Fruit Flies Taking over My House!

A friend of mine had a problem with fruit flies also. She gets red wine vinegar and puts just a cap-full on the counter. They fly to it and drown themselves. It's quick and cheap!! Good luck!

I just wanted to say thanks for posting this! We had a party this weekend and today the flies are everywhere!

Open up jars of apple cider vinegar and place around your kitchen and the places that they seem to gather. The vinegar draws the flies in and takes care of the problem. You will need to keep them there and you will be begin to see a layer of dead flies in the jar's bottom, so place them in spots that aren't in your line of sight. (behind items)

I H. this helps!
H.

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 thecup and gone forever!

YUCK!!! Can you complain about your neighbor's "garden"? First to your neighbor, of course, but if your neighbor doesn't do anything about it, to the county or city? Maybe get some of your neighbors together to do a group thing and come together to approach this guy with the bad garden... (If the garden is rotting and attracting pests, it's a health hazard, right?)

What about attracting bats to the area? Bats are GREAT for bugs!

I am so glad you posted this! Not glad that you have the problem, but as I have a similar problem, it's been so helpful reading everyone's responses. Hope we are able to get rid of our pests!

Sorry I can't help with this one but was interested in the responses my self. I hate things like this but they seem to be every where, we have them at work and I don't work in a restaurant!

I am told this really works, plus it's easy........
Take a baggie, (plastic beg) fill it 3/4 with tap water. Tie it with a string, and hang it on a nail by the door.....

I saw this at a restaurant. They said flies won't come in. My daughter swears by it too........so.....try it.

My bug man said to put a capful of bleach down ALL the drains at night for a week and it should improve. Good luck!

They also like to hang out in the drains as well. You can put either 1/2 cup of bleach or vinigar down each drain in your kitchen and the bathrooms as well before you run any water!! Do this maybe 2 time a week till you can get them under control and then 1 a week or less often.

Good luck!
S.

For all- I just responded to A. to let her know that we have had the exact same problem and I accidently left a cup of coffee with cream and sugar on the counter and I came home to find that it has killed about 16 fruit flies...nothing like drowning in coffee. good luck everyone!

We had this same problem this summer! I take a large ziploc bag and place a ripe banana in there. Then I seal the bag; poke holes in the sealed bag with a fork. This lets the flies get in but they have a really hard time getting out. Each evening I toss the bag in the trash can outside. I do this each morning and after 4 days the fruit flies were gone!

You might be surprised to find out that they aren't only coming in from outside. Fruit flies, as well as other types of flies, often lay their eggs in drains. Running water doesn't stop the eggs from hatching. Instead, try pouring some bleach down each of your drains (including the bathtubs/showers). We've had a horrible case of flies before, and someone told us this trick. Sure enough, the flies were gone within two days.

Take a juice glass. Put a couple drops of dish washing liquid in the bottom and about 1/4 cup of Apple Cider Vinegar. Draws them right to it and the dish liquid keeps them from flying back out.

I'm sure this is not your problem, but -though I am embarrassed to admit it -I had a terrible fruit fly problem in an old house where we used to live. I had no idea where they were coming from -I went through EVERYTHING to make sure no rotting fruit or food of any kind was stashed anywhere. However, my dear husband who was thinking WHAT?!?! when he did it -had put a giant gumbo pot full of potatoes back up on top of the cabinets where we kept it -with the lid on!!!! However that lid was no impediment to the fruit flies. It DID keep me from smelling the potatoes though, and when I finally discovered it -OMG -it was horrendous. I threw the entire thing in the garbage! SO -even though you seem pretty sure it's the neighbors rotting garden (and this sounds completely plausible)do take a complete inventory of your place. Particularly with small children I've found some baggies of fruit and stuff that had been lingering in very surprising places....

I worked in food and the resturant next door would just throw their fruit and food right outside our door.
Anyhow, I would clean and clean and could not get rid of them. BUt what did work was vinger and yeast, I would mix it together and leave the bowl laying there and when I cam in the next day it was full if fruit flies. It took a few days.
You can also put dish soap in the mix or I have heard of people putting a banana into a bowl and covering, leaving holes just small enough for the flies to get in , not out. The do have bug spray for them as well.
Hope this help you out.

once they are in they seem to take over. when you go to bed tonite, turn the a/c down very very low. 65 or less. it freezes them out and kills the eggs too. it really will work. i end up having to do this at leastt once a year cuz of all the fresh fruit we eat/bring in the house

My aunt says that putting out a glass of red wine helps to get rid of them, I have never tried it but she swears by it, It can't hurt to try. They are pesky little creatures..Good Luck!

An empty drink bottle, prefarably 16-20 ounce...filled with sugar water, a drop of Dawn dish detergent and a little vinegar. Put a funnel in the top and watch the fruit flies die.

Keep a spray bottle filled with water & a few drops of liquid dish soap handy. Insects breathe through their skin & the soap will suffocate them. This works on other bugs too! And the simple soap & water isn't harmful to anyone or anything in your home! Hope this helps! :)

~K.