Fruit Flies!! - Minneapolis,MN

These are all great ideas... What I have done is a combination of some of them and within a few days they are all gone. In addition to the bleaching (or Barkeeper's Friend) in the sink, the traps of red wine vinegar or wine or beer mixed with dish soap in a shallow and wide dish, the beer bottle with the metal top with a hole punched in it, putting all fruit away and cleaning everything, I also put my dish sponges in the dishwasher...they live in there, too!

Good luck!

I too have them lately and wine works well for me but I've had much better luck with red than white. Have a few glasses, leave a little in each and spread them in a few rooms...;)

I get them around bananas that are too ripe or hiding inside peaches that are cracked at the top. I've never heard of them being attracted to onions or garlic.
Make sure you wash the bowl or counters around because the baby flies go through a dormant stage that has a hard shell- yellowish and smaller than a grain of rice but about that shape.
There's other flies that go after meat and stuff besides fruit. They're about the same size, a darker color, and they may run jerkily over the counter instead of flying as much. I don't know what they're called, but one time I moved into an apartment that had them in an overflow tray hidden beneath the refrigerator.

I've used maple syrup mixed with Borax and had stupendous results. Just let them fly the to bait, eat it and die.

Reminds me of an old saying:
"Time flies like an arrow
Fruit flies like a banana"

Have a good fall!

Fruits and veggies dont have to be old to attract them. Maybe put it all in the fridge for a day or two and they will leave. Your banana skins will turn black but the banana itself will be okay. Wash out all the container you use to hold your produce... there might be some old residue that is attracting them.

We've had this happen to us before. Buy a cheap bottle of fruity wine. Drink or pour out most of it then leave it on the counter for a few days. You'll notice quickly that they'll be disappearing. They're attracted to the wine, go in the bottle and then drown.

Good luck! I know they're annoying! They come with the fruit you buy. I stopped buying banana's from SAMS because that is where I notice they come from.

Unfortunately, you can't have the fruit out.

I HATE THEM !!!
I had them all summer, gone for a month and now they are BACK !
But the container idea works a 100%, I put a little sweet syrup, some wine in it and they go in there like crazy.
I keep all fruits and veggies in the fridge, the garbage on the deck..I read to pour some Ammonia into the drain system..

i am living with those suckers. i have tried everything but apparently they multiply faster than rabbits :)
i had a pest control guy come. he put some sticky things around the kitchen, 3 got caught the first day. the 2nd day nothing, except i see one flying around.
i know where mine are coming from. my husband planted 1001 tomatoes in his garden that's right next to our patio door. so they're coming from the tomatoes.

We found out do to our child that maple syrup left out in a cup or bowl they like it and will try to drink or whatever it and get stuck in it. Only thing it will thicken over time and no longer work but it does help!
Also sticky Mouse boxes with special glue called Glue Boards also attracts them and they get stuck same principle. You can buy them online. Look carefully in cabinets, behind them etc for any spoiling fruit as they will breed rampantly in it. They can reproduce I think every 3 Days. They live about 3 weeks so they keep having new offspring. So it would take a few weeks and must be 100% there is no breeding area for them their most likely is! Also any exposed food like cupcakes, cakes, fruit should be secured or in a closed container or they wil go for that and most any other sweet thing including even Drinks!
Again try little bowls or cups of maple syrup! Too! In the store can find
Mint Bug Spray which is much safer to use in the Kitchen and eating areas than most things. And can put as much in the fridge as can but get this they even go in There! We found that out and had to find a spoiled onion and it helped getting rid of that food source. Also read that Apple Cider Vinegar with a few drops of liquid dishwash dispenser in a cup can work too.

cup of vinegar and tbs of dish soap place on the floor in a plastic cup

Hi

My answer is late, but we had a fruit fly dillemma about 3 weeks ago.

They first originated when we brought our picked cherry tomatoes to wash them. First in the kitchen and then in the bathroom and eventually all over our house.

After trying the cider vinegar and dish soap, fly paper etc.. I looked on-line and found an article about fruit flies (googled fruit flies) and they are also attracted to potatoes. I was surpised by that one. They were also attracted to Hedge Balls also (used to deter spiders and other pests).

Our fruit fly problem has been eliminated.

An open cup of vinegar where ever they gather most and a good scrubbing of everything with vinegar water solution.

It is true that old fruit will attract the fruit flies into your house, but once they are there you will need to starve them to extinction before they will go away. So, now that you already have them, take out the garbage every day, and even with that, don't throw anything into it that they would eat (not just fruit, but vegetable peels, meat, anything organic). Put ALL of your fruit, vegetables, and anything sweet (cupcakes?) into the refrigerator. Clean off the counters and clean out the sink and the garbage disposal, and the floor and refrigerator front if it needs it. Whew - now that that is done, keep it this way for 3-7 days (lifespan). They will go away; if they don't, you are feeding them somewhere and should look around to see where they hang out. Once they are gone, you will probably be able to leave unripe or just ripe bananas and other fruit on the counter again, but keep an eye out for the buggers, and nip it in the bud if you see any!

Are you sure they are fruit flies. In the past couple of weeks myself and three of my friends had the same thing. We figured out they were not fruit flies but rather little flies from our live plants. Every one of us got rid of them in one day just by either getting rid of the plants or putting the stuff they sell for that in the dirt. Do you have a plant around?

A.-ight...HERE is what cha do...do you have a garbage disposal?

If so:

You know that black rubber thingy that is in the sink drain to the disposal? Clean UNDER that. It will probably be gunky and funky. (use gloves)
After that, pour a cup of bleach into the drain, just before bed. Continue a bleach/ boiling water alternate till they are gone.

After YEARS of dealing with them I discovered something that really works. BTW- It helps to wash your fruits and veggies as you bring them into the house. (nice idea but I rarely think to do this)

Put some "bait" in a disposable cup. (Bait: anything you'd normally throw away from a fruit-- banana peel, pear or peach piece, etc) Cover the cup with plastic wrap. Wrap a rubber band around the cup to hold the wrap in place. Poke a tiny hole in the top/center of the plastic wrap.

The flies go into the hole because they are attracted by the fruit but RARELY find their way back out. Every couple days, I throw out that cup and put out a new one.

It works!!!

this is a common mistake they are not fruit flies-their drain flies-you have water sitting somewheres in your kitchen-go thru your cupboards-under kitchen sink-wipe everything down with vinegar water-strong mix-also chex the top of your fridge.we see this quite often on the property i work at.if you have a garbage disposal-put a couple ice cubes in it an run with cold water-this will clear out any sludge-or standing water an food-otherwise just pour straight vinegar down your sinks-let sit bout 1/2 hour then run real hot water.