Natural Ways to get rid Fruit Flies
I don’t know about you, but this time of seasonal transition is bringing out the bugs. For us it was so hot this summer all but the hardiest of bugs were about fried. But now we have cool nights(50’s) with warm days (80’s). Perfect breeding temp for the little nuisances. For me, perhaps the most annoying is the fruit fly. Not only do we have a couple of bowls of fruit in our kitchen, we also have a compost crock. So as you can imagine they are swarming. So what can you do to get rid of pests such fruit flies?
- Put a piece of rotten fruit or cider vinegar into a large, clean jar such as a Mason jar. The fruit flies will go in for the fruit. Put the jar near the greatest concentration of flies. Place a small paper cones with a small hole in the bottom (like a sno cone). The pointed end should point down(like an ice cream cone).The fruit flies will enter the cone at the top fly down to the bottom and they will not be able to get out. Release the fruit flies outside when you captured several.
- Put a piece of old, skinless fruit and some wine, or some balsamic vinegar in an empty wine bottle. Cover the neck 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).
- Pour a cup or two of warm/hot vinegar (can be diluted with half water) down your kitchen & bathroom drains. Fruit flies like to go to warm, dark, damp places.
- Fruit flies sense quick movement. Approach them very slowly with a moist paper towel on bathroom mirrors, cabinets,or counters
- Make sure you remove any spoiled fruit from the house. This goes for trash, compost and fruit bowls.
- Put some basil in the kitchen, bugs do NOT like basil and this will keep them away.
- Put a household fan near the most vulnerable areas (fruit bowl) and keep it blowing across the fruit. The flies cannot land in a cross wind.
for more information check out these websites
How to get rid of Fruit Flies in the Kitchen
Chow Hound
this post is linked up at Simple Lives Thursdays, Green and Natural Mama's
8 comments:
This is great information! I definitely have to try this. Thanks for sharing.
This is great info! We do city-wide composting, and I don't think I am quite tidy enough with my kitchen container, so I have noticed quite a few fruit flies lately. Although, none today, so maybe they are gone for now. But if I see any again, I am defnitely going to try one of these tricks.
Amy, I have a crock with a lid, yet the fruit flies are going crazy. I just think it is this transition of the seasons that is doing the job.
Another good trick is to put some apple cider vinegar in a jar or bowl, add just a drop or two of dish soap, and leave it out near the flies. They fly (ha) down to the vinegar because it smells yummy, but the soap disrupts the surface tension properties of the vinegar molecules so the flies can't stand on it and they drown. I can tell you from personal experience that it works! ^_^
Oh, good one Katie! What can't Apple Cider Vinegar do? I don't think I go a day without using it.
My mother caught fruit flies by putting old fruit (or other fruit fly goodie) in the bottom of a bread bag, then standing the bag on end on the counter. She left it overnight and in the morning, just grabbed the top shut and twisty-tied it with all the pesky fruit flies inside the bag.
It workd pretty well.
Cheryl, that is a great idea. I can see that working so well.
I hate fruit flies. We had them bad last year living in Wichita, KS. We had them all over the bathroom and kitchen. What I did was take a container and squeeze a few drops of dish soap, add some apple cider vinegar and filled it with running water. The container was full of bubbles. The fruit flies would go towards the ACV and get caught in the bubbles! :)
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