Friday, July 17, 2009

Fruit Fly, Don't Bother Me

Let's finish off the week with something gross, shall we?

Beautiful sunshine-y warm-breezy days with the windows and doors open. Bowls full of ripe freshly picked fruit on the kitchen countertop. These are two things I love about the summer. Unfortunately, when taken in combination, they can result in a little irksome and embarrassing problem that I now find myself facing: fruit flies (ugh). Imagine the photo at right swarming with little black buggers, like Pigpen in Charlie Brown comics, and you'll have an idea of what my kitchen looked like yesterday morning. Yick.
Once fruit flies invade, they multiply like crazy, laying their eggs right on your beautiful fruit -- which suddenly makes those gorgeous peaches look a lot less appetizing. Here's how to save your lovely fruit, and rid your kitchen of fruit flies once and for all, without using toxic chemicals.

1. Look through the bowl of fruit and throw out any fruits that are overripe or have soft spots, saving one piece on the side (make sure you take the garbage out, or you'll just end up with fruit flies in your garbage can). Also look over the remaining fruit for fly larvae (sorry, but it's true) rinse them in cool water, and put them in a bowl or Ziplock bag in the fridge. You won't have to leave them there forever, just until you've taken care of your little, um, problem.
2. Make a trap: Take the overripe piece of fruit you set aside (apples, bananas, plums... they all work), and slice it up, placing the slices in a bowl. Pour 1/4 cup of balsamic or apple cider vinegar over the fruit. Cover and seal the top of the bowl with a layer of plastic wrap. Poke small holes in the wrap, using the tines of a fork of the tip of a paring knife, but make sure not to make the holes too big. The flies will be drawn to the irresistible combo of rotting fruit and vinegar (who wouldn't be?), and will fly into the trap, and be unable to get out.

I took a picture of my own trap, but it was just too disgusting to share on a Friday morning. You're welcome.

4 comments:

Jane said...

what does it say about me that I desperately want to see the photo of the fruit fly trap?

Jade said...

I totally did this last year....it was oddly satisfying.

Unknown said...

Lil,

LOVE your blogs, I've found lots of wondrous information! The other thing I would do with the fruit fly problem (I don't have them, but heard this on the radio) is to pour boiling water down both kitchen sinks in case they aren't fruit flies.

Kaki in Cottage Grove

Unknown said...

You can also make a solution of hot water, sugar-stir to combine and dish soap. Leave it open on your counter. When the flies drink it it kills them off.

From one housewife to the next, HTH :)