Hi I just realised that I left some cloves of garlic and a banana out on my kitchen countertop, and forgot to bin them before leaving.

I could be away for 3-4 months and have no easy way to have someone go there and bin them.

Am I going to arrive to a hellish mess in 3-4 months time, maybe bacteria and flies etc? I am imagining the banana has all become some awful liquid mess! Especially as it warms up. If the prognosis isn't good, I'll have to arrange something, mailing of keys etc.

Thanks

Jon

Strange combination.
I wonder if the garlic will act as an insect deterrent to the banana, if close enough, though somehow I doubt it.

I look forward to hearing the outcome with the greatest of interest.

Once made a similar mistake myself, leaving dogfood in the house not properly sealed.
By the time I got back the whole ant population of the neighbourhood seemed to have moved in.

I thought that, the main problems you will have is ants, and the fruit flies, but they will probably all be dead all over the place, go in armed with a LARGE can of insect spray, and just be ready to run in, spray, and run out again for half an hour, then do the big clean up.

Yes it will be messy and the ants will enjoy themselves but by the time you go back I would have thought that the ants would have given up and that the garlic and banana would have become very dry.

Rosemary

I would have thought that after 3-4 months all that will be left would be dessicated and all the wee beasties gone to find something else.

Snap, Rosemary

That's what I think too. And let's face it, you will have sorted out the vampire problem.

Abd there will be all the bodies of the fruit flies to deal with..

Depends whatever other fruity flavours and scents are tucked away in the kitchen.

These guys don't give up easily once once they pick up the scent.

I once left my rented place in the Alpujarras for a couple of days and returned to find a trail of the little rascals all the way from the garden to a kitchen cupboard high up on the wall on the Third Floor, where I had left half a dozen candy sweets in an opened bag.

Thanks to all so far for the prompt feedback. Its funny with the place locked up the fruit flies can still get in.... And its a really good point that once in, the various insects will travel and search out more food, even a slight tear in say a pasta bag would be enough....

And the thought of loads of dead (or worse alive ) insects isnt good. Looks like we will need to consider sending the keys to friends to sort it.

Thanks again
Jon

Dear Jon, I think the banana will be past its best and you may need to bin it. I do like Mikelincs point about "all the bodies of the fruit flies" needing to be removed

Personally I would not trouble myself to arrange their removal from afar, just spend the next few months anticipating the sight that awaits you as you fling the kitchen door open.

I once found weevils had inhabited our rice, it was like a scene out of a POW film! I will look forward to your description.

My last visitors used to make banana and honey toasties, very yummy.

Just imagine how many new guests would have arrived if you'd left one of them behind.

Thanks again for the feedback, insect invasion, dead bodies and bacteria swamp pools made me send my keys to a friend who will sort it before it hits toxic levels!!! So I wimped out of seeing the 'experiment' coming to conclusion.

Better safe than sorry - thanks

Jon