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Original poster

Fruit flies doing my head in ! Please tell me I am not the only person with them !!

48 replies

bizzey · 19/08/2023 22:32

I am not the best " housekeeper" ..!
But my god they make me feel like I want to bleach my house from top to bottom!

I have a gadget arriving tomorrow to do something with them .

But in future..is there anything I can do in preparation??

OP posts:

Caswallonthefox · 19/08/2023 23:12

PenguinLove1 · 19/08/2023 23:10

I get them every August and it droves me mad. The best solution is to buy these from amazon, put in the rooms they appear in the most and all the flies get stuck in there within a day or two its amazing.

Cider vinegar is cheaper.

MrsWeasleysfavouritecardigan · 19/08/2023 23:14

They are a nightmare once you’ve got them. I caught a lot with red wine in a bottle with a paper funnel in the top so they can’t escape. I also used a fly paper which looks revolting, but they do work.

All food is in the fridge or in sealed containers. I binned my potted herbs because they were in the soil. Emptied the kitchen bin, bleached the sinks and sprayed the worktops every night so there was nothing for them to feed on. Floors mopped every day. Basically took away any crumb they could eat.

CatchHimDerry · 19/08/2023 23:14

I actually feel like the fly woman… had them in my flat every year, now they’re in my work van lst week and in our house!
We have a lot of strawberries, bananas etc and they seem to come along with that

Horrible things, glad it isn’t just me though

SternJosie · 19/08/2023 23:15

You really don't need anything fancy to get rid.

A bowl half full of malt vinegar. Cover it in clingfilm then poke holes in the film with a fork. They'll be gone in 24 hours and the bowl will be disgustingly full!

somersaultinsand · 19/08/2023 23:16

Caswallonthefox · 19/08/2023 23:00

Apple cider vinegar is your friend. The bastards were invading my kitchen so I googled it and the recommendation was:- small container, put some cider vinegar in it, add a small amount if washing up liquid and leave it near where your flies are.
They also say to put cling film over the top of the pot and poke holes in it. But I have found that without works just as well.

I do this. Gu pots hidden on window ledges and in kitchen with cider vinegar and a few drops of washing up liquid to break the surface tension. I catch too many to count within a few days and change then a couple of times a week. Really reduces the problem.

GG1986 · 19/08/2023 23:17

They are so annoying!! Currently have a beaker full of red wine for them to feast on overnight! Will try vinegar is that doesn't work.

Original poster

bizzey · 19/08/2023 23:17

I have bought what @PenguinLove1 has recently bought!!

Cider vinegar/honey pots / other things may be cheaper..but I do not have any of those.

Bastasties are off soon !

OP posts:

BCBird · 19/08/2023 23:20

I agree with the apple cider vinegar method

Original poster

bizzey · 19/08/2023 23:20

Will stock up for next year though...now that I know I am I not a slattern...and it is normal !

OP posts:

BusinessClass · 19/08/2023 23:21

I find keeping my drain clean helps as pp suggested. I dissolve a dishwasher tab in boiling water and add a bit of zoflora. I tip it very slowly down plughole x 2 a week

tenbob · 19/08/2023 23:23

It doesn’t have to be apple cider vinegar, any vinegar will do. Just add a few drops of juice to attract them, and obviously a few squirts of washing up liquid

it works really well, you probably won’t need your new gadget

AnnieSnap · 19/08/2023 23:50

shockedballoon · 19/08/2023 22:52

Get yourself a couple of Drosera Capensis plants and keep near the fruit bowl - mine has been an absolute diamond and I really noticed a reduction so I'm getting another one to hopefully nail the lot of the tiny bastard-flies.
They are a bit needy tho as they only drink rain water or distilled water, something about the fluoride or whatever in tap and mineral water that doesn't agree with them.

Interesting, happy to do this. Is it just a plant they avoid being near to?

JaneJeffer · 19/08/2023 23:55

I saw a tip which said to leave a tub of garlic butter out. They are attracted to it and get stuck!

Saralyn · 19/08/2023 23:59

Take a small bowl, pour in some wine, add a few drops of washing up liquid. Leave out over night near where the flights gather.
Works much better than vinegar, in my experience.

Original poster

bizzey · 20/08/2023 00:05

I like the wine idea .. at least they die happy 😁!

OP posts:

Nachtvlinder · 20/08/2023 00:16

Don't leave fruit peels/pits etc, in the kitchen caddy - take it outside to compost everytime. I don't have fruit left out; always in the fridge.

Odingodof · 20/08/2023 00:26

I've had issues but once the rotten fruit is gone they go also?

Caswallonthefox · 20/08/2023 18:30

I had to go out and buy my cider vinegar specifically for the fruit flies. I can't stand the smell of vinegar, so there's never any in the house. I also don't have ramekins and used a mug.

SweetLathyrus · 20/08/2023 18:50

@shockedballoon , I have one on every window sill in the house, and Saracenias (pitcher plants) or venus fly traps to deal with the bigger flies.

@AnnieSnap they are carniverous - the drosera have sticky droplets over their leaves that the flies stick to, so much like fly paper, but more fun and non-toxic!

cashmerecardigans · 20/08/2023 19:09

The vinegar and cling film with holes in works a treat. I used cider vinegar but I'm sure wine vinegar would work too. I got loads of them overnight

C1N1C · 20/08/2023 19:14

Pics? The apple cider vinegar is OK for fruit flies but these are often misidentified.

Ould also be shore flies or fungus gnats so I need a picture.

Beldam · 20/08/2023 19:22

I’ve tried the Apple cider vinegar and cone of paper but that hasn’t really come to anything.

then I saw this thing on TikTok about leaving a cork ( has to be a real cork ) in your fruit bowl which has some chemical smell in it that deters the flies.

So far seems to be more successful but then again I’ve just come back from holiday and the fruit bowl is empty, so for a fair study I think I need to reassess in a few days time when I’ve been to the shops.

AnnieSnap · 20/08/2023 22:39

C1N1C · 20/08/2023 19:14

Pics? The apple cider vinegar is OK for fruit flies but these are often misidentified.

Ould also be shore flies or fungus gnats so I need a picture.

😳 I look forward to the clarification

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