Posted by lotus42 on Sep 14, 2007 · Member since Mar 2007 · 3081 posts
take away whatever theyre eating and they go away in a day
Did that. Hopefully they will be gone tomorrow. Thanks.
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Posted by LucidAnne on Sep 14, 2007 · Member since Jun 2006 · 1564 posts
like baypuppy said, they are attracted to vinegar... so pour some into a soda bottle-type bottle and let it sit, unopened, near where they are...they fly into the bottle but have a hard time getting out.
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Posted by volacious.r on Sep 15, 2007 · Member since Sep 2005 · 313 posts
I'm currently fighting an ongoing battle with fruit flies. It's not that my place is really dirty and my friends in the area are having similar issues so I'm hoping that they will go away once the temp drops a bit. Anyways...
1. Def put apple cider vinegar in a bottle or jar, then take a sheet of paper and roll it to form a cone shape and tape. Cut off the very tip to leave a small hole, then stick it in the top of the container holding the vinegar. As LucidAnne said, they can get in, but they can't get out! I find that they will still fly out if there's no paper cone, but you can try either way. Some will drown, others will just mill around in the container. You can just tie it in a plastic bag and throw the whole thing out when you feel it's losing effectiveness (or looks too gross!!!).
2. If they just won't go away and you're getting extremely frustrated (like me!), put a small dish of cider vinegar in the oven overnight. In the morning, close the oven door and turn the oven on. They will flock to the dish, but don't have to find their way inside like with a bottle.
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Posted by yabbitgirl on Sep 15, 2007 · Member since Apr 2006 · 14266 posts
Remember to wash your trash bin occasionally, it's a job I hate but even if your bin doesn't look dirty, it will attract fruit flies (as well as other "little folk."). Wash it with a good disinfectant solution, either bleach etc. or at least vinegar and soda. It makes a huge difference.
You can wash your sink with bicarb too. And remember to wipe down surfaces regularly. Even if you don't have fruit standing out in the open, the juices from preparation stay on surfaces and attract the little guys. Try the Kitchen Surface Cleaner I submitted, the lavendar oil is a good repellant, or you can also use citronella. If you don't like the bicarb-vinegar reaction, you can try just vinegar and water with some of the oil.
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Posted by Cephi on Sep 15, 2007 · Member since Feb 2007 · 371 posts
Leaving out near-empty bottles of wine will do the vinegar trick nicely. I always feel bad doing it... I'll leave out a bottle and tell myself oh hmm I'm not trying to kill things I'm just being lazy not cleaning this up... oh no, every fruit fly in the house wants to commit mass suicide there? Oh darn...
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Posted by AshleyKimball on Sep 15, 2007 · Member since Nov 2006 · 536 posts
HEY here's a way to get rid of them AND save their lives. Cut off the bottom of a liter soda bottle. Place it over a plate with a small very shallow dish of cider (what ever kind of letf over fruit rind works too), do the funnel trick if need be. When there's sufficient fruit flies inside take the whole thing outside far far away from your house and lift off the modified soda bottle. This way they can ESCAPE from the thing instead of helplessly parishing/drowning/suffering.
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Posted by Cephi on Sep 15, 2007 · Member since Feb 2007 · 371 posts
Does that really work Ashleykimball? I mean, they don't die? Whenever I use the wine bottle, I never find it with any significant number of live flies still inside. They're always already dead.
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Posted by closeyoureyestosee on Sep 15, 2007 · Member since Jan 2007 · 1218 posts
Leaving out near-empty bottles of wine will do the vinegar trick nicely. I always feel bad doing it... I'll leave out a bottle and tell myself oh hmm I'm not trying to kill things I'm just being lazy not cleaning this up... oh no, every fruit fly in the house wants to commit mass suicide there? Oh darn...
Heh heh, that's so cute!
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Posted by Cheezees on Sep 15, 2007 · Member since Jul 2007 · 322 posts
Ok
So I set out a wide mouthed flat dish with vinegar just to see what would happen. And the fruit flies practically ignore it! :o
Except for exactly 2 of them that I saw actually fly into and bounce off of the vinegar. Like a swooping dive and lift off! Then they fluttered away straight to the bunch of bananas nearby. Guess they didn't like their vinegar pool too much. ;D ;D ;D
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Posted by Cephi on Sep 15, 2007 · Member since Feb 2007 · 371 posts
what kind of vinegar Cheezees? I suspect apple-cider would be more effective than others. But seriously, they are total winos. A half a glass will do the trick for sure. Course you'll just be feeding them unless it's in a bottle they can't easily escape.
