Dealing with Fruit Flies

(The following is a quick update from the group member who is housing the fermenting mead.)

I've noticed that fruit flies are especially attracted to the mead mixture even though it's covered. As someone who has made wine and grown wheat grass, this is nothing new. A few years ago, I learned how to make an effective trap to minimize this annoyance.

Fruit Fly Trap Instructions:

1. Take a large mason jar.
2. Fill 1/4 of the mason jar with apple cider vinegar.
3. Fill the mason jar to the half-way point with water.
4. Include a few drops of dish detergent (Sunlight seems to work best).
5. Place in the affected area. 

This trap works by using vinegar to attract fruit flies, encouraging them to fly into the jar and near the water, where they become stuck to the detergent and subsequently drown.

Though I have found no reference to dealing with fruit flies in any of the blogs of academic literature, I wonder if the Vikings suffered from similar issues, and whether or not the flies were considered problematic. If so, it would be interesting to know how they dealt with this aspect, if at all.

-Jo