Tohru Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 Okay, we aren't too slobby. My 2yo left a cup of OJ out with a small wood & cloth doll inside the cup. It took us a few days to notice it because it was behind the couch. By the time I found it, there were lots of fruit flies having a party. I washed the cup and the doll, and left the doll on the counter to dry. The next day there were dozens of flies around the doll. I washed the doll again, did Bac-Out, dunked it in vinegar, rinsed and then let it dry. No more fruit flies on the doll, however now there are dozens of fruit flies hovering around in my kitchen and I can't get rid of them. If I leave any fruit or veggie alone on the counter for even a few minutes, I get this swarm of fruit flies. Last night I started sucking them up with a shop-vac, but still there's more hovering around. These things are driving me crazy. Please, please give me advice...How do I get rid of them once and for all? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in OK Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 This: http://www.theidearoom.net/2009/09/fruit-fly-trap.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 Ooh, shop vac. I'm envious. What a great way to kill them. Apparently you can make a trap for them with cider vinegar. Just google it. I tried that once and it helped, but honestly, I just smash them. We get them once or twice a year from fruit going off or something like what happened to you. I just get really vigilant and kill them all by hand. Kinda gross, but it works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PollyOR Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 Do you possibly have a rotten potato in the house? That has been my experience a couple of times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pretty in Pink Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 Take a small, clear glass (so the kids can 'ooh' and 'aah' and 'gross!' later) and fill it 3/4 full with apple cider vinegar. Stir in a few drops of dish soap. Place it on the counter where the flies are congregated, or several around the kitchen if it's bad. Go to bed. In the morning you'll see them all sleeping with the fishes at the bottom of the glass! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tohru Posted October 14, 2010 Author Share Posted October 14, 2010 Do you possibly have a rotten potato in the house? That has been my experience a couple of times. hmmm...maybe? She does like potatoes. She did carry around a spaghetti squash everywhere for 2 days. ...but honestly, I just smash them. We get them once or twice a year from fruit going off or something like what happened to you. I just get really vigilant and kill them all by hand. Kinda gross, but it works. How do you catch them? They move so slow, but it's like the air from our hand gives them wind speed or something because we just can't catch them! Take a small, clear glass (so the kids can 'ooh' and 'aah' and 'gross!' later) and fill it 3/4 full with apple cider vinegar. Stir in a few drops of dish soap. Place it on the counter where the flies are congregated, or several around the kitchen if it's bad. Go to bed. In the morning you'll see them all sleeping with the fishes at the bottom of the glass! :D Awesome! Thank you so much! This is like the moth with the dishsoap pan and light bulb idea, but better because no electricity is involved. And thanks Heather for the link. If the apple cider doesn't work, then we'll make that contraption. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GWOB Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 A few days ago I noticed one or two fruit flies in the house. Today, they were awful. I just set out my bowl of apple cider vinegar and Dawn, covered with plastic wrap. I poke holes in the top and watch the little buggers drown. Evil, I know, but I cannot enjoy a glass of wine with them constantly swarming my glass. In just a few hours I've trapped a ton of them. It only takes a couple of days before they're all gone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in OK Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 I've tried ACV before. Never works. The trap works every. single. time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 Just drink (almost) a whole bottle of wine (to calm your nerves :D) but leave just a wee bit for the flies. Leave bottle uncorked. They die happy. :tongue_smilie: Bill (who has time to make contraptions?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qfbrenda Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 A few days ago I noticed one or two fruit flies in the house. Today, they were awful. I just set out my bowl of apple cider vinegar and Dawn, covered with plastic wrap. I poke holes in the top and watch the little buggers drown. Evil, I know, but I cannot enjoy a glass of wine with them constantly swarming my glass. In just a few hours I've trapped a ton of them. It only takes a couple of days before they're all gone. I used that method (minus the Dawn) this week to kill around a hundred of those suckers. :D Once they are inside the plastic wrap, I squish them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rootsnwings Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 Mash a banana into a pie tin. Stick it in the oven & leave the door cracked. Leave for the day, come home, shut the oven door & roast'em! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpidarkomama Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 We did an experiment to compare trapping fruit flies w/vinegar to trapping them w/sliced bananas. Sliced bananas has been 50x more effective for us! :) I slice them into a little bowl, cover with plastic wrap, poke a few small holes in the plastic, and overnight the little guys are all trapped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZeldaRules Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 I remember someone telling me they asked a grocery store manager how they get rid of fruit flies...their answer was "Easy, get rid of the bad fruit/vegetables" My guess is if they are there, there is something else rotten hiding somewhere. Get rid of it and you will get rid of the fruit flies. This has been the truth for me every time I get them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alicia64 Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 We've had a terrible time this last week. We had bad potatoes, but kept throwing out apples and bananas. Finally we realized it was the potatoes. By that time it was too late -- they were everywhere. A solution like bananas in a bowl w/ saran wrap and poles poked in is one solution. If you've got it bad, you need to use several solutions simultaneously. Dh got sticky strips from Home Depot, hung them at night and left the kitchen light on. Many