If you’re like me, figuring out how to get rid of fruit flies is a necessary evil this time of year. I don’t know what it is, the temprature, the abundance of produce, or the geographical location, but this time of year seems to bring them out like crazy here on the East Coast! They’re the worst!!! So annoying and a pain to get rid of, and once they’re in the kitchen it can be very hard to get rid of them.
A couple weeks ago I bought two bushels of peaches and to my chagrin, those darn fruit flies turned up and have been a real pain to get rid of ever since.
I asked my Facebook fans how to get rid of the fruit flies, and got some great advice. I have tried all of them and now feel like a bit of an expert on how to get those annoying fruit flies to leave for good.
In case you ever find yourself with some pesky fruit flies who don’t want to leave I decided to share the methods everyone shared with me and let you know which ones worked best for us.
…and actually, there are five ways, I threw in a bonus method at the end.
Vinegar and Dish Soap
How to do it:
In a glass cup or dish pour an inch or so of apple-cider vinegar and add a large drop of dish soap, cover it with plastic wrap and poke small holes with a toothpick.
Is it effective?
Many people told us this would really help, but it was actually the least effective method we tried. It wasn’t catching any with the plastic wrap over it, so I took that off and it did catch a few. I have heard that putting it in a bottle and making a paper funnel at the top helps catch more with this mixture. (This method works great for many people so do not disclaim it because of my experience. It would still be worth trying)
Slice of tomato in a dish
How to do it:
In a small bowl or dish place a large thick slice of tomato (a rotten one if you have one), put plastic wrap over the dish and poke small holes with a toothpick.
Is it effective?
This method works well. I have used it in the past and had great success catching fruit flies. It didn’t seem to totally get rid of them though even though it did catch a lot.
Vacuum Method
How to do it:
Use the hose of your vacuum to suck up fruit flies. Put plastic wrap over the end of the hose when you are done so any fruit flies that are still alive can not come flying out.
Is it effective?
Yes and no. It is effective in that the ones you get are gone for good, but it is ineffective in the fact that it is really tricky to catch them with the vacuum. As you can see from the pictures my son was really excited to try it this way, but it is almost impossible to get them unless they have landed on a surface and you catch them before they take off again.
Put a big fan in your kitchen method
How to do it:
Place a large fan in your kitchen, counter height if possible. Keep it on high for a week. (point it in direction of where flies are the biggest problem.) Flies will not be able to lad on surfaces very well and the cooler air will cause them to fly slower. In my house they would gravitate to the window since it was the warmest place in the kitchen and because they were cold and moving slowly it was very easy to kill them when they landed on the window.
Is it effective?
Yes. This is the most effective method we have tried. It is annoying to have the fan going all day in the kitchen though, but if you are consistent and keep all fruit in the fridge during the week and kill the ones you see landing on surfaces you will quickly see that they are disappearing. If you think they are all gone and it has only been three days, keep the fan on for an additional three or four days to make sure the fruit flies are really gone. Continue to keep all fruit in the fridge until fruit fly season is over.
Pay your kids to catch them method
How to do it:
Tell your kids you will pay them five cents for every fruit fly they kill.
Is it effective?
YES! This is my favorite method. My kids were all over it and I ended up owing them each over a dollar. 🙂
Remember to have any of these methods work, you need to get the fruit out of your kitchen. Put it in the fridge until the problem is under control and the fruit fly season has passed!
Good Luck!
Maria
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