Getting Rid of Fruit Flies
Posted on May 25, 2010, 8:46 am, by broccolicupcake.
It’s that time of year again when fruit flies are invading our home – and this year – our compost bin. I’m walking around the kitchen spontaneously clapping my hands to the beat of their wings in an effort to not only squish them but keep them away from my face. My 2 year old is complaining that the “butterflies” are landing on him and I can’t keep any fruit or dirty dishes on the counter which means more work for me. Luckily, I spent a day researching and experimenting on how to get rid of these pesky little bugs last year so after a few days I seem to have the indoor fruit flies under control thanks to vinegar and dish soap (we were out of bananas). If you need ideas keep reading. I’ve re-posted last year’s experiment results below.
As for the compost bin, wow! It is gross. I was lazy about covering my fruit scraps and turning the compost and now I’m regretting it. Every time I open the bin I’m greeted with a swarm of fruit flies! I sent my husband out to add dirt and turn the compost, which helped a little. Moving forward, I’m wrapping my scraps in newspaper before throwing them in and watering the compost once a week. I’ll let you know if this helps.
Eliminating Fruit Flies Naturally:
Fly paper – I put this outside the garage door that leads into the kitchen. That’s where they seem to be coming from. It’s loaded with them I think it’s helping as far as preventing any new invasions.
Vinegar Water – I have an update from last year. This is much more effective if you eliminate the water and use only apple cider vinegar and dish soap. I filled small Tupperware bowls with a mixture of water, dish soap and enough apple cider vinegar to attract the flies. I set several bowls around my kitchen and waited. The thought is that the fruit flies will be attracted to the vinegar, but once they enter the bowl the soap will prevent them from flying away and they’ll drown. The bowls have been out most of the day and there are probably 10 drown fruit flies total. The rest are hanging out on the edges. I think the floaters are giving it away and they are afraid to take a dip. Not sure this idea is really helping much.
Wine Glass – I filled a glass about half way with wine and added a little dish soap. Same theory as above. The little buggers have good taste because they are all over my wine. But again, only a few floaters. The rest are hanging back like wallflowers. Not the most effective method for getting rid of the flies and I’m out one glass of wine.
Fruit Juice Trap – I filled a plastic cup half way with fruit juice, covered the top in saran wrap and secured it with a rubber band. Then I poked holes in the saran wrap with a toothpick. The flies are supposed to wiggle their way through the holes in search of the juice and get trapped inside. There are a few flies on top of the saran wrap, but none inside the glass.
Banana Trap – Don’t laugh. You put a peeled banana or a banana peel in a glass and then follow the instructions above with the saran wrap. The flies can get in but they can’t get back out. As crazy as it sounds, this is the only idea that’s really worked. The glass if FULL of fruit flies. Make sure you use a glass you don’t like because you have to throw the whole thing away at the end to dispose of the bugs you’ve trapped.
Are fruit flies invading your home or compost bin? How do you get rid of them?
