HELP!! how do I get rid of fruit flies???

[cindi]

I know this has been asked & answered here before, but i forgot. I am grossed right out by them, all fruit and veggies are now in the fridge, isn't there something I',m supposed to leave on the counter? oh help..I gotta get rid of these pest!
:unsure:

[HeatherJ]

I put wine in a small yogurt container, cover with saran Wrap and an elastic. THen I poke holes with a fork. The longer it sits, the better they like it!!

[cindi]

I put wine in a small yogurt container, cover with saran Wrap and an elastic. THen I poke holes with a fork. The longer it sits, the better they like it!!

seems like a waste of wine..but I'll do if it works
:confused:

[pesc]

Do you know where they come from? If they come from a plant, put water with dishsoap in it on your plant. Won't hurt your plant but will kill they flies... you can spray that too on the leaves :)

[cindi]

Do you know where they come from? If they come from a plant, put water with dishsoap in it on your plant. Won't hurt your plant but will kill they flies... you can spray that too on the leaves :)

they came in with fruit, I'm pretty sure. the other day I bought bananas, oranges, and grapes..I didn't have them before that..but now I do. YUCK-POO!
:arghh:

[HeatherJ]

They also like to breed in the sink drain!!

[cindi]

They also like to breed in the sink drain!!

I'm so grossed out!!
so, should I put the bowl of wine in the sink?
:worried:

[suzi_f]

Get rid of the fruit!!! LOL I never have them 'cause we don't eat fresh fruit. We will die of scurvy but I won't have fruit flies.

[cindi]

Get rid of the fruit!!! LOL I never have them 'cause we don't eat fresh fruit. We will die of scurvy but I won't have fruit flies.

lol!! ya that's what happens when we try to stay healthy huh? lol
all fruit is now in the fridge, so I just gotta get rid of the pests now, they are gross
:nod:

[IMBlessed5]

We've had these tiny insects flying around here lately. Not sure if they are fruit flies, but that's sure what they remind me of! But I keep all fruit, except bananas, in the fridge. I've always kept my 'nanas hanging on their little stand on the counter. And I definitely don't have any indoor plants (or outdoor either lol). I will have to watch for them around the drains!

[Mrs. Fence]

I think i heard you can do the container of vinegar or beer, but I'm not sure. I hate fruit flies too!

[Christie]

I've been having problems with gnats. They are every where.

[logcabincreations]

I've been having problems with gnats. They are every where.

I think they are the same as fruit flies. We have had them too.

I found this on a Google search:

Make a bowl trap:


Put a piece of old skinless fruit and some wine, or some balsamic in a bowl (think like the flies: what do you want for dinner?).
Cover the bowl tightly (no wrinkles) with plastic wrap.
Poke many 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).

Make a plastic zip lock bag 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.

Make a funnel trap:

Make a cone out of the sheet of paper (like a funnel). Tape the outside of the cone so that it stays in place.
Check that 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. (Rum mixed with orange juice also works very well - additionally, a half teaspoon of baker's yeast in water can also suffice)
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 your newly created 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.

Make a soda bottle trap:

Remove the lid and label from a clean, empty plastic two-liter soda bottle.
Carefully remove the upper third of the bottle by cutting along its circumference at approximately where the top of the label used to be.
Put an attractive liquid such as orange juice or cider vinegar in 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 in a plastic shopping bag and throw out.

[TiikkiStars]

I don't know that what we had were fruit flies, but we had two different little itty bitters.......the little tiny black ones that fly everywhere and if you smoosh them, there's red and something else that would get into our flours and breed. I started putting a couple of drops of peppermint oil and rosemary oil on each shelf in the cupboard where I keep our flours (we don't have any wheat flour, but we have about ten different kinds of expensive alternative flours and I can't afford to have them all be inedible!!) and the one small container of oragnic raw sugar and guess what?! They ALL went away!!! So, about once a month, I put a couple more drops in and I haven't had a problem with them since!! I used cinnamon and orange oil to get rid of an ant attack I had a couple months ago (I had not had them in the house in YEARS and did not have any spray) and they have STAYED away (knock on wood!). So, now I think I'm going to go to essential oils for any bug problems I have! :>:>

Good luck, Cindi!

:> Karen

[logcabincreations]

I don't know that what we had were fruit flies, but we had two different little itty bitters.......the little tiny black ones that fly everywhere and if you smoosh them, there's red and something else that would get into our flours and breed. I started putting a couple of drops of peppermint oil and rosemary oil on each shelf in the cupboard where I keep our flours (we don't have any wheat flour, but we have about ten different kinds of expensive alternative flours and I can't afford to have them all be inedible!!) and the one small container of oragnic raw sugar and guess what?! They ALL went away!!! So, about once a month, I put a couple more drops in and I haven't had a problem with them since!! I used cinnamon and orange oil to get rid of an ant attack I had a couple months ago (I had not had them in the house in YEARS and did not have any spray) and they have STAYED away (knock on wood!). So, now I think I'm going to go to essential oils for any bug problems I have! :>:>

Good luck, Cindi!

:> Karen

Do you store your flours in sealed containers? I do and no bugs.

[tesschap]

I put wine in a small yogurt container, cover with saran Wrap and an elastic. THen I poke holes with a fork. The longer it sits, the better they like it!!


If it works go for it but it may be 'alcohol abuse' ... good luck ... let us know if it works.

[TiikkiStars]

Jan, yup! They still would get in. Since I've been using the essential oils though, they are no longer in the flours and not in the house either! :> So, I'm a happy camper now! :>

:> Karen

[mydogstinks2]

I always just use rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle. It kills them right away and it does not hurt the fruit.