ARGGHH!!! How can i get rid of FRUIT FLIES???

[SallyMander]

I have a totally disgusting infestation right now... we have hung flypaper, and i made a funnel trap with apple cider and rum in it. Both are working well, but the supply of NASTY LITTLE FRUIT FLIES seems endless! I have been smacking every one i see with a rolled-up newspaper... i am usually a "live and let live" kinda gal but this is just GROSS.

Any other suggestions? I'm desperate!

[Midlodemocrat]

1. White zinfandel set out in glasses overnight will attract and kill almost all of them.

Trust me, it works.

[flvegan]

3. *snicker*

So many things I could say here...can't pick just one.

:rofl:

[Midlodemocrat]

6. *snicker* I DO NOT drink that stuff

.....anymore.


But, it does work. Series. :rofl:

[flvegan]

16. What? White zin doesn't come in a fancy enough box for you?

[SallyMander]

4. Thank you!

I have a cheap bottle of chardonnay sitting around -- will that work? Or does it have to be white zin? If so i will happily go buy some 2-buck chuck! ;-)

[Phillycat]

8. Just add some sugar.

It's the sugar in the wine they're attracted to.

[Midlodemocrat]

9. I don't know. I think the key is the sugar in the white zin.

I discovered it one night a few years back (Actually, now that I think about it, it was after the 2004 election) My friend Gail came over to commiserate, and brought some with her.

She left the bottle, and since I don't drink it, I didn't think to cork, I just poured it out.

In the morning, the bottle was filled with the little suckers. It was great.

[VenusRising]

10. Anything that is fermented should work.

Something about it they can't stay away from.

Also, check under your sinks for leaks, take out your garbage, and make sure there are no damp sponges or wash rags in the kitchen.

[eyesroll]

2. Shallow dish -- approximately equal parts dish soap, sugar and vinegar.

I feel your pain -- we get fruit flies every late summer/fall.

[LaraMN]

5. Vacuum cleaner.

The hose, specifically.
Wait until they congregate and then suck them up; they're not that fast.
It reduces their numbers, at least.

[Mz Pip]

7. What are they eating?

I had fruit flies and after much searching found an old rotten potato way back in the pantry. Once I got rid of their food souce they disappeared.

Look around and see if you can find what they are feeding on.

Mz Pip
:dem:

[Phillycat]

11. I agree with this post, too.

They'll die within a day if you give them NOTHING to eat. You must have food out somewhere.

[SallyMander]

13. I don't know!

They were concentrated in the kitchen, so we've become super anal about taking out the trash and putting bleach in the disposal. Now they seem to be in the living room, especially around my guinea pig's cage??? I'm going to clean it out today... he just eats hay, but i guess they could be eating piggie poop -- gross little flies!

[zingaro]

19. I had a similar problem

after we moved into our house.

I thought we had fruit flies. It turned out they were tiny beetles.

The previous owners had a dog and they stored the dog food under the sink. It was so heavy that it had buckled the floor of the cabinet under there - you know, the false one? Some (actually a whole lot) of the dog food had found its way underneath the cabinet bottom and was just sitting there - a giant bug feast. They'd pried the buckled floor up and jimmied it back on semi-properly but they hadn't cleaned underneath it. Oh it was awful.

We just happened to get lucky because I pulled the d/w out to clean under it (it's right next to the cabinet in question) on the day the bug guy came. He said that stuff like that happens all the time and people think they're fruit flies.

So, if yours are small - like smaller than you'd think fruit flies should be - then you might have a different problem on your hands. And I'm wondering if your guinea pig's cage might be the thing? I don't have any idea if this is even feasible, but I know that we thought it was one thing and it was something else entirely.

Good luck!

[SallyMander]

27. ewwww!

I'm pretty sure these are fruit flies -- but i'll definitely double-check!

That must have been totally gross -- it's good you found it when you did!!

[Highway61]

12. Did you bring them home from the

Yankees - Indians game? Hee hee. Seriously, they are attracted to something in the kitchen or house. Look where you store onions or potato's etc...there may be a half rotted something around you don't know about. Get rid of the cider rum trap as they will keep coming to that as well. Get rid of ANY open food, veggies, pet food etc and they will disperse. I had that problem and ended finding there was an onion all the way at the bottom of the bin that was "soft" and Bingo...that was it. Any spec of sugar around...search around and you will find the source. Good luck

[SallyMander]

15. LOL!

Thank goodness they aren't that big and -- densely populated -- ew!

I'm going to check the fridge and cabinets again... hopefully i won't find any new species in there ;-)

[Gormy Cuss]

14. If all else fails, get fruit fly traps.

They have a pheromone bait and work like roach motels -- flies check in but they don't check out.

The home remedies will keep the population down to a dull roar and sometimes it's enough alone.

[Kali]

17. amphibians?

just sayin'

[SallyMander]

18. i actually have a salamander!

but he's fat and lazy... i think i need some tree frogs for the living room :-)

[SoxFan]

20. Use Joba Chamberlain

Apparently, small annoying insects are attracted to him

[yoyossarian]

21. Suggestion: Stop smacking everyone you see with a rolled-up newspaper!

I mean, that's just rude...
:grin:

This creature will eat all the bugs in your house
if you get her drunk enough and take her home:



T-shirts, mugs, buttons n' cards at
http://cafepress.com/laughcity

[SallyMander]

22. Well, i wait until they say

they voted for * twice... then they get it right in the kisser!

;-)

(btw, that pic is going to give me nightmares!!!)

[yoyossarian]

25. Oh... well if THAT'S what you're hittin' 'em for...

...might I suggest the New York Times?

:P

Sunday edition?

:toast:

Good luck with the bugs, really...
And sorry 'bout the pic; I was gonna post my bushbug animated gif next,
but I think you'd find that one downright terrifying... and it IS monday...

:) :) :)

[SallyMander]

29. alright, now i'm curious...

i can take it, i swear!

[ironflange]

23. First step is to throw out anyting they may be living in

I had a royal infestation a while back, turned out they were in an old bag of raisins. It worked well to make traps by poking a couple of nail holes in jar lids, then setting the jars out with pieces of apples in them. Once they had lots of the little bastards in them, I'd put them in the freezer for a while to kill them, then just set them out again. Took a while, but they're all long gone now.

[rug]

24. Feed them vegetables.

[mconvente]

26. ahh, lovely Drosophila melanogaster creatures!

It's so great when our little insect problem happens to be a model insect for genetic research! Obviously, fruit flies are pretty hard to analyze when they're moving around, so lets put them to sleep!

https://www2.carolina.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?jdeAddressId=&catalogId=10101&storeId=10151&productId=4262&langId=-1

Try some FlyNap - worked great in bio lab! lol

[SallyMander]

28. hehe -- if only it were the wingless morph

they'd be much easier to SMACK! with the newspaper

[sinkingfeeling]

30. Get rid of the fruit?

[triguy46]

31. we fought this a few years back, couldn't find the cause...

till daughter opened her volleyball gear bag for the first time in 2 months and found what resembled a banana, but what had become the center of fruit fly world.

[Deja Q]

32. Do they stay crunchy in milk?

:9

[SallyMander]

34. nah, start out soggy

stay soggy

[pitohui]

33. sevin dust is safe and effective in my experience , cheap too EOM

,

[yoyossarian]

35. Okay, you asked for it!

Talk about your disgustin' infestation!
The whole world is infected with these critters...
and there's NOTHIN' ya can do ta gets rid o' THEM!

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