Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Fruit Flies


(Photo source Fruit Fly - Autism Connection)
Jamie asked " I was wondering if you had any ideas for getting rid of little fruit flies?? They are driving me crazy!!!" Well Jamie, I too had been battling those nasty little pests. Here are a few tricks that might be of benefit for you.

1. A bowl trap: Put a piece of old skinless fruit balsamic vinegar in a bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap. Poke small holes in the plastic with a fork. The fruit flies go in and can't get out (if the holes are too big they will fly back out.)

2. A plastic zip lock trap: Place a few slices of an apple inside a zip lock bag. Leave an inch open to allow pests to enter. The little pests will soon be on and surrounding the apple. Zip the bag closed and crush each one with your fingertips.

3. A funnel trap: Using a sheet of paper make a cone. Tape the outside of the cone so that it stays in place. Make sure the cone fits snugly into a glass or cup. Cut off the tip of the cone so that you now have a funnel. Pour a small amount of cider vinegar into the glass or cup. Insert the funnel into the glass or cup, but don't let the bottom of the funnel touch the liquid. Tape the funnel in two or three places from the outside so that there is no gap between the glass and the cone. Place trap on a flat surface. The flies will be attracted by the smell of the fruity vinegar and fly into the cone. The flies will slip down the cone and will either land in the vinegar and drown or will be trapped and not able to get back out. If you leave the trap overnight, the trapped fruit flies will eventually fall into the vinegar and drown.

4. A soda bottle trap: Remove the lid and label from a clean, empty plastic two-liter soda bottle. Remove the upper third of the bottle by cutting along its circumference at approximately where the top of the label used to be. Pour cider vinegar into the cup-shaped part of the now-severed bottle. Turn the cone upside-down and insert it into the cup-shaped bottom part of the bottle. Seal the seam at the top of the bottle with duct tape. Fruit flies find their way into the bottle, but they can't get back out. After most flies are trapped inside, simply seal the bottle & throw out.

3 comments:

Jamie Stroupe said...

Thank You so much for your options, I am going to get busy I try a couple of them. I will let you know what one worked for me. Thank You for your time.

Coming from the Stroupe home!!

Cranky G. said...

Oh, I hate those awful little pests! We really had a battle with them, and ultimately what we did was scrub all garbage cans, run boiling water down the drains, sprayed under the sink, moved the fridge and stove out and scrubbed, and finally set bowls all around with sugar water mixed with lemon scented dish soap. They can get in, but they can't get out! The soap is too slippery!
Don't forget to make sure you have no holes in your screens, because some grasses and flowers attract the little monsters too!
The biggest cause though, and I speak from personal experience, is usually a banana peel in a rarely used trash can (like in the dining room or bedroom), or a potato or two forgotten in the potato bin.
(one last tip, but don't tell anybody - a half bottle of beer left on the counter will attract them like nobody's business! You just have to make sure "somebody" leaves half a bottle!!)

Sarah said...

Awesome tips! I sure hope I don't need to use them any time soon... :) But, now is about the time they head our way...