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AK Complete Home Renovations
AK Complete Home Renovati... Professional Marietta, GA on Sep 06, 2012
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How Do You Get Rid Of Fruit Flies?

We're not talking infestation here, but we seem to have up to 20 persistent fruit flies in the kitchen - regardless of the presence of fruit! Can't figure out where they're coming from! How do we get rid of them? Quick - before we start naming them!
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    How do you get rid of fruit flies?
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88 Comments Displaying 25 of 88 comments | See Previous
  • Richard S Nicholasville, KY
    Any fruity liquid that they are attracted to works -- some better than others. Cider vinegar works best but it loses its effectiveness after a few days and should be replaced. A few drops of dish soap break the surface tension so they sink and drown, otherwise they can do the equivalent of "walk on water" and just fly away. There are also drain flies that might be mistaken for fruit flies but the cure is the same for the drain pests.
    on Sep 09, 2012 · Like 2
  • Cindi Hawkins
    I read this yesterday and tried the apple cider vinegar with soap last night. Amazing results! I cannot believe how many fruit flies I found in and around the glass. Super tip!
    on Sep 09, 2012 · Like 4
  • Linda T Stewartstown, PA
    Since the moth eggs are already in the food you buy, even Tupperware won't help, unless you eat the food fast, as they will simply hatch inside the container! We have tried it with flour, cornmeal, even oats, but they are usually there again when I want to use the stuff! I have learned to close my eyes and eat 'around' them because I can't keep throwing stuff out! They also eat wool, so I lost a beautiful cloth coat last year to them, because I forgot to disturb the clothes during the ...»
    whole summer. They also like dog and cat food and they have gross webs that, when I last emptied out some that was badly infested, I washed the containers with my garden hose on the strongest spray, and they still wouldn't break from the plastic! I had to drag them out with a stick!

    on Sep 10, 2012 · Like 3
  • Charlene Moundsville, WV
    get spice jars and put small holes in top fill 3/4 full with hotwater,put in 1 teaspoon of honey and couple drops of soap, mix : I raise birds get a lot of fruit flies from seeds this really works!
    on Sep 11, 2012 · Like 2
  • Charlene Moundsville, WV
    you can also buy the jars at Great Companions .com but the mix does not work as well
    on Sep 11, 2012 · Like 0
  • Marg C Middletown, NY
    I'm think of using the jelly jar that just has a tad bit left tonight. I'll put a couple of drops of Dawn and add water to liquify. Hope this works.
    on Sep 11, 2012 · Like 1
  • AK Complete Home Renovati... Marietta, GA
    We're still fruit fly free! Hooray!
    on Sep 11, 2012 · Like 3
  • Cindy Lay
    You can buy pantry moth traps....they are glue type traps...i buy them from a garden supply catalogue. Ithink its gardens alive.....they work well.....and yes start keeping dry goods in sealed Tupperware containers, as yes unfortunately you will get larvae in things like flower and they emerge into pantry moths....and get everywhere. If you see web like things in the flour/ cereal / dry good bags or boxes you have a problem and don't eat it!
    on Oct 03, 2012 · Like 2
  • Linda T Stewartstown, PA
    I first saw these moths when living in Iran and buying American cake mixes and such from people who had PX privileges and were leaving the country. The house was soon full of them, but the food was so precious that I would either sieve the mix, or bake the powder before adding the eggs, oil etc.

    Living overseas makes one a lot less fussy about 'what's fer dinner?' since fast food and ...»

    street stalls often sell the most tasty food, so a few moth larvae didn't bother us at all.

    on Oct 03, 2012 · Like 1
  • Dorothy Cedarburg, WI
    Here is a simple idea i found Pintrest. http://www.theidearoom.net/2009/09/fruit-fl...
    on Oct 06, 2012 · Like 1
  • YoliS Long Beach, CA
    Place some basil leaves next to the fruits and the flies will go away.

