How to get rid of fruit flies?

Hi,

Every week when we get fruits like banana, oranges or grapes, our house gets infested with fruit flies. I normally use the battery operated bat which we use to get rid of mosquitoes. But it is not very effective.

The problem of fruit flies is more in the kitchen. Dont know if we can spray something like HIT in the air as it can settle on stove/counter tops. Please help me ladies.

-Lakshmi

Cover the fruits with a lid made of net/mesh.Hope it helps.

Hi Phalguni,

The fruit flies dont come from outside. We have mesh for every window. They come with the fruits i guess. We store the fruits in fridge or in a cover to prevent the flies from getting to them.

But these flies have stayed on.. they inhabit places like kitchen sink, dirty vessels and try to settle down near the lofts, etc. No idea how to get rid of them

I am ok to try both natural and chemical remidies, provided they are safe to use in kitchen. Please give me ideas ladies.

-Lakshmi

keep ur house clean they come in dirt..

Orion,

I think the best solution may be not to bring the fruit for a week, scrub up the whole place - sink etc with some kind of mild bleach and meanwhile set up a fruit trap. What has worked for me is I put a couple of banana peels or a fruit in a ziploc bag and keep it open. When there is no other fruit available, most flies will come and settle here - when you feel there are enough of them, just close the bag.....you always get rid of most of them that way. Follow this a couple of times when there is no fruit outside and you should be able to get rid of them. Works for me everytime, even though I feel 'evil' tempting them and then locking them :)

Originally Posted by nehausa

keep ur house clean they come in dirt..

Aah sorry this is not true...fruit flies are not from dirt..they are from material that decomposes...and once the fruits are in ripening state by default they attract these fruit flies..

surprising fact is that along with ethylene gas..fruit flies also help in ripening the fruits much quicker as they multiply the glucose content in the fruits..

only way to keep them away is by using the mesh..(however the flies will be around the mesh)

fruit flies are the reason why we say we have to wash the fruits before we eat..

Originally Posted by nehausa

keep ur house clean they come in dirt..

Not true.. some kind of bugs maybe but not fruit flies.

Originally Posted by Srama

Orion,

I think the best solution may be not to bring the fruit for a week, scrub up the whole place - sink etc with some kind of mild bleach and meanwhile set up a fruit trap. What has worked for me is I put a couple of banana peels or a fruit in a ziploc bag and keep it open. When there is no other fruit available, most flies will come and settle here - when you feel there are enough of them, just close the bag.....you always get rid of most of them that way. Follow this a couple of times when there is no fruit outside and you should be able to get rid of them. Works for me everytime, even though I feel 'evil' tempting them and then locking them :)

Most of these come with bananas i guess. So i avoided bananas for a week and tried a a trap similar to what you mentioned. Put vinegar in a disposable bowl and added few drops of pril to it. Fruit flies are attracted to the smell of vinegar and try to sit on the surface. But due to the ishwash liquid, the surface tension breaks and they drown and die. I too feel evil after doing this but they are so darn irritating. Now the house is bug free

I am glad it works for you as well ....now we are 'brethren in crime'....Go Away Fruitflies!!!

Try keeping some tomatoes along with or near by fruits,its said that tomatoes act as fruit flies repelleant!

raji

Originally Posted by babyraji

Try keeping some tomatoes along with or near by fruits,its said that tomatoes act as fruit flies repelleant!

raji

Raji

koool idea!!! let me try it too