Fruit Fly Trap

Its time I owned up to something.

Something else, to be perfectly accurate.

I have fruit flies in my kitchen. There, I’ve said it.

They love this time of year with all the summer produce.

Peaches, corn, tomatoes, raspberries, grapes.

I have these things in my house all the time.

Well, most of the time.

Apparently what fruit flies love is moisture combined with organic material.

Eww!

Now before you go getting totally grossed out, let me say in my defense that I put things away, keep food in the refrigerator, empty the trash and wipe down my counter tops.

The flies come anyway.

The force draws them to me.

If you haven’t had the opportunity to meet one, let me describe. Fruit flies are tiny little things – more gnat than fly. They are part of the family of insects known as Drosophilidae.

They breed by the thousands.

Not an image I’m enjoying – on so many levels!

According to Dr. Linda Mason, professor of food pest management at Purdue University, one must be ruthless to get rid of the little buggers.

Here’s her suggested plan of attack:

  1. Search for their breeding site. While they’re attracted to organic material, they also breed in drains, garbage disposals, recycling bins, trash cans, compost buckets, and even mops and buckets.
  2. Remove all areas of moisture.
  3. Pour boiling water in your drain and scrub the disposal with a brush.
  4. Keep your kitchen really clean this time of year.
  5. Be vigilant about getting rid of even one tiny spot of rotting fruit.

I’ve also read about setting ff traps using a cone of paper in a jar, vinegar and dish soap. I’m still thinking about it – non-bug-killing person that I am.

Okay, technically boiling water will also kill.

See my dilemma?

Going to find vinegar as soon as I post this…