Fruit Flies - Fort Worth,TX

Updated on June 23, 2011
D.S. asks from Fort Worth, TX
6 answers

I'm sure this has been addressed before, but I am trying to figure out how to handle it. I went out of town for a week. There were no dirty dishes left in the sink, and I don't believe anything was left behind in the disposal. There was no fruit or food of any kind left out. However, I now have a colony of fruit flies in my kitchen sink.

I've been swatting as many as possible. I've been keeping the sink clear, and I've been pouring bleach down the disposal. They continue to prosper. What can I do?

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B.O.

answers from Portland on

Vacuum hose does work great to clear the air quickly.

To get the stragglers: Make little traps and place them near the sink. In a cup put about an half inch of apple cider vinegar, with about 2-3 drops of concentrated dish soap. The fruit flies are attracted to the apple cider vinegar, and the soap breaks the surface tension of the liquid so that they drown.

To clear out the sinks: You can get much more effective and environmentally friendly results by just boiling a pot or teakettle of water and pouring that down the drain. Plus you don't have to pay for bleach;)

1 mom found this helpful
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K.S.

answers from Denver on

I absolutely hate those little suckers. I have them in my bathroom, and they seem to keep coming back! I know you'll get replies with ideas for the traps-putting a funnel in a jar of vinegar or using a dish with vinegar and soap mixture. The theory is that they are attracted to the cider vinegar smell (smells like rotting fruit to them) so they dive in and the soap film won't let them out. I didn't catch as many as I would have liked that way. Being that mine were in the bathroom I discovered something- my daughter's shampoo is what they loved- it is fruit scented which they love, and the soap traps them. I would leave a tiny bit of the bath water in the tub and plug it up overnight. I would catch like 20 a night. Gross, but good.

Use whatever traps you like. But maybe just plug up your sink and leave a bit of soapy water at the bottom and see what you catch overnight. If they have set up camp underneath your sink hole this will help flush them out as well. Good luck, I'll be checking back to see what replies you get since I can't seem to rid myself of this problem completely.

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S.G.

answers from Dallas on

ARRRRGGGGHHHHH! Fruit flies are the bane of my existance. There may be something deep in your pipes... I'd try drano just to be sure. We've pretty much cleared them all out. Took a week to figure out it was the bottle of balsalmic vinegar on the counter (w/ oil & vinegar set) that was attracting them. We take the trash out 2x a day & keep ALL fruit in the fridge. Once you quit attracting them set out a few bowls of 1 part honey 4 parts cider vinegar and 1 part dawn dish soap... then just enough warm water to create bubbles on top. after 24 hours you'll have dozens of those nasty little pests dead in the bottom of the bowl & out of your face.

H.B.

answers from Dallas on

Pour bleach down ALL the drains and also your dishwasher. That should do it.

Good luck!

A.G.

answers from Boston on

take a plastic dunkin donuts cup, place pieces of cut up banana, apple, banana peel into it, cover top tightly with celophane (sp) tape securely so the plastic is pulled tight across the top of the cup, the poke several holes with a fork prong.. ruit flies get in and hopefully dont get out then throw the cup away.. it is fun to see how many flies you can collect that way :)

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A.G.

answers from Boston on

When I get fruit flies I suck them up real quick with the hose of the vacuum. Then use wipe everything down.

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