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How do I get rid of "fruit flies"?
I know this sounds a bit weird but I seem to be having a plague of fruit flies or very small flies in our family room. They keep landing on our big screen TV. The strange part is that there is no fruit or food of any kind left in the room so there is nothing for them to eat. Yet, every time I kill them, bunches more show up the next day. What's going on and how can I thoroughly get rid of them?
I seem to have gotten rid of the problem for now after spring cleaning and destroying all spider webs and vacuuming behind all the furniture. I just want to prevent the problem from happening in the future. I am a VERY clean person and I thoroughly clean and dust once a week in this room. The only standing food we have is for our cat, Lille. This food is canned cat food and dry food in 2 other rooms.
I seem to have gotten rid of the problem for now after spring cleaning and destroying all spider webs and vacuuming behind all the furniture. I just want to prevent the problem from happening in the future. I am a VERY clean person and I thoroughly clean and dust once a week in this room. The only standing food we have is for our cat, Lille. This food is canned cat food and dry food in 2 other rooms.
Also, our 2 small birds - a parrotlet and English Budgie - have veggies, cooked meat, lettuce and hard boiled eggs, but their cages and all of their contents are also cleaned thoroughly once a week.
Also, our 2 small birds - a parrotlet and English Budgie - have veggies, cooked meat, lettuce and hard boiled eggs, but their cages and all of their contents are also cleaned thoroughly once a week.
Actually, Amaretta may be right: we DO store potatoes in a storage cabinet in our second kitchen which is adjacent to our family. Sometimes they do sprout eyes. Thanks for your answer, Amaretta, and thank you all for your imput!
Actually, Amaretta may be right: we DO store potatoes in a storage cabinet in our second kitchen which is adjacent to our family. Sometimes they do sprout eyes. Thanks for your answer, Amaretta, and thank you all for your imput!
3 Answers
- AmarettaLv 710 years agoFavorite Answer
They may not be breeding in your family room, but somewhere else in the house. Make sure there you don't have leftover fruit or fruit remnants -- apple cores, banana peels, etc. -- anywhere in the house. Look for rotting potatoes in a bag of potatoes in the pantry or wherever you store them. Fruit flies often get into the house as eggs on fruit or vegetable peels. Once they hatch, they reproduce quickly (which is why biologists use fruit flies for genetic research). Once you eliminate their food source, they'll die off quickly.
- richLv 410 years ago
I've had some success with the home made trap at this link, it is the second one
http://fruitflytraps.com/hometrap.htm
basically, cut the top off of a plastic soda or water bottle, but some vinegar, or banana peels, or some fruit, etc in the bottle
invert the top and put it back into the bottle
now you have a lure in the bottle and while the flies can get in they can't get out
I also read at another site , to add a little dish soap to the vinegar
there are several sites with home made fruit fly trap ideas
also any standing water and or un clean drains can create a problem
clean your drains with some vinegar and baking soda
- Anonymous10 years ago
Get a jar, cut a peice of fruit put in down in the jar. Take a peice of paper make a funnel. Make sure the hole at the bottom of the funnel is big enough for them to get in but to small to get out. Stick it in the room and let it sit for a couple days. It's kinda cool. U will see them flying around in the jar. Just did this in my kitchen a few days ago. Works lime a charm.
