Fruit Flies
All of a sudden, I’ve had this mild but irritating fruit fly infestation. I can’t find the source, my kitchen is clean, and there are never any other bugs in my apartment. Does anyone have a recommendation, product etc. for getting rid of them?
All of a sudden, I’ve had this mild but irritating fruit fly infestation. I can’t find the source, my kitchen is clean, and there are never any other bugs in my apartment. Does anyone have a recommendation, product etc. for getting rid of them?
I had a horrible infestation when I lived in the West Village – was unable to find the source (most likely from another apt or the trash bins in the courtyard), but hanging a bunch of rolls of fly tape was a HUGE help. It might be unsightly, but it killed off most of them and they resurged less frequently. You can find the stuff anywhere, including Duane Reade…
Live & learn – both are great household hints!
If you see them around fresh fruits/vegtables, rotting fruits and vegetables, drains, garbage and damp organic materials then they are most likely fruit flies. We have been having a big problem with them lately too. However I found a great, cheap and non-toxic solution. Take a small plastic container with a lid (a left over take out sauce dish works great) and poke a couple of small holes in the top of the lid with a knife or tines of a fork. Alternative you could use a cup/bowl and cover in plastic wrap with holes poked in that. Make sure the holes are big enough for the flies to get into. Fill the container half way with apple cider vinegar. Then put a couple of pumps of any liquid dish soap into the vinegar. Put the top with holes firmly on and place near where you see the fruit flies the most (usually near sink, garbage or fruit storage) I put a new one together last night and as of this morning I had over 15 dead fruit flies in mine. The way it works is the sweet smell of the apple cider vinegar attracts them but the soap breaks the surface tension so when they attempt to land on it they fall in and drown. If you continue to have issues with them set up a new one every week or so.
Are you sure they are fruit flies? Have you purchased any new plants recently or new bags of soil? I recently went through a similar infestation and had no fruit in the house and my house is clean. I eventually found out that what I was seeing were ‘soil gnats’ that took a ride with me when I bought new plants at Home Depot and Lowes. They look very much like fruit flies. Take a look at any plants you have in your house. If you see a congregation of them near your plants, they are likely soil gnats. There is a spray you can buy for the soil to kill them, but it will also kill your plant 🙁 (found this out the hard way). The best solution is to go to the pet store and buy sand (it’s cheaper there than anywhere else) and lay a 2-3″ layer on top of the soil of every plant in your home. It prevents the soil gnats from coming out of the dirt and flying around your home. They eventually die down there with no harm to your plant.