Fruit Flies

Hi! We had the same thing at work (no fruit)& the landscape crew came in & told us to stop over-watering the plants. What we were seeing were gnats- not fruit-flies, and they multiply & live around still-standing water (ie. the bottom of planters where the water was collecting). Just thought this may help!
Also... on "The View" several years ago, Meredith Veira's home had tons of fruit flies, and she put out litle dishes of red wine, and they are attracted to it and drown in the liquid.

put out little dishes of red wine where they are and they get the fumes/drink, get drunk, fall in and DIE!:)

put out a bottle with a narrow opening and wider base with a little bit of red wine or red wine vinegar. You can use the cheep stuff, like 2 buck chuck from traderjoes. The fruit flies are attracted to it, then then go into the container and get drunk off the fumes and they can't fly out and drown. I had a real problem with fruit flies too, and this works, plus it's non-toxic, no spraying anything where the kids will get into it. Just make sure it's out of the kids reach, of course. Good luck!

Are they fruit flies ;like little knats or tiny moth like things? I have had the tiny moths that are called pantry moths a couple of times and they are a big pain in the behind. If they are either you can buy traps at Lowes or any of those type of places. I had to through out all dry goods everytime then put traps in the cabinets and whereever else they are a problem. The moth things lay eggs that eventually cause more moths and turn into maggots.

do you have house plants? Maybe something given to you for Christmas? Many times there are knat eggs in potting soil. The vinegar trap mentioned earlier should work. You may have to repeat in a few weeks if the current buggers had a chance to lay eggs.

I work at the winery and we use apple vinegar with a few splashes of soap in a small glass. The fruit flies are drawn to the smell of the vinegar and once they get in they can't get out because of the liquid dish soap.

hope this helps

Hi, I don*t know where you live but fruit fly*s are usually in the summer and come with the fruit.. But my sis in law had a problem too and she thought where can they be coming from.. Well to find out they were coming out of her sink in the kids bathrm.. Actually she had a leak under the house and water was there sitting all the time and she never knew it ,, well they would hatch and come up her drain in bathrm tub or sink.. She had to have her bathrm floor opened up and they found the leak and never again did she have this problem.. Just a thought and I hope you can look into that maybe.. Have a blessed day

Hi G.,

We are having the same problem in our home. First get rid of any food you think they are going after (fruit, nuts, grains, pasta).

Next try this, I found this natural remedy online and it works:

1) pour vinegar into a bowl with a few drops of dish washing soap.
2) cover with plastic wrap but be sure to add holes to allow the fruit flies to gain access. (once the fruit flies land in it, the soap is heavy so they can't get back out)
3) place these bowls where you notice the flies the most
4) then sit back and check the result, every day (you'll be delighted to see how many you can get rid of using this simple method)

I have used these bowls of vinegar in my kitchen and bathroom with great results.

Today I had a pest control company out and he said I am on the right track; removing any food the flies are getting into and using the vinegar bowls.

He thinks we are at the tail end of the invasion. But they will check back with me on Monday. If we still have a problem by then, I have to remove everything from the kitchen cabinet, so they can spray the cabinet. I will be able to put everything away after 4-5 hours.

I would also suggest that you recheck your food, 2-3 times a week. You may find evidence of the bugs in something else that you did not consider before. I've dumped fruit, grains and pasta.

Although what we have resembles fruit flies, in my home it appears we have 2 different types of flying bugs. One is black and smaller than normal fly, and the other is much smaller and brown.

The pest control rep said these bugs survive best in warm and moist environment.

I hope my input helps you. These flying bugs have been driving me crazy but think after enduring this for several days, we are about done with this invasion.

Good luck!

L.

Hi G.: I got this information off the internet. This is what they say to do to get rid of fruit flies:
(GET RID OF FRUIT FLIES: PLACE ON THE COUNTER A BOWL FILLED WITH 1/2 QUART WATER, 2 TABLESPOONS SUGAR, 2 TABLESPOONS APPLES CIDER VINEGAR AND A COUPLE DROPS OF DISH SOAP.)
I have not had to try this, but maybe it will work. Can't hurt trying it. Hope it helps. L.

If you have bananas in the house, eat them up or make banana bread, and get the peels out of the house! That always seems to be the source of fruit flies when I get them.

Weird that you ask. I just received an email the other day and it mentioned fruit flies. Here is what it said:
Goodbye Fruit Flies
To get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass, fill it 1/2' with Apple Cider Vinegar
and 2 drops of dish washing liquid; mix well. You will find those flies drawn to the
cup and gone forever!

Not sure if it works, but worth the try. Good luck =)

Are you sure that it is fruit flies? There are small black flying bugs (can't remember their name) that live in the dirt and debris of house plants. Check any house plants you may have.

I did have a fruit fly problem one time that came from a bag of potatoes I had in the pantry. It took me a long time to figure that one out.

Good luck.

This may be an urban legend, but worth trying. I read an email a couple of years ago that said that dryer sheets left out (maybe on top of the refrigerator or on the table) keep insects away.
Good luck!
D.

Hi G.,

I have had this experience many times in our house. But their not fruit flies, their called buffalo nats and they bite!! Almost always they are in my plants in the house, so I have resorted to spraying my house plant soil with bug killer and it's safe for children and your plant. I bought it at Home Depot. It works great. To get rid of them fast we put a smaller glass of vinegar out by the sink (which is where they seem to hang out if their not in my plants).

Good luck.

We've had the same thing and it took us awhile to figure it all out. Many times they have come without fruit lying around. Make sure at night (and daytime if you can) toleave everything clean and dry. Close all your drains (they will multiply anywhere it's wet. Be consistent about doing this and they will be gone in a couple days. Good luck!!

They may not be fruit flies. In my kind of work we call them "sewer flies." Even though you may not have a sewer leak, you may have a leak somewhere under the house or in a bathroom/kitchen sink. Talk to a plumber or have someone take a look under your house to check for leaks. Good luck!

You can also use cider vineager or beer and I've always used just a regular drinking glass and added a few drops of dish soap. I was told the dish soap makes it slippery so they can't get back out of the glass, I don't know if the soap is neccesary but I've always used it. The cider vineager attracts them like crazy, it's gross to see them all floating in the glass but hey better than all over the house!

I found this online and it works great! take a tall plastic water bottle and cut the top off about 2 inches below the neck. fill the bottom with about a half inch of apple cider vinegar and a touch of vegetable oil. invert the top and tape together. the fruit flies find their way in, get stuck in the oil and can't figure out how to get out. leave it on your counter for a few days and watch the flies pile up in the bottle.