized world who catch all the "bugs" that go around. Sometimes I have fruit flies in my kitchen,, other times houseflies. I really don't care. It's the spiders in my bedroom that bother me, and I'm thankful that the Pacific NW is inhospitable to cockroaches.

[MelissaO]

There are thousands of living things all around us and on our food that the naked eye can not see. I remember back in science class the teacher had us look at dust through a microscope- I did not sleep for a week after that.

I have no problem washing whatever critters I find hanging around on my food off. I have had to return folage back to the store when finding Larvae - that does not wash off very well.

I am the only raw foodist in my household so I end of freezing lots of things when they get ripe (grapes, mangos, alvocado) you can always toss that stuff in a smoothie later and do not have to add any ice to it.