I have had fruit flies for several months, but no fruit has stood out since June. I tried half empty beer cans, killed many, but didn't seem to make a dent, they must multiply ten fold at night. My neighbor is using Windex, but my problem is much more intense. I am currently using fly strips and beer, but no relief, although I kill a lot. How can I get rid of all of them?
By Kathi Valdizan from Southern WA
Use apple cider or white vinegar (1/4-1/2 cup), a little sugar (like 1-2 teaspoons), and just one drop of dish soap, then mix in small bowl. Watch them come, drink, and fall in! Cheap, safe and non-toxic. (09/05/2009)
By Sue
Definitely vinegar and dish soap. Use apple cider vinegar (no need to add sugar) - a couple of ounces in a small glass such as a jelly jar/juice glass or even a shot glass, and add just 1-2 drops of any dish liquid. The dead fruit flies will accumulate on the bottom. Just dump and refill as needed. I place them near any fruit or veggies that sit out, and near my trash can.
This will work; however you need to find the source of your fruit flies. If you don't have fruit or veggies sitting out - look for another source. It could be infested soil from plants, possibly bird seed, trash, a compost bin? There has to be something that is bringing them into your house. Another thing - if you buy bananas, wash them off (in their skins) when you get them home. They can have fruit fly eggs on them from the field. Good luck. (09/05/2009)
This is just my experience with fruit flies from nowhere. I store potatoes in a bin under the sink and sometimes a potato spoiled or something spoiled that I didn't know about, and the flies multiplied. When I finally tracked it down, the bottom of the bin was covered with eggs and larvae. I scrubbed and rinsed with bleach (including the shelf under the sink) and the flies disappeared. Check around your kitchen any place that may have had damp produce/not only fruit. (09/10/2009)
The best way is to clean your house. It's hard for us right now, since we're bringing in the harvest and vegetables are in multiple stages of process for winter, but cleaning your house gets everything bad out that they were eating. The cleaner the house, the less flies. They act like regular flies--they're only attracted to smell of something they can eat. Go through your pantry, clean up your house, and it should be better. (09/10/2009)
By Bonnie
We used to get this problem a lot at a restaurant I worked at, and no matter how much we stripped and cleaned the kitchen they would come back. Then I read somewhere about using fresh Basil to repel fruit flies, I clipped some from my plant at home and hung it from the shelves above my work space. Amazingly it worked and I wasn't being bothered anymore. So I brought in some plants and placed them around the kitchen work areas, and sure enough we had less and less fruit flies and within a week or so there were none left. (09/12/2009)
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