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Posted by Cheezees on Sep 15, 2007 · Member since Jul 2007 · 322 posts
Apple cider vinegar...but in a flat wide bowl. Maybe I'll try the wine. I don't drink so I'll have to lift some of my roommate's. Kinda hard to get away with as I'll be placing it in the center of the kitchen table :P ::)
take away whatever theyre eating and they go away in a day
take away whatever theyre eating and they go away in a day
Did that. Hopefully they will be gone tomorrow. Thanks.
like baypuppy said, they are attracted to vinegar...
so pour some into a soda bottle-type bottle and let it sit, unopened, near where they are...they fly into the bottle but have a hard time getting out.
I'm currently fighting an ongoing battle with fruit flies. It's not that my place is really dirty and my friends in the area are having similar issues so I'm hoping that they will go away once the temp drops a bit. Anyways...
1. Def put apple cider vinegar in a bottle or jar, then take a sheet of paper and roll it to form a cone shape and tape. Cut off the very tip to leave a small hole, then stick it in the top of the container holding the vinegar. As LucidAnne said, they can get in, but they can't get out! I find that they will still fly out if there's no paper cone, but you can try either way. Some will drown, others will just mill around in the container. You can just tie it in a plastic bag and throw the whole thing out when you feel it's losing effectiveness (or looks too gross!!!).
2. If they just won't go away and you're getting extremely frustrated (like me!), put a small dish of cider vinegar in the oven overnight. In the morning, close the oven door and turn the oven on. They will flock to the dish, but don't have to find their way inside like with a bottle.
Remember to wash your trash bin occasionally, it's a job I hate but even if your bin doesn't look dirty, it will attract fruit flies (as well as other "little folk."). Wash it with a good disinfectant solution, either bleach etc. or at least vinegar and soda. It makes a huge difference.
You can wash your sink with bicarb too. And remember to wipe down surfaces regularly. Even if you don't have fruit standing out in the open, the juices from preparation stay on surfaces and attract the little guys. Try the Kitchen Surface Cleaner I submitted, the lavendar oil is a good repellant, or you can also use citronella. If you don't like the bicarb-vinegar reaction, you can try just vinegar and water with some of the oil.
Leaving out near-empty bottles of wine will do the vinegar trick nicely. I always feel bad doing it... I'll leave out a bottle and tell myself oh hmm I'm not trying to kill things I'm just being lazy not cleaning this up... oh no, every fruit fly in the house wants to commit mass suicide there? Oh darn...
HEY here's a way to get rid of them AND save their lives. Cut off the bottom of a liter soda bottle. Place it over a plate with a small very shallow dish of cider (what ever kind of letf over fruit rind works too), do the funnel trick if need be. When there's sufficient fruit flies inside take the whole thing outside far far away from your house and lift off the modified soda bottle. This way they can ESCAPE from the thing instead of helplessly parishing/drowning/suffering.
Does that really work Ashleykimball? I mean, they don't die? Whenever I use the wine bottle, I never find it with any significant number of live flies still inside. They're always already dead.
Leaving out near-empty bottles of wine will do the vinegar trick nicely. I always feel bad doing it... I'll leave out a bottle and tell myself oh hmm I'm not trying to kill things I'm just being lazy not cleaning this up... oh no, every fruit fly in the house wants to commit mass suicide there? Oh darn...
Heh heh, that's so cute!
Ok
So I set out a wide mouthed flat dish with vinegar just to see what would happen. And the fruit flies practically ignore it! :o
Except for exactly 2 of them that I saw actually fly into and bounce off of the vinegar. Like a swooping dive and lift off! Then they fluttered away straight to the bunch of bananas nearby. Guess they didn't like their vinegar pool too much. ;D ;D ;D
what kind of vinegar Cheezees? I suspect apple-cider would be more effective than others. But seriously, they are total winos. A half a glass will do the trick for sure. Course you'll just be feeding them unless it's in a bottle they can't easily escape.
Apple cider vinegar...but in a flat wide bowl. Maybe I'll try the wine. I don't drink so I'll have to lift some of my roommate's. Kinda hard to get away with as I'll be placing it in the center of the kitchen table :P ::)