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Original poster

Fruit flies tips

34 replies

83DanishMum · 02/09/2022 18:31

Why've I got so many fruit flies in my kitchen? They're everywhere. There are some bananas but I can't put those in the fridge can I? I'm constantly spraying and wiping but the fruit flies are always back.

What else can I do except not buy bananas?

OP posts:

AsACloud · 03/09/2022 00:01

Something to check for…
We had this last year in the kitchen. Got rid of all fruit and it didn’t help. Eventually realised they were coming from the recycling bag for the coffee pods, bag was kept in a kitchen cupboard. The bag was ziplock style but it hadn’t been properly sealed and the flies coming from it was disgusting! Once we got rid of the bag and cleaned everything out, we had zero flies again.

Applebark · 03/09/2022 00:25

cathythegreat · 02/09/2022 22:47

They can live in waste pipes too, squirt some bleach down the sink and follow with boiling water

Don't do this, it makes chlorine gas.

Zhx3 · 03/09/2022 00:31

I got some sticky fly paper from the garden centre, like this stuff:

10 Pack Fruit Fly Traps Yellow Fungus Gnat Killer, Double-sided Sticky Fruit Fly Killer Fly Paper Bug Insect Catcher Fly Trap Fly Insect Control for Houseplant Indoor and Outdoor (Flower) amzn.eu/d/2J5xVlh

Put one in the fruit bowl and one near the food caddy. It's gross but effective.

Sunnytwobridges · 03/09/2022 01:24

TheYearOfSmallThings · 02/09/2022 19:17

My parents kitchen was swarming with them, between the fruit bowl and the compost caddy. I bought sticky fly papers (the twirly ones) and hung one above the caddy and one above the fruit bowl. In 2 days they caught about 100 flies and the problem is solved. Gross but effective, and the papers will only be needed until the colder weather.

This. I have the sticky paper and it works like a dream

autumnleavesbythewindow · 03/09/2022 02:32

We had a few weeks of these last month and it was driving me insane. I tried the clingfilm dish trick and it didn't work at all. What finally worked was forgetting about the cling film and just putting open gu ramekins with apple cider vinegar and a squirt of fairy liquid on window ledges and next to fruit bowl. Also bought a few of the reusable fabric mesh fruit and veg bags from the supermarket to cover any fruit not in fridge.

This photo is one of the jars after a couple of days. Once I started doing this the problem was solved. Only downside is the faint whiff of vinegar around the house but I will take that over the flies.

OhNoWhatYouGonnaDo · 03/09/2022 07:39

I'm so glad it isn't just us! We had limited success with sticky fly paper. The main thing that helped was putting all fruit in the fridge, and deciding not to buy bananas any more.

Original poster

83DanishMum · 03/09/2022 08:30

I'm going to try chopping up bananas and freezing immediately after I buy them, and throwing skins in the outside bin. My toddler eats bananas so I don't want to stop buying them.

Horrible things!

OP posts:

scissorsandsellotape · 03/09/2022 11:15

sarahc336 · 02/09/2022 18:37

They often live in the soil of house plants, do you have any in the kitchen?? X

Ah. I didn't know this

SpinMeRightRoundBabyRightRound · 03/09/2022 11:18

I evicted my house plants yesterday, I was desperate but I think that might have been the source of the problem because I’ve seen only one since.

I’m blaming some herbs in a pot I bought from a supermarket for introducing them.

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