fruit Flies!!! Agggghhh!

[shortbun]

My sister left me a suprise bag of cucs and squash in my sun room. She forgot to tell me about it and all of a sudden, flies started appearing in my kitchen. When I went on the hunt, I found the bag and what seems like thousands of fruit flies...how the heck do I get rid of them???? They are all over my ceiling-I keep sweeping them off with the broom. They are sitting on my scoured and scalded countertops/my scoured cupboard doors and they are starting to migrate into other parts of the house. Last night, I put out an ice cream treat for them at the door jam on the back kitchen door and when loads of them had gathered, I shut the door and went around the other way to retrieve the bowl and get rid of the flies. geesh. There are still lots of flies in my kitchen but not as many. I shall try the ice cream trap once again to get more of them out. I am close to going to the hardware store and finding some deadly chemical but it's my kitchen-where all the food is. Help!!!!!

[itsheresomewhere]

Try a cup of white wine. They love it and drink a little too much and die. The next morning, you will have a cup filled with dead fruit flies.

[DisneyMomx7]

I had this problem this summer when DH brought home bananas from a fruit store.

Here's what I did that worked. Fill a glass jar about 1/2 full with apple cider vinegar. Put platic wrap over the jar and secure with a rubber band. Take a fork and poke several holes (fork tine sized) in the plastic wrap. Leave it on your counter. Somehow the fruit flies are attracted and can get in but can't get out.

My oldest dd thought I was crazy when I told her to do this when she had fruit flies later in the summer. She (and I) were absolutely amazed. You will find out you had more fruit flies than you ever knew! Keep doing this for about a week.

Good luck!

[shortbun]

Interesting solutions!!! I'll try them both. Thanks!!!

[mommycrawford]

I have a great tip I've used that worked for me (we have a Guinea Pig)....

Take a wide mouthed bottle and put apple cider vinegar or balsamic vinegar in it about an inch high....put a good squirt of dish liquid in it and add about a quarter inch of water. Shake it up so it is bubbly up to the top(ish.)

The fruit flies fly in and get caught in the bubbles!...We have a dog and child, so I did not want to use chemicals.

Let me know if you have the same success! Best of luck!

[lovetoscrap]

Yep. Vinegar in a wide mouthed glass (cheaper than wine!). You can put several glasses out around the kitchen and change them out when they get "full". Works like a charm!

[scrapquitler]

We had a huge fruit fly infestation about two years ago (an apple core under my daughters bed! argh) I tried all the vinegar suggestions and nothing was working, it seemed like I had more and more fruit flies every day. Finally, I went out to Walmart and bought a bunch of those Raid Foggers. I put one in every room and left the house, then opened the windows and aired the house out. Suddenly I had VERY few fruit flies. I waited another week and did the foggers again, my problem was solved. Thank goodness.

[koolaidmoms]

We have also done a few grapes cut in half in the bottom of a jar (I used a pickle jar) then sprinkled them with yeast. Made a funnel out of paper to fit in the top jar with just a small hole in the bottom to let them in. Leave where they are for 1-2 days. Worked for us.

[Binnie]

We had a small infestation last month (thank you Walmart!) and I used Balsamic in a bowl covered with plastic wrap. Worked well, but it was SLOW and those little buggers didn't die! I had to take the bowl outside.

[muffyn]

I usually do the vinegar/wine in the bottle trick.

but there are usually a few stragglers that don't take the bait

what I found out , was, I left a can of pam spray on the counter a few days & when I went to put it away, there were dead stuck fruit flys in the rim ( where the spray had dripped). next time I think I will spray some in some kind of container & see if that works. seems like it could catch stragglers!

also they breed in your sinks drains. you must pour bleach or insecticide down your drains every so often when you have them. including your bathtubs ( they LOVE that gunk there) utitlity etc.

**oh yea, the above is for LESS than a swarm. if you have as many as the OP has said you really need to bug bomb the house or you will be forever catching them**

[doxdogy]

No pest strips worked for me, when all other methods failed.

[shortbun]

I've had a glass of soapy balsamic on the counter since lunch time. It's gross, lol, and I have fewer flies. I'll make another coctail for my guests this evening. I'm not going to go chemical unless I absolutely HAVE to but I've made notes. Will definitely not be fogging my home as we live here and I'm afraid of neurological damage as well as cancer more than I am of fruit flies, lol!

[Minnie_me]

I hope you're still reading this --- THESE FRUIT FLIES ARE BREEDING IN YOUR SINK DRAINS!!!

I tried EVERYTHING this summer to get rid of fruit flies - - every single method mentioned above and MORE. Sure, I trapped and killed lots of them, but still they seemed to be everywhere!!!

They breed in the sink drains. EWWW!!! So you need to pour BLEACH in your drains twice a day (at least!) and follow it with HOT HOT water! Do this for 3-5 days in a row, and they'll be GONE.

GOOD LUCK!!!

[Tinijocaro]

Small bowl of wine with a drop of liquid soap. No fancy bottles or covers needed. They love this stuff.