fly larvae during summer

Does anyone here get fly larvae in their bucket during the summer?

It happens fast. One day I poop and the bucket is normal. Next time I go to the bucket there are thousands of fly larvae crawling up the sides of the bucket.

I can kill them with spray and the treatment last about 10 days, but then they appear again. I don't like using the insecticide because I fear it may prevent proper composting.

We top our poop with sawdust. The bucket is left open. When we used to keep a lid on it. It became just like you describe.

Every now and than we get wigglers in the bucket and I than put wood stove ashes on them. They seem to dislike that. I am sure you could use stuff like DE which would also harm them.

In a perfect world i would build a screen which goes over top of the bucket which would prevent the bugs from getting in.

I have had this happen with fruit flies and it is no fun. First step was to take the bucket out and clean it super well. What worked for me to keep them from coming back was making sure the chamber where the bucket sits was super well sealed. If the flies can't get in, they can't lay eggs in there. Just in case, I also placed a jar with small holes poked in the lid full of apple cider vinegar and a couple drops dish soap near the toilet. Sweet alcohol works also, if you don't have apple cider vinegar. The flies are attracted to the vinegar and go into the jar. If you make the holes the right size, they can't get back out and end up drowning.

You might also check to be sure that your cover material isn't a potential source of eggs, larvae or adults. I leave my stock of cover material outside in a metal trash can that I refill from every week or so. Easy enough to stick it in the sun and ensure no critters are living in there.

Thanks for the replies.

My flies don't object to the wood ash. It's what I've been using for cover material since I ran out of sawdust. I do cover the bucket. I'll try leaving the cover off and see how that works.

This only happens during the few summer months.  

Hi permie-peeps! I have been using the compost toilet bucket system for several months and love it! My compost is rocking and rolling and nice and hot. Within two weeks of depositing my bucket contents, my “deposits” are unrecognizable. On the other hand, for the past month I have been struggling to get rid of the fruit flies that are finding their way into My bucket! It takes me about two weeks to fill a bucket so by the time the bucket is full, the babies are hatching and it’s pretty gross looking. I know they are macro-organisms that help break stuff down but it’s not a pleasant pooping experience when you have critters landing on your bum when you are doing your duty:/ I cover with aged wood sawdust and/or sawdust that has been activated with LABs and inoculated with forest floor mycelium I reproduce for my garden. What am I doing wrong? I cover the material well, the wooden box the bucket is in is fully sealed, and I even installed a fine mesh to keep them out, but somehow they are still getting in. It’s a bit maddening and frankly embarrassing when visitors come and want to use my compost toilet. I have a permaculture and natural building project and want to show folks that there are better alternatives to shitting in potable water. But...alas the fruit flies are ruining my reputation. Any suggestions friends??

Fly Eliminators are gnat-sized parasitic wasps used for biological fly control in livestock facilities, on farms, near food production areas and around homes. They specifically target developing (pupal) stages of manure breeding flies. Female Fly Eliminators seek out their target host – usually near decomposing organic material – where they deposit their eggs inside the fly pupae. These eggs hatch and feed on the developing flies, stopping adult pest flies from hatching.