fruit flies?!

[babydogs3]

We came back from being out of town for 5 days and found what I guess are fruit flies all over our kitchen!! We didn't leave any food out and emptyed the trash before we left so I don't know what attracted them. I've heard that vinegar or basil can get rid of them but I tried those and it didn't help. They're driving us crazy! What can we use that is nontoxic to get rid of them? TIA.

[Kele]

This is what I heard on another board - if it works or not

Leave out a little dish that has SUGARWATER, and a few drops of BLEACH and a few drops of DISH SOAP. The'll drink it and by the next day they'll all be dead.

This was another post

Also, if you don't want a dish with bleach sitting out, you can use Apple Cider Vinegar with one drop of dishsoap. They are attracted to the vinegar and the dishsoap makes them stick and drown..kind of gruesome but it does work.

[rosiemama]

also...as in above post...but realize it may take up to 7 days for them all to be gone.....but as long as you keep putting the dish out and killing them off....eventually there will be no more left....
we had this happen and its just really annoying , isn't it?

[Severine]

We've had a major fruit fly problem since the last batch of bananas (no more bananas in our house!!!!!). What I did was get a Ball jar, put about 1/2 inch of apple cider vinegar in the bottom, made a paper funnel that I put in the top, and left it on the counter. They get in but most of the time, they can't figure out how to get out and eventually drown. It's been a drastic improvement, though they're not all gone yet.

Also, make sure your garbage pail is covered and that the drains are clear in the kitchen. These are breeding grounds for them.

I hate fruit flies!!!!!

[OneFabMama]

We have an AWFUL fruit fly problem here, outside out window is an avocado tree. Heh. So, I'll be watching this thread.

[gfarley]

I don't hate fruit flies since I actually grow them inthe lab I work in. What we do to catch fruit flies that escape from the growing cages, is the same as described by prev. post. Take a jar (I usually pull one out of the recycling bin) and fill with an inch or two of Apple juice (Apple vinegar will also work it is the smell that attracts them). Make a paper funnel and place in mouth of bottle. The flies are attracted to the smell will crawl down the paper and will not be able to get out. ALso look for eggs. The eggs are visible will be tiny white -pale yellow. They usually lay eggs near the food source often laying eggs as they eat. Hope this helps.

Gwen

[KnottyLDSMama]

We've tried to vinegar, have 3 fly strips hanging over our sink, and they're still terrible!! They're in the diaper pail now and in the trash can that DH uses for his disposable wipes. We've tried peppermint oil in the trash cans, but it doesn't kill them, just keeps them away so they end up in other pkace. nak

[jkelstaten]

pour some bleach in every sink drain at night until they are gone...like pp said it's their breeding ground. This is what I do everytime we get them & it works like a charm.

[OneFabMama]

I just did the apple cider thing, with some dish soap, and water and putit out in the window seal where the cat cant get it and the baby wont get it. we'll see how it works.

[babydogs3]

I just tried the apple cider vinegar/dish soap in a bowl today and so far it's working great. Of course, there are still a ton of fruit flies left but it's definately an improvement. So thank you for that great idea!

I hate fruit flies, they are driving me crazy!