Getting rid of Fruit Flies, Anyone have a suggestion?

[DawnCt1]

With the doors opening and closing all summer, construction going on, etc. and DH bringing in a couple of "wounded" tomatoes from the garden, I have some fruit flies. Not a lot but I don't want them to become a lot, and in fact, I want these ones to die, as cruel as it might seem. I saw one suggestion; covering a bowl of cider vinegar and a little oil with plastic wrap, poking holes in it, and they "fly in but can't fly out". Any other suggestions? Are there sprays that will kill them without making everyone glow in the dark?

 

[barkley]

apparantly peppermint is a natural deterant (too much exposure to so much as the scent will supposedly kill them).

you can use peppermint oil (i would use peppermint extract cuz i have it on hand) mixed with water (not too much of a mix, it needs to have a strong scent) in a spray bottle. then saturate some cotton balls in peppermint, set those out and should keep more from coming around.

 

[MnMomtoboys]

I had no idea that peppermint would work. I just spray them with whatever spray I'm using to clean.

 

[mguilford1]

I Manage a restaurant and we 1/2 fill a small cup with wine (or something sweet) then cover it with saran wrap and poke holes in the wrap. they fly in not out. I have never heard of using vinegar they are attracted to sweet fruit that is why they wine. Always works for us.

 

[LisaNJ25]

I wonder if this would work:
http://www.amazon.com/Safer-Brand-0...7AIY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1286722174&sr=8-1

I have used it for pantry months and it worked great for them

 

[ilovejack02]

With the doors opening and closing all summer, construction going on, etc. and DH bringing in a couple of "wounded" tomatoes from the garden, I have some fruit flies. Not a lot but I don't want them to become a lot, and in fact, I want these ones to die, as cruel as it might seem. I saw one suggestion; covering a bowl of cider vinegar and a little oil with plastic wrap, poking holes in it, and they "fly in but can't fly out". Any other suggestions? Are there sprays that will kill them without making everyone glow in the dark?

I put vinegar in mason jar and poke holes in lid, works like a charm! I didn't think it would work, but really does.

Red wine also seems to work If I leave a glass on counter overnight with just a little in bottom.

 

[Mermaid02]

Look around very carefully too- for a runaway grape or something. They have a life expectency of about 15 minutes (well maybe a bit more than that) so they must be living off something.

 

[MosMom]

http://www.hotshotbrand.com/ProductCategories/IndoorInsecticides/NoPestStrip/

We've used these for 2 years now and we never have issues. Everyone around here gets asian beetle issues this time of year as well as fruit flies and this thing is a miracle worker. I recommend it to everyone. They last all season as well.

 

[Angelhalo]

Fill your kitchen sink with soapy sudsy water. They love it. They fly in and then they can't get out and you can rinse them right down the drain.

 

[koolaidmoms]

We called the Cooperative Extension to help get ride of our fruit flies.

A mayo jar with several grapes cut in half in the bottom with a bit of yeast sprinkled over the top. We made a funnel out of a piece of paper with a tiny hole in the bottom and stuck it in the jar. The flies would go in and not come out. We would submerge the jar in hot water to kill the flies.

After a few days problem was solved.

 

[mjkacmom]

I put vinegar in mason jar and poke holes in lid, works like a charm! I didn't think it would work, but really does.

Red wine also seems to work If I leave a glass on counter overnight with just a little in bottom.

I did this last week, with the wine, and it worked in a day.

 

[castleview]

Throw out the fruit

 

[DawnCt1]

Throw out the fruit

Its in the refrigerator. Really!

 

[AKL_Megs]

SPIDERS!!!

We had a bunch of them one evening, and I called my husband to say, "What are we going to so about these fruit flies!"

I noticed, also, two house spiders in the kitchen, and watched the flies around the spiders, and then suddenly, a spider attacked!

I watched for about 10 minutes in awe as the spiders ate fly after fly.

By morning, they were gone.

So... Don't kill any spiders!

 

[shortbun]

Last year they came in on our tomatoes. I did the vinegar, soap and oil thing. I used a spray. I was vigilant several times a day, emptied the trash twice a day into a larger container I kept outside. I kept the fruit and veggies in the frig temporarily. I did NOT buy bananas for two weeks because my girlfriend said to go banana free. Finally, they were gone. I killed them with magazines, sponges, sprays....it was a real battle. Good luck.

 

[samshane]

I use the cider vinegar with the saran wrap and it worked perfectly... we only had a few of them - but they were bothering me to no end.

 

[pumba]

hubby ...the dear man....brought in a dozen or so tomatoes almost every day and also the same with our bartlett pears......those little suckers were all over the place.....so I squished one bug at a time and then threw out the fruit and veggies......thankfully I only see an occasional renegade fruit fly now....
I will remember the jar and something in it next year........thanks for the hints

 

[PatsGirl]

I was told that letting your house temp drop under 50 degrees would kill them

 

[LoriR]

I Manage a restaurant and we 1/2 fill a small cup with wine (or something sweet) then cover it with saran wrap and poke holes in the wrap. they fly in not out. I have never heard of using vinegar they are attracted to sweet fruit that is why they wine. Always works for us.

DD works in a restaurant and had the same advice. Any sweet smelling liquor will work

 

[DawnCt1]

I am doing a lot of the above. vinegar, saran wrap, sudsy water in the kitchen sink and last but not least, I bought some Hot Shot. Conner and I hid out (outside of the house for a while so we will see what happens.