How to Trap and Eliminate Fruit Flies

Fruit flies are not only annoying; they can also carry germs from a contaminated location into your home and onto your food. Fruit flies multiply rapidly, live for eight days, and feed on fermenting substances like rotting fruits and vegetables, and moist locations like kitchen drains and garbage bins. Because fruit flies pose a serious health hazard to members of the family, they must be promptly caught and eliminated. Here are some tried and tested ways to get rid of fruit flies.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Bowl
• Jar
• Plastic wrap
• Toothpick
• Paper funnel
• Fruit juice
• Banana slices
• Yeast

1. Prepare a banana-jar-and-funnel trap. Place a few slices of banana in a jar. To help in the fermentation of the banana slices -- making them very enticing to fruit flies -- sprinkle some yeast on the slices. Form a paper funnel and slip it into the mouth of the jar. The flies will fly into the jar through the funnel hole and won't be able to find their way out. Eliminate the flies by pouring hot water into the jar, closing the lid, and later disposing of the contents.

2. Prepare a juice-bowl-and-plastic-wrap trap. Place fruit juice (preferably sweet ones like pineapple or orange) in a bowl and cover with a plastic wrap. Use a toothpick to poke a few very small holes on the plastic wrap to allow flies to slip through. Once inside the bowl, the flies won't be able to find their way out. To eliminate the flies, just leave them alone. Eventually they will get stuck in the juice and drown.

3. Consider purchasing commercially available fruit fly traps. These are small cans or containers specifically designed to attract fruit flies, trap them inside the cans, and kill them. For public establishments like restaurants, these would look more professional than jar or bowl traps.

4. Prevent fruit flies by eliminating potential breeding and feeding habitats in the kitchen and garage. Always disinfect and dry kitchen countertops and sink areas, especially grout lines. Regularly clean sink drains with hot water and vinegar to remove grime and leftover food particles. Dispose of wet garbage promptly. Keep the kitchen and garage free of standing water, moist areas and damp rags or mops. Promptly dispose of rotten and rotting fruits and vegetables. Ensure that the house is screened and secure from insects and pests.

Tips & Warnings

• Fruit flies are too small and too fast to be eliminated by fly swatters.
• Cider vinegar, or even white vinegar is a good substitute for fruit juice or fermenting banana slices.
• Consume or refrigerate ripening fruits and vegetables before they become breeding habitats for fruit flies.

Resources

• Wikipedia: Common Fruit Fly

[allamerican4you]

on 10/27/2009 omg, I have been overwhelmed lately with these little buggers. this is great. rec'd 5*