Fruit flies... any ways to keep them away?

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Permalink Reply by Ravensky423 on September 9, 2009 at 7:04pm

They come home with you from the grocery store....usually on onions and bananas ...if i see them flying around the produce I don't buy that one.....cause they have already laid their eggs.....They lay the eggs in moist areas like the sink drain ...and when I was an interior landscaper they would be near jars of water with ivy in it...and on the surface soil of some plants....they are really hard to get rid of once they start to multiply...my ex was an exterminator and the only thing he had that would get rid of them is some kind of chrysanthemum spray..it is made from a flower but is actually very toxic.....unfortunately I have never found very natural ways to get rid of them....they love moist funk like in the sink drain...and wet sponges and rags....I have used bleach and vinegar and fly strips....it's just a battle...good luck

The female fruit fly will lay about 500 eggs. The larvae emerge about 30 hours after the eggs have been laid and feed near the surface of the fermenting material. The larvae feed for five to six days then crawl to drier areas of the food source or even out of the food source to pupate. The larva transforms into the pupa in the last larval skin, or puparium, which bears a conspicuous pair of filaments on the anterior end. The adult fruit fly emerges several days later. The newly emerged fruit flies are attracted to light and become sexually active in about two days. The adults mate more than once. Under ideal conditions, the life cycle from egg to adult can be completed in as little as eight days. The sudden appearance of large populations is not uncommon inside buildings.

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Permalink Reply by Spirit Wynd on September 10, 2009 at 1:04am

Hey, thanks for the info, I'll pass it on, and get to cleaning the drains, tossing the old sponges, and such else I find... and avoid the "bad eggs" at the market.

Peace and blessings to ya.

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Permalink Reply by Ravensky423 on September 10, 2009 at 9:07am

I found some home remedies for fruit flies...this one says they are attracted to vinegar....so I guess when I was using vinegar...that didn't work so well...lol....
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2105371/how_to_get_rid_of_...

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Permalink Reply by Wolven Witch on September 26, 2009 at 2:57am

Veggie oil worked for us, took a few days but it helped a lot. I found this article awhile ago, but thank you for sharing this so others could learn from it as well.

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Permalink Reply by Kathy on September 10, 2009 at 2:23pm

I found when the fan was on, they weren't around... guess wind "blows them away"....
..... [[[ sorry, I couldn't help myself!! ]]] .... fans also help to keep mosquito's away!

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Permalink Reply by Catt on September 10, 2009 at 7:29pm

I know that a lot of bugs don't like chrysanthamums. I plant them all around the outside edge of my garden. Maybe if you set one in a pot near the fruit bowl the bugs will go away. Just a thought, I haven't tried it myself.

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Permalink Reply by Kali Sinclair on September 11, 2009 at 11:57am

The chrysanthemum ingredient to look for in pesticides is called pyrethrin, I believe. Haven't tried it, I never spray, although I probably should, but I have friends who use this successfully.

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Permalink Reply by Ravensky423 on September 12, 2009 at 7:25am

Kali- You are so right...pyrethrin....that is it....and when I was with the ex(pest control) that is what worked here...but to me it's one of those products that they get all excited about and say it's natural to get their foot in the door of the eco-friendly people..so they can talk them into pest control...I used to work for this company too....but as well as this stuff works..it runs me out of the house...to me it's kinda like saying "rattle snakes are natural" true but prob not a good idea to roll around with them...lol....

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Permalink Reply by White on September 26, 2009 at 5:44pm

First of all, make sure that what they're attracted to isn't a rotten piece of fruit or some other item laying about. Take care of your garbage, vegetable refuse and compost. After that, a good way to clean the drain of fruit flies, is to take baking soda and sprinkle it liberally over the drain. Then pour plain white vinegar over it, wait for it to fizz and chase it with boiling hot water. It'll also get rid of and flush out any rotten food or funny smells from just about any drain, even the bathtub one. Cover your fruits if they're sitting out with a plastic or glass cover, put everything you can in the fridge. It's easier to keep fruit flies out than to get rid of an infestation but taking these actions should help.

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Permalink Reply by Angel Rock on September 28, 2009 at 3:48am

Hi down here in South Africa we have a major problem with fruit flies especially on our fruit trees, sometime the fruit get stung right at word go, we were told to plant the herb 'TANSY" around all the fruit tree bases which we will do this year, we have an estimate of about 30 fruit trees so are at the moment trying to get as many tansy plants as possible not so available, will keep you posted as to how it works out. Megan Angel rock.

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Permalink Reply by Eponaj on November 10, 2009 at 10:40am

Apple cider vinegar with a few drops of dish soap works for me. They are attracted to it and then drown. I have to change it every week or so becasue it gets full! LOL

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