Okay, so I am pretty ticked right now, so I apologize in advance if I sound pretty nasty. I just had to dump my first batch of wine down the drain. I just pitched the yeast this morning, and when I went to check it this evening as I putting a batch of strawberry wine must down to cool, it had a layer of ants all over the top. Not exactly a taste I would want to try. My cranberry mead doesn't seem to be to the ants' palate though, because it has been bubbling away since Sunday, and there were only a couple of ants on the outside of the bucket, none inside.
Does anybody know of a way to keep the buggers off my wine/mead?!?!? Or do I give up this hobby altogether, seeing as I live in Houston, the fire ant capital of the world?
In general I try to adopt environmentally friendly ways of dealing with pests, but the two ways I know of that are, well . . .I didn't actually want cinnamon in these meads or wines, and as for wiping the sides with vinegar, I think you can see the problem with that one. I am currently using a plastic fermenting bucket with a towel laid across the top. Someone please help!
Does anybody know of a way to keep the buggers off my wine/mead?!?!? Or do I give up this hobby altogether, seeing as I live in Houston, the fire ant capital of the world?
In general I try to adopt environmentally friendly ways of dealing with pests, but the two ways I know of that are, well . . .I didn't actually want cinnamon in these meads or wines, and as for wiping the sides with vinegar, I think you can see the problem with that one. I am currently using a plastic fermenting bucket with a towel laid across the top. Someone please help!