The trouble with composting, at least the ways in which I do the deed, is the quantity of insects it attracts. If I fail to seal or securely twist-tie the compost doggy bag there will be a small swirl of gnats, some tiny others surprisingly large. I happened to have one of those sticky tape bug trap things in a drawer. I got them last summer, I think, when a brief invasion of flies warranted their version of the electric chair. When placed this week it almost immediately filled to capacity with gnats. Honestly it was impressive how summarily so many of them were drawn into the trap. They do not cogitate much but you would think a primal level of instinct in some of them would see this column of dead bodies and think “Hmmm, maybe turn back to that plastic cave of leftover pork chop…” But no, one after another they hurtle to their sticky, dismal demise.
I also procured a bottle of apple cider vinegar, said to be the classic solution for murdering gnats. So far the concoction of vinegar, bar soap, and sugar has captured only 2 victims, one of them among the largest specimens I remember from this particular swarm. A few others, interestingly, seem to have planted themselves on the rim of the glass in which the vinegar concoction lies in gnatful temptation. It is a gimlet glass, possibly but likely not among the set that S. gave me all those years ago. I think it’s more commonly called a tumbler. Whatever its name it is presently a death trap for gnats, but they’ve proven surprisingly unwilling to dive in or else they may have, as a species, become wise to the dish of vinegar and soap and sugar. The 2 gnats that drowned in the vinegar landed almost immediately upon the glass being placed. Since then not a single one has made the leap, but they do stand at attention along the rim of the glass, forming a bizarre sort of Margarita. I wouldn’t drink it but callow college youth might take the high-protein challengs.
At this point I know not if the gnats perched on the rim of the glass are dead or alive, if they are delivering sermons for the dead below them, or if they are simply sleeping or unconscious from the intoxicating scent of the vinegar and soap and sugar. Was I supposed to fill the glass to the rim with the soup of gnatly death? It is about half full at present.
It’s true, though. Separating organics and leftover food scraps is unquestionably increasing the insect population in my kitchen. The bitty work of sorting yet another container of waste is increasing the accumulation of things in my space. Each task is a trip down and back up the stairs. Efficiencies are in play but it still doesn’t fully compensate for the additional tasks and time and accumulation.
Pick up one of those small bottles of white wine you can purchase in a 4 pack. Pour the wine in a glass, cover the top of the glass with plastic wrap and taking a sharpened pencil poke 5 or 6 small holes in the plastic. Bugs go in, can’t get out and drown. Works for me with fruit flies every time.
I’ll take it into consideration. Bugs have never been a problem here except for some flies and one time a swarm of red ants blasted out of the kitchen drain. I later learned that this happened all over NYC and was somehow quickly eradicated. The sticky tape, I might do a video of that just to show how effective it was. It’s gruesome, if you look at it too long and think about it, but it works. I need to get the kitchen window screen replaced or fortified. That’s where all these gnats got in.
I had the sticky strips hanging in my garage years ago to catch flies. My wife said it looked like a Tijuana bordello.