    YoliS, CA

    on Oct 11, 2012 · Like 1
  • Hughena M Canada
    I use a small glass container and put cider vinegar in it with 2 or 3 drops of dish liquid in it. The fruit flies seem to love it and drown. Just change it every week or so.
    on Oct 29, 2012 · Like 2
  • Charity Caldwell
    you might try a peppermint plant to keep in your window, it helps with fruit gnats may help with the flies,,,
    on Oct 30, 2012 · Like 0
  • Sally B Roseburg, OR
    We are having a problem w/ these psts. But they look like fruit flies. They land on your food, yuck! They get ight in your face, follow us from m to room Very strange, An one have these pesty, Please,Itried the dawn, no luck, HELP.
    on Nov 26, 2012 · Like 0
  • LB Vancouver, WA
    Take a small container I've cut the bottom off water bottles put cider vinegar in it and cover with plastic wrap put some holes in it (I use tooth picks) not too big(so they don''t fly out). I did this 2yrs ago next to my sink and haven't seen one since. Good luck!!
    on Nov 26, 2012 · Like 1
  • Bernice H Yakima, WA
    Again ....I just put a couple of inches of cider vinegar in a small bowl or glass, with some dish detergent drops (dawn) the next morning, all those little bodies.....no 'body' flying around! Must be nectar to them.
    on Nov 30, 2012 · Like 1
  • Nikkimaloy Ravensdale, WA
    mine are immune to vinegar. they don't even touch it. doesn't work.
    on Dec 03, 2012 · Like 0
  • Nikkimaloy Ravensdale, WA
    the best advice is to ELIMINATE WHATEVER THEY ARE GOING TO AND BREEDING ON. trust me there's something in your house that they are hanging out with. something hidden. you have to get rid of it and THEN MAYYYYBE the traps will work.
    on Dec 03, 2012 · Like 0
  • Chrissy Wittenmeier
    I keep some of my dry food goods in the fridge, they won't live in there. My flour/sugar/brown sugar, etc. is in plastic ware in an extra fridge in the basement and it works great. We had an infestation of moths once and it took throwing everything out to get rid of them.
    on Dec 03, 2012 · Like 1
  • Vicki Canada
    try using apple juice or apple cider vinegar with the soap
    on Feb 21, 2013 · Like 0
  • CHRISTY W San Antonio, TX
    Take a zip lock plastic bag, punch some small holes in it, then put a piece of ripe banana in it, put a cut up piece of toilet paper roller, about 2 inches to separate the plastic bag inside, zip the bag closed and wedge it in a cabinet door,(the slider on the bag keeps it in place.) Leave it for a while day or two. You should have good results with this. I had so many of these flies - didn't know what to do - so I came up with this idea and within a few days they were all gone. May need ...»
    to repeat this a few times or when there's a lot of flies in the bag. Mine were gone with in four days.

    on Feb 24, 2013 · Like 0
  • Jane Barr Jacksonville, FL
    cotton balls with peppermint oil on them in inconspicuous places
    on Mar 03, 2013 · Like 0
  • Denise Duckworth Winfield, AL
    The only time I've ever had trouble with them was when I changed potting soil in some of my indoor plants. There must have been eggs in the new potting soil of however they multiply. Anyway, I ended up taking all of my plants outside. Problem solved.
    on Mar 04, 2013 · Like 1
  • Lou Cinda M Gadsden, AL
    It has to be the apple cider vinegar...the brown one...a few drops of Dawn and that did the trick for me. I had zillions of them and tried everything! This worked for me. Left a glass with this in it sitting on my sink and the were ALL gone in a couple of days. I would come home from work and there would be bodies just floating....dead as a hammer!
    on Mar 15, 2013 · Like 0
  • Lelanda Muzzell Canada
    We had to buy a spray at home depot in Canada...it worked and it was green earth flying & crawling insect killer work great..we tried the vinegar and all solutions but nothing worked..hope that helps
    on Mar 18, 2013 · Like 0

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