fruit flies? | Imamother

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Forum -> Household Management -> Cleaning & Laundry

Fruit flies?

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e1234

Sun, Sep 14 2008, 3:14 am

How can I get rid of fruit flies from my kitchen?
yes I'm at fault - I left dishes in the sink for 2 nights - but now even when the sinks are clean - -the fruit files are still around - ugh!
what can I do?

Aidelmom

Sun, Sep 14 2008, 3:16 am

There could be a rotting fruit hidden somewhere. Do you have a shmittah bin? I don't find that I get fruit flies from dishes, more from fruit.

mamacita

Sun, Sep 14 2008, 3:26 am

Ok, this is what I found online, but it's only sort of worked here. I made a trap by cutting the top off of an empty water bottle, added some vinegar, water &/or a bit of fruit/veg then covered with plastic wrap and punched a few tiny holes. The websites I saw said they'd be drawn to the trap, get into the holes and not be able to get out again. We did catch a few, but then we found we'd left them over shabbos and had to release them all Tongue Out

doh

hatzlacha!

someoneoutthere

Sun, Sep 14 2008, 3:40 am

just leave out a bowl of cider vinegar. They'll be attracted by the smell.

mumoo

Sun, Sep 14 2008, 3:54 am

If there are more than just one or 2, I suck them up in the vacuum cleaner hose. They can't outfly that.

e1234

Sun, Sep 14 2008, 5:10 am

vinegar didn't seem to do it.
there's no fruit around.

I didn't wash down my cabinets - you think if apple juice spilled somewhere it would attract them??
they just seem to be flying around looking for something..

GAMZu

Sun, Sep 14 2008, 9:13 am

I think they're getting ready to find homes for the upcoming cold weather. I just developed this problem, and so did a friend of mine.

In any case, mamacita's idea with plastic wrap with holes sounds great. I'd just put a piece of fruit inside without anything. They attack any piece of fruit in the house, so I'm sure they'd go for this.

Mamacita, you could have let them loose outside. Isn't that what you were planning to do anyway? Don't tell me you were planning on killing them...

bubbles

Sun, Sep 14 2008, 9:15 am

pure a bottle of bleach down the drain. It really helps.

poemmom

Sun, Sep 14 2008, 9:23 am

Yes- they are usually in the drain.

greenfire

Sun, Sep 14 2008, 10:42 am

run after them with some fantastik spray ... before they take over ... Shooting Arrow

my dd won't listen to me and has a compost collection ... Twisted Evil

- I said it's attracting a herd of them fruit flies ... Banging head

mummiedearest

Sun, Sep 14 2008, 2:42 pm

put out a shot glass of whiskey. they'll get drunk and drown in it. this will only get rid of the flies you have right now. you have to make sure you get rid of the source as well.

my mom discovered the whiskey thing when they had fruit flies. it'll work pretty quickly.

amother

Sun, Sep 14 2008, 8:58 pm

uch same issue!!!! fruit flies/gnats have been in teh kitchen for WEEKS. we've used bug sprays, fly traps, washed all the dishes, and they still linger!!!!

We did find some drunk fruit flies drowned in a shot glass Smile

Thanks for the ideas in the thread, ill try them!

ShakleeMom

Sun, Sep 14 2008, 9:03 pm

The only thing that worked for me was to fill a spray bottle with a solution of water and anti-septic…. Keep spraying those flies until they die,. Eventually you will get them all. Note, spray close enough and you asphyxiate them with plain water, but the anti septic will kill the eggs they may have laid nearby.

e1234

Mon, Sep 15 2008, 3:13 am

what's considered an antiseptic?

mamacita

Mon, Sep 15 2008, 5:38 am

mummiedearest wrote:

Whoa, that would make my husband even crazier than the fruit flies, chalila we should waste whiskey, lol.

e1234, I need a emoticon of hitting myself on the head with a hammer! I didn't think of letting them go outside, I was just in frantic, oh no! breaking halacha! mode Sad

I'm planning on taking the traps to the trash and dumping them in, no catch and release here. I don't need them to find their way back to me or my neighbors!

ShakleeMom

Mon, Sep 15 2008, 9:28 am

e1234 wrote:

what's considered an antiseptic?

Anti septic kills germs. Bleach comes to mind, although hospitals do not use bleach because inhaling it causes respiratory issues. They use an antiseptic agent available in bulk. When buying Mr. Clean next time, choose the anti-septic version, or ask for a bottle in your pharmacy. Shaklee makes a product called Basic G, which I use (dare I mention this?)

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