Guest Post: How to Get Rid of Fruit Flies

Here is a guest Post from The Greening of Westford on getting rid of fruit flies. I use the same technique every year and it definitely works – though you may be freaked out to see all those little suckers drowned in a bowl!

 

 

Since I was young, I have loved summer fruits – peaches, nectarines, strawberries, plums!  Yumm… you could only get these fruits in the summer so I looked forward to it.  
 
What I don’t like about summer fruit….  fruit flies!  They have started to show up at my house in the last couple of weeks.  Now, I could put the fruit in the fridge, but then they don’t taste as good and I won’t eat as much.  Neither will my kids.
 
How do I deal with the fruit flies?   Fruit flies are pretty easy to deal with without using any sort of pesticides.  All you need – a small glass, apple cider vinegar and some plastic wrap.
 
Don’t use your good, expensive apple cider vinegar (ACV)with The Mother, cheap store brand works great.
 
Fill the glass with about an inch or so of ACV
 
 
 
Place some plastic wrap over the top and poke some holes.
 
 
 
 
Sit it by your fruit bowl.
The fruit flies are attracted to the ACV, crawl in through the holes then can’t get out.
 
You’ll need to change the vinegar every few days.  It loses its effectiveness.
 
I used to use a piece of paper wrapped into a cone shape stuck in a jar for years.  It worked, but it’s a pain when you have to change the vinegar.  I find this method much easier.
 
Now some of you may recall that I gave up plastic wrap a couple of years ago.  Where did I get this?   I took a play out of my grandmother’s book and saved some that came on a pie or maybe it was mushrooms.
 
I set up my trap when I saw the first signs of fruit flies.  So far it seems to have kept them from getting out of control.  If you have a real problem with fruit flies,  clean your drain and remove any compost, rotten fruit, and garbage often.
 
Fruit flies are pretty easy to rid without the use of pesticides.  If you have other creepy crawlies in your home, you may be tempted to use the pesticides.  Like I was when confronted with even the idea of lice!  Take a deep breathe and look into pesticide-free alternatives.   According to Healthy Child Healthy World, step one of their 5 step plan to creating a healthier environment for your children is to avoid pesticides.

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