fruit flies, ugg

brachysira

My parents visited, and we did a lot of unusual fruit shopping, and they did all the cleaning. I have no idea how it started, but a few days after they left, we noticed fruit flies.  We are not super vigilant cleaners--if M is throwing a fit after lunch, it may be a couple hours before I get back and clean up her tray.  I usually toss the lunch dishes in the sink and do them all at night.  No more.  The last few days, no dishes are left in the sink, no good smelling soap is left out, no fruit bowl, no trash cans left unemptied.  The problem persists.  I read online to set up a trap (put saran wrap over a bowl that contains vinegar, and poke some small holes.  Seal the saran wrap over the bowl with a rubber band.  Fruit flies get in but can't get out.)  We got about 10 flies in, but there were about 30 more swarming around.  I felt like maybe this was just attracting them.  They have expanded.  If I cut up an apple for M, they descend and even land right on her face.  If A.J. has a poopy diaper, they try to get inside his pjs.  I have never seen anything so relentless.  Please help!

holly321

I had a bunch recently. I filled a mason jar half way with apple cider and a little bit of dish soap. I put a funnel in it. It trapped them quickly. Sometimes it helps to add a little fruit.

elliespiral

Two thoughts: add a squirt of dish soap to the vinegar, the viscosity makes it less likely that they can escape the liquid.

Second, a trick I picked up while bartending: those little suckers can live in your drains. We used to bleach our drains every night at the bar. I'm not sure if there's a less-smelly/chemical option that would have the same result.

kelly321

For the ones that seem too smart for the red wine trap, I suggest a vacuum cleaner. Take off the end attachment and just suck them up. They aren't strong enough to fly away from the suction, so you can even just get them out of the air.

tamarar5

I've got them swarming my dirty cloth diapers, too. Hate. Them.

lbonga1

We had a huge fruit fly problem once at my old apartment. I used a vacuum on the ones that were clustered in an area, then I went to a hardware store to get a couple traps. They were shaped like little apples, and you pour the liquid in it and they can get in but not out. They worked really well and it took care of all of them in about a week.

SidraJedi

I used to work in a juice bar and there was one thing that worked to get our fruit fly population down: peppermint oil.

Get one of those little spray bottles from target, buy some peppermint essential oil from whole foods or something and mix the oil with some water in the spray bottle. I don't remember how much but it doesn't take a lot for you to smell the peppermint. It need to be a little strong. The flys hate it. Spray it on surfaces where you want the flies to stay off of. It won't kill them but it will frustrate the hell out of them and they will stay far away from peppermint.

kelly321

DC2London said:

I am dying at the image of @kelly321 going all Ghostbusters on the fruit flies with her hoover

I have to say that it turned out to be a much better strategy than the one I had before that. I would go into the kitchen armed with a magazine (we didn't have a fly swatter... don't ask) and go ninja on them. And then I spent the next 3 days cleaning the little blood smugs off the walls, cabinets, etc. Trust me, the vacuum is the way to go.