If you’re like most people, fresh seasonal fruits is one of life’s sweeter gifts. Who does not love to bite into a juicy peach or nectarine? How can those of us on the go make it without those easy to peel and delicious to eat bananas? Fruit is a real treat but not the fruit flies that often come with it. The good news is that there are some simple ways to get rid of fruit flies, so you can have your fruit and eat it too without the annoyance of living with fruit flies.
1. Red Wine
Red wine has an appealing scent that attracts fruit flies. Take an old bottle of red wine that has just a little left in the bottom of the bottle and leave it out uncovered. The narrow neck should keep the flies trapped and eventually drown them.
2. Apple Cider Vinegar
Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar is one of the most effective means of trapping and killing off fruit flies. The scent of the apple cider attracts the fruit flies. Buy a bottle of unfiltered apple cider and remove the cap. Cover the top with plastic wrap and make sure it stays securely in place by securing it with a rubber band. Poke a small hole into the plastic wrap so the flies can enter into the bottle. Once the flies are in the bottle they will not be able to exit. When
Fruit flies can be a real nuisance.
your home is free and clear of fruit flies, just recap and dispose of it in the garbage.
A variation of this technique is to set out an uncovered bowl of apple cider vinegar but add a few drops of liquid dish soap to the vinegar. The soap cuts through the surface tension of the vinegar so that the flies sink and drown in the bowl. This method is a good back up to the bottle method when the flies seem to be able to escape the plastic wrap.
3. Vinegar, Fruit and A Paper Cone
Another variation using vinegar you can use is to place some vinegar and a piece of very ripe or overripe fruit into a jar. Next, take a piece of paper and roll it into a cone. Place the narrow end into the opening of the jar. The fruit flies will be drawn into the jar but will not be able to escape out.
4. Milk, Sugar and Pepper
If you have the time, you can try this old farmer’s Almanac solution. Combine together a pint of milk, 4 oz. of raw sugar and 2 oz. of ground pepper in a saucepan and cook for 10 minutes over a low heat. Pour the mixture into a shallow dish and wait. The fruit flies will be drawn to the mixture and drown.
5. Professional Pesticides and Traps
Aerosol insecticides with a pyrethrum base can be used to kill fruit flies, but they do not provide population control. Fruit flies can fly all over and scatter eggs in hard to reach places like drains. To provide control that kills off the eggs and emerging adults, you can use a bit trap.
There are several traps on the market that use non-toxic bait. Baits last about a month and can generally catch and kill about 2000 fruit flies. This may be a slightly more costly solution but the advantage of using professional traps is that they not only eliminate the existing flies, but they also eliminate new adults.
Fruit flies are not dangerous, but they are really irritating. There are several inexpensive homemade baits that work to attract and kill off fruit flies or you can choose to spend a little more and benefit from the added control professional insecticides provide to keep your home fruit fly free.
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