We have kitchen gnats near our banana's. They are driving me crazy. How can i get rid of them for once and ALL.
There is probably no "forever" fix, because you'll bring in new batches occasionally with new fruit, or if you life in the right environment, they'll occasionally just fly in when you open the door, and start making new fruit flies in your fruit bowl.
We use a half-inch of a cheap cooking sherry in a glass with a few drops of dish detergent. Set this in a quite area near the fruit, and most of them will go cheerfully drown themselves over a couple of days. But we have to renew the trap every few days for best control, because new flies come in or new generations hatch. Cider vinegar is said to work, but we get much better results with just about any fruity alcohol.
Fruit flies have plump bodies. There's also another kind of tiny, skinny fly called a fungus gnat that appreciates old, moist potting soil. These can be banished by changing the soil, and allowing the top couple of inches to dry completely between waterings.
I have the same issue and I will also watch this post because we get kitchen nets every year near the end of summer. And this happens with no fruit in the house. I've tried all types of insect sprays and nothing works.
Also, I heard that bananas are usually covered in fruit fly eggs when you bring them home from the store. Because they are so small, you obvioulsy can't see them, but I rinse my bunch every time I get home before putting it in the fruit bowl. Not sure if it helps, but I'm willing to try!
Some sort of bait in a little dish (like a couple slices of apple), a fruity alcohol (like a sweet red wine) and cover with plastic wrap. Poke tiny holes in the plastic wrap so they can get in but have a rough time getting out, especially when they're drunk. We had a bad infestation, and this took care of most of it for us. You'll occassionally get a couple, but this helps when it gets out of hand.
put bananas in the frig
Leslie's response is spot on....no need to keep fruit in the fridge anymore - place about a cup of red wine vinegar (or regular) in a small bowl (i.e. measuring bowl), cover with plastic wrap (secure with a rubberband around the rim), then poke small holes in the plastic wrap.