Fruit Fly Problem

We had that TERRIBLE problem...I mean thousands....so gross...

We got some fly tape. It's this sticky tape that you put around the area, and the flies area ttracted to it and then stick to it. It's so disgusting but it worked...I thought it was just making things worse because it was ATTRACTING them all to it, but once they were all caught, they did go away.

We also did something....I don't remember exactly what...but it involved a funnel for the flies to go in and then not come out. The fly tape worked the best though. good luck

I know this sounds crazy but a friend told me about this and it worked for me. Put a glass of wine out by the fruit flies. The fruit flies are attracted to the sweetness of the wine and should all drown in the wine.

Good luck.

This works everytime...

Get a container (e.g. old milk jug, juice bottle, etc.) Fill halfway with water. Add some dish soap and shake a little to make bubbles. Leave in area where you've seen the fruit flies. They are attracted to the bubbles and will jump in. I have not had ANY problems at all since doing this and I have all kinds of fruit on my counters all the time.

Thanks for your tips too!

The following worked for me...but it is not for the faint of heart. Fly strips. In case you haven't seen these, they are strips of sticky paper you hang up and the bugs fly onto the paper and stick. I had a fly problem in college and I hung a strip in my kitchen area and it really did the trick. It can be gross to look at and some people might think it's cruel, but the flies were yucky enough that I was willing to deal with the strips. I bet you can buy them at Home Depot or your local hardware store. Good luck!

Take a 2 liter pop bottle clean it, cut it horazontal about and inch or 2 from where the bottle gets fat (the start of the fatest point) on the top. Now take a piece of fruit and put it in the bottom of the bottle. now take the top of the bottle and flip it over so the part where you pour the pop from is pointing to the bottom of the bottle. The ends of the two pices should meet. Take a pice of tape (really a few) and seal them together. When you get some fruit flies in there just go out and take off the top and let them out. If you little boy gets a hold of it theres no poisen you need to worry about! : )

Hi Denise,

Ditto on the garbage disposal/sink drain. Get some bleach and pour it down there...run hot water. It helped for me. Must be the season...I've noticed lots of them at the store lately and had them in my house...ick.

I read somewhere that they can breed in your garbage disposal. Be sure to clean it with bleach if you have one.

If you have plants they like laying eggs in there too. While watching HGTV one day I saw if you put sand on top of the dirt in your indoor plants that the files will not go there anymore. I tried it and I have not seen any files since.
Good luck.

I just wanted to let you know that you are not alone. I also am currently having a problem with them and have asked around and have found others are having the same issue. I am assuming it is just the time of year.

I have the same problem!!!! I didn't know about the apple cider! I have to try that. I just heard that you have to keep cleaning everything, and get rid of counter food, which it seems like you already have. I think that the average life span is 8-10 days, so maybe just wait to see if they die off. I also heard that banannas and potatoes are what are major attracting factors. do you have potatoes in a cupboard or something, maybe they got in there. I really don't want to sound gross, cuz this really grossed me out, but I found out that they lay eggs! In food that is left out, like banannas and potatoes, so if you do have potatoes, you might want to throw them out. Just a thought. I totally know what you are going through!!!! Those things are annoying! Good luck!

Ohmigosh, me toooo!!
Ive cleaned and cleaned like crazy.. havent had fresh veggies out for weeks.. (bummer) because of these stinkin flies! I too have tried the same...things.. but just keep cleaning, seems like in the last days, theyve kind if gone away, but i still see a few! argh!!
YUP, i do believe the garbage disp, could be a problem...i believe in the bleach idea.. but the prof dont.. say it doesnt make a diff, just smells clean...
Soo, hang in there, i read its part of the end of the summer, early fall problem..
take care.. keep clean :)
S.

Hi,
I know you said you are using an apple cider mixture, but my family has always used a wine water and dish soap mixture. The wine will attract them with the smell, and the water is just for depth to trap them. The soap then doesn't allow them to fly once they have landed. Sounds like you have it as best uder control as you can. I found the mixture works best at night under a light. I have a window over my sink with a light and it works best there. Good luck, those sure are pesky little things.

We had this issue also. They were coing from the drain by our water heater. I started pouring a bit of bleach down all the drains every few weeks and that resolved the issue.

Good luck!

Hi, Denise!

Sorry about your fruit fly problem! While I've never had the problem myself, I have read that they can come from the pipes/drains in your kitchen sink. I believe one of the solutions is to pour bleach down the drains.

I wish I could be more help! Good luck!

E. in New Lenox

Once when I had a ton of fruit flies in my home I finally had enough and went around with a vacuum cleaner & sucked them all up through the extension hose!!! That really took care of the out-of-control population. This, paired with your effort to cut off their food supply, should be successful.

If you find out, I also need to know. They are driving us crazy. Just when I think they are all gone, they reappear!
D.

Hi Denise,

Only thing that I heard if you bring more fruit in the house wash it right away. I heard the eggs can be on the fruit and can hatch days later, washing it when you bring it home will was the eggs away.

Hi Densie,

I have a degree in Horticulture. You did not mention if you have potted plants in your home. If you do fruit flies hide in the soil and lay there eggs. I am not saying that you have to get ride of your plants. There is some sprays that pretty effectively treat the soil won't harm childern and the plants ift he directions are followed on the bottle. Ortho makes a pretty efffective fruit fly killer.

Hope this helps.

Are you sure you have fruit flies and not little plant flies? There are small nats that invade plants, mostly those that have been outside and then brought into the house. They fly around your face like the fruit flies do - they just aren't as big as the fruit flies. The fruit flies seem to be more "chubbier" than the plant nats. To get rid of the plant nats, you need to remove the soil where they are nesting. We had them once at home and I removed the plant from the soil and pitched the soil, rinsed the roots very carefully and replanted in new soil. The problem is they infest your other plants as well. You can go o a greenhouse and purchse some spray that is supposed to also get rid of them. There are also sticky cards that you place in the pot on top of the soil and the nats get stuck on them. Good luck!

Hi Denise,

If you have plants in the house, certain plants attract them...I had that problem not to long ago and like you I got rid of fruit and produce , cleaned like crazy , still had them, then sure enough I seen one fly out of a plant pot, I went over shook it and more flew out so right away I put the plant outside and wa la no more fruit flies...good luck...

A.