How to get rid of fruit flies

Parent Cafe
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<p>We have the occasional fruit fly, probably brought home on fruit. Usually they are gone within a day or so. But last week I saw about a dozen, and they were still there two days later. I searched the internet for remedies, and found an effective and benign trap.</p>

<p>Put a couple of inches of water in a small glass (mine is about 3.5" high, with a wide opening) with a drop or two of dishwashing liquid to make suds. Add an equal amount of apple cider vinegar. Leave it out on the counter (I think it works best if the lights are on.) Within an hour, there were about 6 flies trapped in the suds; by the end of the evening, there were about two dozen. I left it out all night and in the morning there were at least 40 (by that time, they’d fallen to the bottom. I dumped it out in the garbage disposal and made another one, and a second on in a shallow bowl (not many suds, but still seems to work). I’ve been doing this for about 3 days, and I have killed well over 100. I had no idea there were so many in the house. I’m still getting a few each day, so I’ll continue until they’re all gone.</p>

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<p>I thought once the fruit went the flies left too. Thanks for the tip and will try it at my dad’s house. He seems to get them all the time.</p>

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<p>I will try that.</p>

<p>I usually just pour some cheap wine in a cereal bowl. That seems to attract and kill them but not as fast as what you’re describing. I’ll try it your way the next time! :)</p>

<p>Thanks…now I have to bookmark this page. :)</p>

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<p>I’ve been having the same problem! Thanks so much for the tip; I’m going to try it right now.</p>

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<p>I suspect that the apple cider vinegar works so well because the smell is so strong. They seem to be quickly attracted to it; they start coming over to the trap right away. Apparently the soap kills them.</p>

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<p>I make a cone out of a piece of paper, put the narrow end into a glass w/a piece of rotting fruit in the glass…the fruit flies go in and cannot get out! Then I put the glass in the microwave and kill the fruit flies!</p>

7

<p>my method is as follows:</p>

<p>Using a juice or other small glass,fill up about 1/3 with beer, place plastic wrap over top and secure with rubber band. Poke several holes, large enough for the fruit flys to fly in, (but they can’t get out) and repeat until they are gone.</p>

<p>They can survive without fruit and commonly will breed in cat litter, etc.</p>

<p>I tried the apple cider vinegar but had more luck with beer. I guess it is whatever works for you.</p>

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<p>I do something similar to radannie’s funnel trap, but made out of a plastic water or soda bottle, like this (top right of page): [How</a> to Get Rid of Fruit Flies](<a href=“http://www.getridofthings.com/get-rid-of-fruit-flies.htm]How”>http://www.getridofthings.com/get-rid-of-fruit-flies.htm) , only I just put a piece of banana or banana peel in the bottom.</p>

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<p>Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like bananas, so…get rid of the bananas</p>

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<p>They can breed in cat litter? The stuff you learn on CC.</p>

<p>I was having a problem with them last winter and solved it using the apple cider vinegar with a drop of dish detergent method. It seems the detergent changes the surface tension so they fall in and drown.</p>

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<p>I had a former colleague who worked in a lab at Aberdeen Proving Grounds years ago. He said they used to use a vacuum cleaner attachment to suck them up as they flew around. I saw him do this with other small flying insects at a party at his house one time. It worked quite well.</p>

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<p>Move!? (Just an idea.)</p>

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<p>Had the same problem last month as did some other people in our area. I tried just vinegar out in small bowls - helped a little but not as effectively as yours seemed to - will try to store this solution in my memory bank.</p>

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<p>“They can breed in cat litter? The stuff you learn on CC.”</p>

<p>Yep - Thats a new one on me. What kind of cat litter was it ? You have me intrigued… </p>

<p>I’ve heard of people thinking they were breeding in litter but have never seen it.</p>

<p>Off the top of my head I’m thinking - gnats attracted to the ammonia in the bottom of the pan (but no breeding). Possibly even flies coming from the cats feces. Unsterilized organic litter… ???</p>

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<p>We had a terrible infestation a few weeks ago. I tried the vinegar and dish soap routine, both in open bowls and bowls covered with plastic wrap with teeny holes poked in it. Both worked, sorta, but I still had a lot of fruit flies flying around. And not just in the kitchen - we had them in the second floor bathroom!!! (I read somewhere that once they are in the house, they seek sources of water as much as, if not more than fruit, hence the bathroom infestation.) The solution that worked for me was the cone of paper in a jar, with a little fruit (rotting peach in my case) in the bottom. Just like the old roach motel ads: they checked in, but they couldn’t check out ;)</p>

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<p>Same PRJ! Second floor bathroom! It was driving me crazy! I thought it was the toothpaste that they were attracted to!</p>

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<p><a href=“http://www.thebugsquad.com/fruit-flies/how-to-get-rid-of-fruit-flies[/url]”>http://www.thebugsquad.com/fruit-flies/how-to-get-rid-of-fruit-flies&lt;/a&gt; there. feel free to ponder i’ve just googled it.</p>

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<p>We used wine in a wine glass with a cone shaped piece paper. Worked perfectly. They got in but could not get out.</p>

<p>Fruit flies can live and breed in your garbage containers, in your drains, Sinks and tubs.
Just make sure eveything is clean and the garbage is well contained.</p>