What You Must Know About Fruit Flies....

Many years ago, I lived in an tenement apartment in northern New Jersey. My refrigerator broke, the landlord bought a new one, but didn't remove the old one. I cleaned out the old one, and shut the door tried to ignore it until the day it would disappear.

Fine. Well, not so fine.

A couple of weeks later (I had a really bad landlord) I noticed a tiny little black things, just a couple, flying around the living room. I swatted them and forgot about it. Until there were more. I couldn't for the life of me figure out where they were coming from, as their population grew.

Then one day, I noticed almost peripherally, that there were a few around the old frig. I opened the door. Well, I am not going to horrify you with what I found in there, but the mystery was solved.

Hint

1. You cannot ever, no matter what you do or use, really clean everything out of an old refrigerator.

2. Closing the door will create an atmosphere that is even more conducive to fruit fly breeding. Better to leave the door open.

I have purchased one of those fruit and vegetable holders that I have seen in others' kitchens. I like the look and I know it is best for some veggies and fruits to not be refrigerated. It took me a while to find the one I want, but I got it over a year ago.

I loved it, until I saw those little black gnatty things around; and a swarm by the sink. #@#*.

I almost made a huge mistake! I use vinegar in my carpet shampooer so that the elderly dogs can't smell themselves and think the carpet is the place to go. So, naturally, when I went to ruthlessly clean every spot on the counter I was going to use vinegar to make it extra clean. I didn't thank goodness. Later I learned that vinegar is often used in fruit fly traps to attract them! I would have actually increased the population!

After I cleaned they were gone---for a day. Looks like I had more to learn. That is what this lens is about, to teach you what I learned.

Remove everything from your counter tops. That is where mine were breeding, under my fruit display. (Duh!)

Their is no substitute for it. Don't bother doing anything else until you have done that.

Come on, it doesn't take that long and you will feel better.

Oh, and don't forget to put every dish cloth and towel in the washer. Never leave a wet dish cloth laying around. You might even want to wipe the moisture from your sink, at least until the infestation is gone. Remember, as tiny as they are, the eggs are even tinier! Get rid of them!

My research has found both pros and cons of fruit fly traps.

Basically the biggest pro is that traps work. They do attack fruit flies and contain them.

Basically the biggest con is that they can become a breeding ground.

I discovered that the reason mine came back the next day is that while removing the feeding source will have the adults dropping like flies, the eggs are tougher. They will last long enough to hatch and fly the next day, making you feel like it is all a hopeless cause. It isn't, you just have to keep going.

Traps can be breeding grounds. To make them more effective, remove the bait each day. Put it in the garbage disposal, if liquid poor it down the sink (with some bleach). Just don't think that you can use the same bait for the whole project.

Fruit flies have a life span of 10 days. That is a long time,

You can buy traps, (if you want you can buy them from me!) but frankly they are so easy to make, I did that. Why don't you just buy fruit fly drawer pulls instead, with the money you save from making your own traps?

1. Get a jar, get a funnel (metal or make one from paper, put your bait in the bottom, the funnel on top and watch them gather for their last party.

2. Get a 2 liter plastic soda bottle, but the top off about 2/3 up. Put in bait, take the top, sans bottle cap and put it upside down in the bottle bottom to create a funnel.

Here is my favorite recipe for bait to use with the traps:

1. In a small bowl, combine about 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar and about 1/2 teaspoon dishwashing liquid.* Mix very gently to avoid creating lots of bubbles.

2. Set bowl in gnat-prone area, and watch them die!!

Simply, yes. Lots of people have them, heck I had one for a year with no problem.

I just have to wait until all the eggs are gone so their are no smells to attract their sensitive little whatever they smell with...

And keep an eye on it.

Enjoy!