Just left home for a weeklong vacay. We accidentally left out washed blueberries on the kitchen counter, in front of a sunny window. With a fly trapped in the house! Think the blueberries will dry up or rot? Afraid they will rot and we are going to come home to a thousand flies. We have a few hours at the airport (missed our flight, oops!) and can go back. Husband insists it'll be fine. I'm not convinced. Any thoughts?
You may have some rotten blueberries when you get home, just from sitting out that long.
I doubt you will have maggots... but you may have a bunch of fruit flies/ gnats.
unless there were flies in the house before you left ,one week is not going to be enough time for anything much to happen.
It'll be days before the berries overripen and start to mush. It'll be a few days after that before fruit flies show up - about the time you return. Just throw the berries in the trash and the fruit flies (if any) will be gone in a day or so.
But I highly doubt anything happens...
I vote dry "up & rot." Rotten food alone does not "produce" flies or maggots. Maggots are the larva of a fly. Flies mostly lay larva in dead things, not fruit.
♛QueenoftheCastle♖ is wrong on this O.. (Sorry!) Meat in a sealed jar does NOT "produce" maggots. A fly would have had to previously lay larva in the meat, then sealed in the jar, for that to happen.
Get a neighbor or family member to go pitch them if it's going to ruin your vacation--which it shouldn't!
Is there anyone, a neighbor with a key to your house. I'd be more worried about fruit fly infestation. Whatever you can deal with it when you get back
The fly in the house actually has nothing to do with the development of maggots. 7th grade science experiment: sealed a chunk of meat in a jar, after a few days there were maggots in the jar.
The blueberries will dry up and rot, and maybe get some mold, but no maggots.
ETA: OMG, One and Done, you are absolutely right!! Hahaha, see why I let my husband handle all the science stuff?! Wow, can't believe I forgot the actual lesson of that little experiment :)
I think they will more than likely dry up and you may possibly get fruit flies, those are nasty! I would just set a bomb when you come home and that way you know all those little buggers died. I wouldnt worry to much about it.
nope. you'll probably have fruit flies. certainly not worth spending one moment of vacay time worrying about.
have fun, mama!
khairete
S.
We compost. I dump rinds, stems and rotten fruit and veggies in an open bowl that I leave on the counter, sometimes for days. I also throw in moldy bread and egg shells. The worst of it is a few fruit flies. I dump the bowl, wash it with hot soapy water and the fruit flies disappear (probably die off).
You won't get maggots. And once you get back and ditch the blueberries, no more fruit flies, if any do show up.
Enjoy your vacation!
They will just dry up.
You won't have maggots-it is my understanding that the flies lay their eggs on fresh meat, fish, poultry, etc. But you may have some fruit flies. If the flies persist after you get rid of the berries, set out a couple of small bowls with a bit of apple cider vinegar in them. If the berries leave a stain on your counter, try some WD-40 to remove the stain.
Have fun on your vacay!
MKS
Nope.
Flies are attracted to rotten meat and manure.
They lay the eggs in them and the maggots hatch out.
I had a fridge die on me once and I had to throw out a lot of spoiled meat and the garbage bag did not have a good seal on it - oh MAN - the outside trash can was crawling with maggots and was beyond disgusting!
The berries will dry up, and the flies won't bother them.
Fruit flies don't hatch into maggots and berries are not usually juicy enough to attract fruit flies.
