I have been battleing fruit flies for 2 weeks now. Just when I get rid of them the kids leave something out and BAM!!! there are back I have tried the apple cidar vinegar it works but only temporarily any other ideas suggestions other than burning down the house and starting over!!! Thanks in advance!

Did you try regular vinegar?? Put it in a bowl and let it sit out for a week or so.

It's probably easier to get rid of the kids.

But you would miss them and it's not legal.

I so needed the laugh!!!! No kidding!!!

I put vinegar in a jar that has a piece of plastic wrap over the top... then punch a hole in the center. They go in but can't find the way out. It gets some of the... hard to get them all.

I put vinegar in a jar that has a piece of plastic wrap over the top... then punch a hole in the center. They go in but can't find the way out. It gets some of the... hard to get them all.

someone gave me this Idea as well but the bait was cola

One more idea... my grandmother had quite a few hiding out in her houseplants. They seem to like the damp soil. She sprayed them all with a indoor insect spray... got rid of the spider mites and fruit flies that were hiding out there.
Hope you get rid of them... during canning season they make me CRAZY!

Try rinsing off all of your fruit with water, as soon as you bring it into the house. Once I started doing this, no more fruit flys :wink:

When I had a problem, I read that they like to breed in the kitchen sink drain where it stays moist. Pour boiling water down the drain once daily for about l week. It helped for me. Also finding that rotten apple left in front room. I couldn't smell anything-still don't know how it got there.

One more thing try the sticky fly traps. I had them so bad at one point and those helped a lot.

White wine works too. Plastic wrap over the top with several small holes. If you've got lots maybe set out a few bowls or glasses of assorted bait.
Love the boiling water in the drain suggestion. I'll be trying that.
Good luck!

Last week I just bought "Hot Shots" from Walmart. There are 3 cans in a package and you have to leave the house for awhilebut they work great. I usually set them off before we go to church, open the windows when we come home and go out for lunch and come home to a peaceful house!! It may be a cool house but definitely worth it.

DH found a pretty little fruit fly catcher at the grocery store. It is made out of glass and sits on the counter. It has some liquid that sits inside a little rim that holds the liquid. There were extra packets of liquid that came with it. We always have problems with fruit flies in the summer when we have a lot of fruit sitting out and it is warm out.
Found a link to a fruit fly trap for you:http://www.pestcontrol-products.com/...FRZ-5QodIzBkag

I used the Hot Shots hanging fly killers from Walmart -was in a single hanging white piece of plastic. You just hang it where the fruitflies are and that's it. It said for outdoor use - so I opened a window and made sure there was no food out. Within an hour they started dropping all over dead. Only needed it in the house for 1-2 days and they have been gone since. Hung it outside my kitchen door after.
Used this after nothing else was working.

Add a couple of drops of kitchen soap to a small container of water/vinegar. The flies go for the vinegar, but get caught on the suds. I sit several of these in my kitchen and found lots of flies on the suds every couple of hours. I did finally find that the flies were coming from a plant that I had. I sprayed the plant, but finally got rid of it. No more flies. - Cynthia

I have tried almost all of these except the bug bomb because we have a bird that would not make it (ok really I wouldnt' mind if that happened it's a hate hate relationship :) I did get the sticky strips and put them up in our pantry I hope this helps I have not see it this bad!

I use fruit flies in experiments all the time. They are notorious breeders (very prolific). The best trap I ever used was to place a funnel on a jar or glass (in my case a beaker) and add APPLE CIDER VINEGAR. Make sure there is at least 3/4 inch between the tip of the funnel and the top of the vinegar. Those little suckers fly in and can't get out. We use something similar when we are etherizing them except for the ether, of course.

This is one of those cases where you catch more flies with vinegar than honey. They are not really attracted to sticky strips, bug bombs are not a good idea and usually ineffectual on these little guys,

I had a terrible time with those flies earlier this year. Couldn't use sprays because my foster son has asthma--besides you have to spray them directly to kill them :| I tried the vinegar (both cider and white), didn't work. Fly paper only caught a couple -- most of them were smart enough not to lite on the sticky part. Someone told that if you put a penny in a cup of water that would get rid of them. Supposedly this is what they do in restaurants...I tried it--the flies disappeared but I don't know if it was the penny in the cup or all the other remedies I was using... :roll:

We do the dish of fruit fly trap but there is more than vinegar in it I think. They drive my hubby insane so he is the one that takes care of it.

I use the vinegar and soap combo successfully. You need to leave it out for several days in order to get all the young ones as well. Clean your trash cans (found a breeding ground under the lip of the can once). Place vinegar mixture near drains.

For prevention, we keep bananas in a banana bag, made by me natch, out in the garage's pantry. Banana peels are thrown out in the garage's trash can. We never get flies from anything other than bananas.

I had an infestation a couple of weeks ago and tried the penny in a cup of water don't know why but it semed to work. They are gone!!!

Try a vacuum cleaner. When I have the twice yearly hatch of flies that get into my house and bump around in the windows, I use a dust buster to suck them up. I have no idea, no idea for over 40 years, how the heck they get in and only twice a year, spring and fall. But suck the buggers up.

I've had a problem with them too. I didn't realize that some apples in a basket had gotten soft on the bottom but I got a cloud of fruit flies when I did discover it. I got all that I could but for weeks now they have been bugging the heck out of me!! I have cleaned everything in the kitchen, vaccumed the family room where there is the possibility of crumbs, etc. I can't figure out why they are still around or where they are coming from!

I have parrots. The fruits, mostly bananas, we feed them draw them in. At least one a year we get hit with tons of the little buggers. I take a dessert dish, add about 1/4 cup water, 10 drops of dish soap & about 1/8 cup apple cider vinegar. I let it set on the kitchen counter. In a day or so all are floating in the mix & then I dump it down the drain. Bananas often come with fruit fly eggs in the skin. They're too tiny to see when you buy them. They hatch out in a few days in yuor warm home. Apples will also draw them too, so we keep them in the frig. The only fruit I let out is bananas & I only buy enough for a few days.

White wine!!!! :shock: I'd much rather drink it!!! :lol: :lol:

It certainly sounds like an intersting idea! :wink:

They might be breeding in your sink drain expecially if you have a garbage disposal. It is moist and contains nutrients. What more can a bug ask?

Craftybear gave us a link to a purse organizer and in browsing thru the link I found this "recipe" for making a homemade fruit fly catcher...in case you're interested.

http://hopestudios.blogspot.com/2008...lies-help.html

There is also great information (much of which has been mentioned by othe posters) in this link to Wikipedia. Surprised me to read that they also breed in dirty, damp washclothes left in the sink..who knew???!!!!???

http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Rid-of-Fruit-Flies

I had a friend that was complaining about this last week. His mom told him to put pickle juice in a little container on the counter, by the sink and to pour bleach down the drain. She said they like to hide in the drains.

I was having that problem a couple of weeks ago. I took a pint jar added some cider vinegar and a slug of apple juice. Within a week they were dead in the bottom of the jar.
I sat it on the kitchen counter near the fruit bowl. I was amazed at the number I caught this way! :thumbup: :-D