Fruit flies :(

[egerandi]

Ever since we moved into our new place, annoying fruit flies decided to move in with us. We're on the first level with a sizable patio that has some landscaping on it. There is a screen on the patio door, but it's unavoidable sometimes to open the door without protection on it.

I have a bowl I keep on the kitchen counter with fruit and veggies on it that don't need refrigeration. I make sure there is nothing bruised or bad on it,
I even wash the bowl often to remove all residue. Alas, there is always fruit flies on it, and now they are just sitting on the kitchen wall too, fly into the pantry cabinet... so annoying. Yesterday I decided to hang some muslin pouches with lavender buds in them on and inside the cabinets, and sprinkled some lavender directly on the bowl after washing it thoroughly. It kept the suckers away for a whole afternoon and evening, but this morning they are again sitting in the bowl

Suggestions? If possible, I would like to avoid harsh chemicals. Would fly strips work for these guys?

[superwahz]

Meh, I have never found a good way to deal with them. Well, other than putting all the fruit in the fridge and pouring boiling water down the drain every day for over a week to kill any that were breeding down there. A friend mentioned that with all the bits that get stuck in a garbage disposal, they often make their last stand there!

Last year when at our old apartment we went to Seattle for a week and apparently forgot to hide away an apple or two. I came home to a kitchen covered in fruit flies...the cabinets, ceilings, counters, etc...all over 2 apples that weren't even rotted! I still get nauseous thinking about it. *shudders*

I tried a new spray this week to get the ants out of my kitchen, it's made by EcoSmart. The one we got is in an aresol/pressurized can. I feel awful about actually killing them, so instead I got up super early and sprayed all their normal trail areas with it, hoping they'd find somewhere else to go instead. Wow, does it smell strong! Like cinnamon though, since the active ingredients are pretty much essential oils. They've been gone for over a week. I don't keep fruit on the counter after the above incident with fruit flies, but you might want to try the spray to see if it works! If not, it'll still be handy to have around for other bugs. I picked it up at the grocery store for about $6. Google it and their website will come up with a store locator. Good luck!

[egerandi]

Ah, good reminder about the disposal! I will have to run it with some soap and hot water for sure.

That invasion thing happened to me once too, at our old place, but not to that extent, eeeeek! They also disappeared soon after I cleaned up, whew.
If the disposal cleaning doesn't help, I may just have to get the spray. I'd rather not stash tomatoes and fruits in the fridge, but meh,
if that's what it takes to get rid of the jerks, may just have to.

[Xarata]

The restaurant I work at keeps a series of fly "tubes" (2" diameter pvc pipes coated in fly paper stuff) underneath the counters in all of the bars (fruit flies love beer) and it seems to work fairly well- i'm not saying we never get them flying around, but they would be a lot worse without it.

[stefami]

I've had this problem occasionally (mostly when I go out of town for a couple days and forget about the fruit). I usually set up a trap, and collect them and then release them outside (because it is just easier that way). It takes a couple of days, but it works.

Put a piece of ripe fruit in a glass (peaches/mango/melons/whatever) and stretch a piece of clear wrap over the top of it so that it is tight. Then place a rubber band around the top of the glass to hold down the plastic wrap. Using a safety pin, make several small holes in the top of the plastic wrap. Make sure the holes are large enough for the flies to get in, but not out again. And then just leave it on the counter near the bowl of fruit and release the flies and reuse, as needed. Like I said, it does take a couple of days, and there may be one or two stragglers that just won't go in, but for the most part, it's fairly effective. Plus we also keep all our doors/windows closed most of the time to avoid them coming back in. HTH

[egerandi]

Oh, both those traps sound good! If it gets worse, I'll just have to employ something like that.

[missyjean]

My cat eats them.She's our all-natural bug killer.

There's also nifty carnivorous plants I keep meaning to buy...

[clivia]

I make a luscious trap with some ACV, water and a drop of dish soap, put it in a bowl and the fruit flies will dive in and die thinking they've gone to heaven. You can change the ACV to a sweet alcohol like Sherry or something similar. I change my bowl every two/three days or when I'm tired of looking at dead flies

[ladycattat]

I'm like Andrea, I like to keep tomatoes and fruit in a bowl on the counter instead of in the fridge. We sometimes get fruit flies, and I am so happy with all the suggestions put forth by you guys! Thank you so much.
That's another thing I love about this forum.......it's all about the support.....and not just about makeup!

Another thing I have noticed is that you have to be careful which fruits and veggies you put together in a bowl. Bananas (of course) need to be by themselves, but I've discovered that nectarines have the same chemical compound in them that bananas do, which makes things ripen faster.

xx
Laurie

[KrysD]

I have used the sticky fly paper. It works and relatively inexpensive. I have also put out a glass of wine at night. The next morning several of them are floating in the glass. Good luck!