stuck to it. I Windexed them throughout the day. I smacked them w/ my hands. I lunged at them on the wall w/ Kleenex. I love your Shop Vac idea. I think you have to do many things and then be patient. Alley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewb Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 A few days ago I noticed one or two fruit flies in the house. Today, they were awful. I just set out my bowl of apple cider vinegar and Dawn, covered with plastic wrap. I poke holes in the top and watch the little buggers drown. Evil, I know, but I cannot enjoy a glass of wine with them constantly swarming my glass. In just a few hours I've trapped a ton of them. It only takes a couple of days before they're all gone. This is what I do, only without the dish soap. I place one by the kitchen sink, one near the dogs water dish, and one where I saw the most of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 We did an experiment to compare trapping fruit flies w/vinegar to trapping them w/sliced bananas. Sliced bananas has been 50x more effective for us! :) I slice them into a little bowl, cover with plastic wrap, poke a few small holes in the plastic, and overnight the little guys are all trapped. That's our method, and it works every time! Of course, our fruit flies are usually a result of ds3 leaving a piece of banana or peel somewhere around the house. @@ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 We did an experiment to compare trapping fruit flies w/vinegar to trapping them w/sliced bananas. Sliced bananas has been 50x more effective for us! :) I slice them into a little bowl, cover with plastic wrap, poke a few small holes in the plastic, and overnight the little guys are all trapped. Someone should try an experiment comparing bananas and drinking (most of) a bottle of wine, and see which they like best :D *hic* Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tohru Posted October 14, 2010 Author Share Posted October 14, 2010 Someone should try an experiment comparing bananas and drinking (most of) a bottle of wine, and see which they like best :D *hic* Bill lol! I tossed a half bottle out the other day too. Darn it! We set up 3 different traps and left them overnight: 1 w/ apple cider vinegar and dish soap 1 w/ a piece of apple and plastic wrap 1 w/ banana and the cone trap The results: they mated near the ACV, but didn't take a drink Ignored the apple w/ plastic wrap and the banana cone trap worked caught quite a few :hurray: Thanks Heather! We're going to leave all 3 traps out for the rest of the day and see if the results change. And I'm going to scour the house for any potatoes dd might have shoved somewhere. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perry Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 This is what I do, only without the dish soap. I place one by the kitchen sink, one near the dogs water dish, and one where I saw the most of them. The Dawn is important because it reduces the surface tension of the liquid and the flies fall in and drown. Without the soap, they just drink the ACV and fly away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perry Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 The Dawn is important because it reduces the surface tension of the liquid and the flies fall in and drown. Without the soap, they just drink the ACV and fly away. This makes a great science experiment. Water Experiments Surface Tension Experiments Surface tension is one of water's most important properties. It is the reason that water collects in drops, but it is also why water can travel up a plant stem, or get to your cells through the smallest blood vessels. You can experiment with surface tension using just a few household items. What To Do: 1. Start with a cup of water and some paperclips. Do you think a paperclip will float in the water? Drop one in the cup to find out. Since the paperclip is denser than the water, it will sink to the bottom of the cup. 2. Now find out if you can use surface tension to float the paperclip. Instead of dropping the paperclip into the cup, gently lay it flat on the surface of the water. (This is tricky - †it may help to place a piece of paper towel slightly bigger than the paperclip in the water. Then lay the paperclip on top of it. In a minute or so, the paper towel will sink, leaving the paperclip floating on top of the water.) Even though the paperclip is still denser than the water, the strong attraction between the water molecules on the surface surface forms a type of "skin" that supports the clip. 3. Now put a drop of dish soap in the water. This will bind with the water molecules, interfering with the surface tension. The paper clip will sink. You can try floating other things on top of the water also - pepper floats well until you add dish soap. Can you find any other light items that will float? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewb Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 The Dawn is important because it reduces the surface tension of the liquid and the flies fall in and drown. Without the soap, they just drink the ACV and fly away. Well, that explains why some of them managed to escape. It worked without the dawn but perhaps it will work better with it. Hopefully, it will be a while before I get another infestation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GWOB Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 Just drink (almost) a whole bottle of wine (to calm your nerves :D) but leave just a wee bit for the flies. Leave bottle uncorked. They die happy. :tongue_smilie: Bill (who has time to make contraptions?) Well, that would work, except they keep swarming the wine glass. Little buggers wouldn't leave me to enjoy my wine in peace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarcyB Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 gonna add, too....make sure to clean your kitchen drains out when you get them. Oft times, food bits can get stuck, especially if you have a disposal, that might not invite the flies to come to party in your kitchen, but once there and the original offending food has been removed, the drains can draw them in. So do a quick clean out with baking soda/vinegar to help remove whatever else might be keeping them around. We found the apple vinegar/soap trick to work best, even in an open bowl..no real need for the plastic. I usually leave one out next to the sink when we're going to be away for a few days, just in case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 Well, that would work, except they keep swarming the wine glass. Little buggers wouldn't leave me to enjoy my wine in peace. If you drink 11/12s of the bottle you will stop caring :D *hic* Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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