Those Pesky Fruit Flies, Goodbye!When I first moved into our home I hosted a ladies night out, inviting in all my new neighbors. It was a lot of fun and I knew I'd found the spot I wanted to stay for a long while.
But...it was the end of summer and we had a lot of wonderful food, fruit and drinks laid out. As the evening progressed, to my great dismay, the fruit flies were breeding and multiplying right before my eyes. Now how does that happen? There is one, then a dozen, and then a swarm. Disgusting!
{And slightly embarrassing when entertaining new friends...}
Paul Cezanne
Then one of the women came to the rescue with her brilliant method of dealing with these little pests. Pour apple cider vinegar into a glass and add several drops of dish soap.
Set the glass out and before you know it, no more little flies buzzing around your house!
*Just one small FYI: Make certain, if a man in the house is a beer lover, that he is aware that you aren't simply being sweet and have poured him a drink.
37 comments:
This is a life saver, thanks for sharing this gold nugget!
How long did it take before they were gone? Was it hours, or a day?
Hours. :) Janell
awesome tip!! :)
Hi Janell! I've been lurking as of late, and not commenting. Hope your summer is going great! Anywho... when you started talking about the apple cider vinegar, I was thinking the concoction would ATTRACT the fruit flies, and then you could get rid of them. I've never heard of this before. Was that the last you saw of them, or did they just disappear for the rest of the day. Were you outdoors or inside? I'm wondering because I've heard that fruit flies often breed in the kitchen drain, (I know...gross!), and that you can't get rid of them unless you tackle the drain with some combination of bleach or something or other. Anyway, glad it worked for you!
Great advice - i add wine and it works great too. Never tried apple cider.
Yeah...I would be the one to mistakenly drink it.....probably!
Yes, you do need to address the drains, where they live/breed apparently. Gross. And I typically leave out a glass of this concoction throughout the warm months just to keep the problem from escalating. Here are some tips for cleaning the drains I found online:
To keep them away, follow these tips from Asapest.
1. Clean the buildup from the lining and the surrounding areas of your drains. Use a long, wire drain brush – similar to a bottle- washing brush – to scrub inside the drain.
2. A bleach solution and nylon scrub brush can help eliminate the buildup around the edge of the drain.
3. Instead of caustic cleaners, try keeping the lining of your drains clean a couple of different ways. First, I use an organic drain cleaner about three times a year to keep my sink drains and tub drains flowing smoothly. Try Bio-Clean which uses enzymes to break down the organic matter that lines and clogs drains.
4. Also, use a drain freshener of salt, baking soda and white vinegar weekly to keep scum from building up in drains. Pour a half- cup of salt, then a half-cup of baking soda followed by a cup of vinegar into the drain. Let the drain foam for as long as possible, even overnight, then flush with boiling water.
Great to know! I've noticed a few starting to appear round here recently.
Wow, great tip! This is good to know!
Thanks so much for the follow-up info, Janell!
Bug porn is not pretty, nor does it usually impress the neighbors unless you are entertaining an entomologist. Great tip!
fantastic tip, and one that I'll have to remember, come fruit fly season!
great tip, but does it make the room smell like vinegar?
Great tip, Janell! Thanks for sharing!
Jessie
www.mixandchic.com
Shannon, hilarious...& Lynne, no! I have a glass sitting on my kitchen sink window and using only 1/2 cup I never notice any smell. Janell
Great to know!! Thanks for posting - I will try it this weekend when we bbq! Happy summer!
Becky Tellefsen
Wow what perfect timing for me because just yesterday I was telling my mom I have all these pesky fruit flies and don't know where they came from or how to get rid of them!!!...well now I do thanks!!! Tammy
THANK YOU! The Okanagan is the fruit-belt of BC and we are swarmed with those nasty fruit flies. While everyone here has them it doesn't make them less annoying. I will be sharing this tip with my friends and neighbors.
Vinegars are a staple for a number of different uses in my house..great tip!
great tip! we have them! thanks
You are my new hero- we have them and its driving me NUTS! Thanks for the tip!
Thanks for sharing, those pesky fruit flies drive me nuts.
This is an excellent tip - and it does work wonders! My hubby and I usually use a small bowl covered with plastic wrap, which I make small punctures in (this ensures that once the fruit fly goes in the bowl it never ever comes out!). I've been thinking of replacing the bowl with a small decorative vase so it doesn't look like we've got dirty dishes laying around - and also to hide the fruit fly bodies until they can be properly disposed of!
Thanks for sharing this tip, Janell. I had never heard this one and will for sure be giving it a try.
You can also use beer plus a drop or two of dish soap - I prefer vinegar though (and will usually have vinegar available, where beer may not last in the house). ;)
I so HATE these little things. There are actually a couple of different kinds, and that can make it more difficult to get rid of them.
I actually do my own mixture - red wine, apple cider vinegar, and dish soap. I'm telling you, for whatever reason, it's more potent.
how have i never heard of this?! a great idea when you have people constantly coming in and out of the house.
kelly
SO glad you posted this - I love to have a big bowl of fruit out at all times to tempt my kids (and me) to eat something healthy...but with fruit flies swarming it totally ruins it. Thanks so much!
http://bjdhausdesign.blogspot.com/
Really?! Who would have thought. I am printing this post!
Also reminds me that I should go back to drinking water with apple cider vinegar. It removes toxins from the body, promotes a youthful appearance and supports a healthy immune system!
All from one little inexpensive bottle!
ox, Mon
http://www.splendidwillow.com
Mon, Yes I'd read that somewhere. Though right about now, thinking about this use of vinegar I'm having a hard time thinking about adding it to my water! One of these days I'll try it...Janell
This is hilarious as we currently have a "trap" on the sink my hubby made with vinegar and a cone shaped piece of paper. It's not working! Maybe it's the apple cider vinegar that is the key! Can't wait to do this and watch them vanish {not that we are competitive or anything!}
I wonder if it would work with regular flies?! We have a horrible fly problem!! We live by dairies...it's killing us!!!
www.moddybee.blogspot.com
No, unfortunately, it doesn't. I'd love to hear a simply remedy for house flies! Janell
Thank you for sharing. We came home from vacation and the fruit flies greeted us. NASTY!! It was not a warm welcome
I read that regular flies hate the smell of pinesol and to spray a mixture of half pinesol half water around doors and windows to deter them....worth a shot!
I read that regular flies hate the smell of pinesol and to spray a mixture of half pinesol half water around doors and windows to deter them....worth a shot!
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