Fruit fly annoyance

[blue_lotus13]

Does anyone have any tips on getting rid of fruit flies? We seem to be having a MAJOR infestation in one kitchen and one of our bathrooms.

Thanks in advance.

Comments

[alexeye.livejournal.com]

we had them last year. a couple of good lj suggestions (possibly from mishy) were to a) pour boiling water down the drains to kill eggs, and b) to keep an open bottle of wine (mostly empty) on the counter - they fly in, but they can't get out. i did the latter last fall, and believe me - it traps a lot of bugs.

[gmajor.livejournal.com]

We use a dessert dish with wine in it, and a piece of plastic wrap covering it, with small holes poked into the wrap. My grandmother taught me that one.

[kickasphalt.livejournal.com]

they might be mold gnats. i've had them before. if you have a garbage disposal, you should scrub the rotting food from its blades, and then pour hot water and bleach down it, as they breed in there. then set bowls of apple cider vinegar covered with cling wrap out. poke a few holes in it. they'll get in, but they can't get out and then they drown.

[psychicle.livejournal.com]

Beware of rotting potatoes! They were the recent source of our infestation. And yes, they live in the drains. I poured some Japanese Drano-esque solution into our drains and that seemed to take care of the problem.

[morag-gunn.livejournal.com]

Fruit flies breed in standing water - specifically drains. There are two things that you can do for about 72 hours consistently that will make then die. First, don't leave fruit on the counter. Especially not bananas. It's best to make sure all food is in a fridge or cupboard or whatever. Second, every night before you go to bed remove any standing water from your kitchen (like, don't leave a pot soaking overnight). Then pour some Drain cleaner in your drains and don't flush it out until the morning. If you do this for three nights in a row you should be rid of your fruit flies.

[suhl.livejournal.com]

We seem to get them once or twice a year. Once we find the source (usually the drain, as mentioned in the other replies) and get rid of anywhere for them to live (no accessible food of any kind anywhere in the kitchen!), they're gone in a few days.

[(Anonymous)]

Similar to the other suggestions: apple juice + soap detergent in a bowl. The apple juice lures in the flies; the soap detergent reduces the surface tension of the mixture and the flies sink to the bottom. Sort of like a Drosophila melanogaster Titanic.