302385 Thu Jul 14 14:29:27 -0700 2005 12 29 Not About Food 0 1692547 does anyone have any tips for keeping fruit flies away from my fruit bowl? they seem to be invading my kitchen Thu Jul 14 14:29:27 -0700 2005 0 luvfood 1 1692548 I picked this tip up from an old thread and it works great: Place a cut piece of fruit into a bowl (preferably a white bowl). Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and fasten tight with a rubber band run around the side of the bowl. Poke a very small hole into the plastic wrap, and then leave on the counter next to your fruit. The flies go in but can't find the hole to get back out. As the fruit decays, this works better and better because the smell is more attractive to the flies. You can't smell it but it does look pretty gross, especially with a bunch of flies buzzing around inside (or you can be like me and take a perverse pleasure in the sight, yelling "Suckers!" at the bowl every time you go by.) You can let the flies out on the back porch every day or so if that's too gross for you, but it's better with rotting fruit, so if you do that, keep the fruit when you reset the trap. If you don't let them out, they all die off eventually. The flies and eggs come in on the fruit, so after you've eaten that fruit, after a few days of the trap, they usually don't come back unless you buy fruit with the same problem. Thu Jul 14 15:02:17 -0700 2005 1692547 0 Chris VR 2 1692549 somebody suggested a variation of this which i am using successfully now - pour some vinegar in a glass or jar, cover with wrap make a hole, and they will be attracted in in droves. Instead of reproducing they simply drown. I added a bit of sugar, dont know if that mattered. Unfortunately, fruitflies tend to find other places than fruit to live and reproduce in kitchens. Particularly, pour some boiling water down through your kitchen sink from time to time. They like the scum that forms down in the drain. Thu Jul 14 15:17:11 -0700 2005 1692548 0 jen kalb 3 1692570 I poured bleach down the drain, seemed to work well. Also used cider vinegar in the bowl. Also swatted them first thing every morning, as my kitchen is all white and stainless, so they hung out everywhere. So gross, hope I don't get them again this year. Fri Jul 15 10:14:07 -0700 2005 1692549 0 coll 3 1692578 A bit of wine will do the trick as well. Fri Jul 15 13:33:53 -0700 2005 1692549 0 nja 2 1692614 I'm not sure, but I think that was my suggestion you're referring to. It is the simplest and most effective method I've ever tried and, believe me, I've tried plenty. Wine works a little, but a hunk of rotting peach is simply irresistible to the little critters. And yes, I let them out every day and reset the trap with the same fruit. I can clear the kitchen in 3 or 4 days. Sun Jul 17 21:16:32 -0700 2005 1692548 0 Nyleve 1 1692550 I have put out a small bowl with scotch or sherry in it, I'd not thought about the plastic wrap with the little hole. They happily drown themselves in the alcohol. Thu Jul 14 15:38:01 -0700 2005 1692547 0 Candy 2 1692776 They love calvados, too. Don't ask. Wed Jul 20 22:10:18 -0700 2005 1692550 0 b grubbs 1 1692555 This is what has worked best for me. When it comes to these critters, I am like Elmer Fudd with Wabbits. I had an infestation last year after a friend brought hand-picked strawberries. I had HUNDREDS of them. Very creepy! A bit of wine (normally red with me) with a drop of dish soap and a bit of plastic to cover after capture. I found that they won't always go through the holes but I can quickly cover them with a bit of plastic wrap. You can also try a cone of paper but again the open method. It also helps to use a juice glass rather than an open dish. Good Luck!!! Thu Jul 14 16:17:18 -0700 2005 1692547 0 twodales 1 1692559 I add 1/2 qt water, 2 T vinegar (usually apple cider), 2 T sugar, a splash or two of cooking sherry or wine, and about three drops of dish soap into a low, wide mouth jar. I killed about 20 within an hour and last time I emptied the jar i had probably 50 fruit flies and five regular flies floating around. The soap kills them as soon as they land so no worries about contraptions they have to find their way into. Be careful not to put TOO much soap though, or they won't go to it. A bowl works too, but the wide mouth jar seems to work the best. Narrow openings, from my experience, have been hit and miss. Good luck! I hate bugs. Thu Jul 14 16:54:21 -0700 2005 1692547 0 krissywats 1 1692580 I do the vinegar and dishsoap in a white bowl thing as a long term solution, but if you really have a huge infestation, I find vacuuming them up very satisfying. You can get 40 or 50 in a few minutes this way. Fri Jul 15 14:48:20 -0700 2005 1692547 0 Jess 1 1693103 I think I have a solution here. After some research on the web I see the little things are also named vinegar flies and drain flies. Whatever they are called I found a way to get rid of them for good. These homemade fruitfly traps worked for us. Joe Link: http://www.fruitflytraps.com/hometrap.htm Fri Jul 29 18:19:20 -0700 2005 1692547 0 Joe 1 1693120 Are they fruit flies, or drain flies? http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2071.html If the latter, clean your drains/garbage disposal/dish washer. A foaming drain cleaner may be necessary. Sun Jul 31 16:40:28 -0700 2005 1692547 0 Dave S