Fruit Flies.

[Disney Ontario]

HELP. They are all over, the inside of house. DD 15 even had them all over her toothbrush yesterday morning. I thought that you had to have fruit around but oh no. HELP me get rid of them please.

 

[Marion]

Ok... can't vouch for this myself but I heard about it on CityLine just last week. They said put a dish with some red wine (maybe fruit juice would work as well?) and dish soap...it's supposed to attract and kill the little buggers.

PS: I think they can come from your sink drains too.

 

[Mickeysfriend]

I JUST experienced this myself. Those are some pesky little creatures! This seem to work quite well. Take a clean jar (I used a pasta sauce jar) and make sure you wash it out really well. Put about 1 inch of vinegar (plain white) in the bottom. Cover the top with plastic wrap and secure with an elastic. Poke some holes in the top. I used a toothpick and stretched them out a little. The flies crawl in and don't crawl back out. They are attracted to the vinegar smell. I put a couple of drops of vinegar on top as well. Took a couple of weeks, but I was just noticing today, I don't see anymore, and we seemed to have a lot. Good luck!

 

[coastgirl]

Dh puts baking soda and vinegar down the drain (maybe not a good idea on old pipes??) then we make sure the drains are closed as much as possible. (Yes, I've also heard they breed in the drain traps.) Not fool proof, but helps.

And can I say, what's going on?? I never remember having a problem with them until the last few years!!

 

[SnowWhite]

It started two weeks ago when we came home one night and they were everywhere! We are still battling them but they have decreased in number greatly. We have tried EVERYTHING!!! We still seem to be getting them in the bathrooms and the kitchen...one hint we tried that worked well inthe kitchen was leaving the oven door open all night with a peice of fruit in a pie plate and in the morning close the door and turn on the oven! We still find them but I think we are finally winning the battle!!!

 

[minnie56]

We had them last year and I tried EVERYTHING!

My hubby finally bought one of those 'no pest strip' things? Hung it up...GONE! In no time...

 

[drag n' fly]

This 100% works

Take a small deep plastic container. Slice a hunk of banana 2 inches long and place in the bottom of the small container. Take a piece of saran wrap and place over top of dish tight and secure with a rubber band. Take a toothpick and poke one hole in the saran wrap. Stretch just a teeny weeny bit with toothpick. Place where the fruit flies are. They will fly in but are not smart enought to fly out. Take dish outside and release every once in a while. Replace banana every second day until gone.

 

[mom2kai]

.1. .... we create the traps as mentioned above using jars or plastic cups that we can throw out afterwards. They seem to love red wine, and bananas are also a fav. I put plastic wrap on the top but then push the wrap down in the center making a funnel and then prick a tiny hole in the bottom. Then I put an elastic around to hold it tight. Put these traps around the house.

2. Then pour a bit of bleach down your kitchen drains. They live and breed in the drains.

3. I currently have the vacuum sitting ready in the kitchen and when ever I see a stray fly that has not yet made it to the trap, I suck the lil' buggers up. They seem to get destroyed by the suction, so it hasn't been necessary to run outside to clean out the vacuum after doing this.

4. I think that they have a two week gestation stage so once you get rid of the main bulk of them, be ready for the next generation and on top of it.

5. Take your garbage outside daily and that is especially important for the organic waste or recycle bins. My 5 year old has a habit of dropping apple cores in any waste can he can find, including bathroom ones despite what we have told him about this. So make sure you stay on top of all of the waste baskets until you are totally free and clear.

Happy hunting!!!!!!!

 

[tinkermamaof2]

I have gone just about crazy with the fruit flies until just about two weeks ago. I used a disposable plastic cup, any funnel type object that left no gaps between the cup and itself, I used a cone like top from a childrens cup that we received at a restaurant turned upside down on top of the cup. Before I put the top on I poured balsamic vinegar in the cup, I secured the funnel with tape so the little buggers could not escape, don't be chintzy with the vinegar, you really want to attract them, It took about a week and a half but I am pretty much fruit fly free. I Just really inspect my produce at the store before I put it in the plastic baggies, I even blow on it first(I know, call me kooky) but the fruit flies drive me crazy and this has been my saviour. Good luck escaping from the little maniacs and I hope my tips work for you.

Patti
P.S.
Be patient, they mingle around the top of the trap and look really gross but they fall for it in the end, don't try swatting them away, they will only last longer.

 

[rjan67]

I do the same as above. I take a tall glass, take a coffee filter and cut a small hole in the bottom. Then take a piece of fruit (banana, peach, grapes) and place in the bottom. Then take an elastic and tie around top. In the morning it will be full of flies. I just take the glass outside and let them out because if I open it in the house of course they all fly out. It is bad this time of year because we have the air off and they fly in through the open windows through the screens.