Friday, July 8, 2011

How to get rid of fruit flies

It's summer, and with the delicious fruit selection comes the annoying, pesky, hard-to-kill fruit flies. Our house was recently infested with them after an overripe cantaloup sat on our counter. Thankfully, I called in my 10 year old daughter and asked her to make our annual summer fruit fly trap!

You might be asking, "A fruit fly trap? How do I make a fruit fly trap?"

Because I know you've tried smacking them with your hands until your palms are as red as their little bodies, but they have successfully out-maneuvered you.

It's easy. Abby's been making them for me since she was four, back when I had first scoured the internet for a way to rid my home of the miniscule invaders.

HOW TO MAKE A FRUIT FLY TRAP:

  1. Take a glass and insert fruit, any kind. They aren't picky. 
  2. Fold a piece of paper into a cone shape so that the bottom is a very small hole. 
  3. Place the cone into the glass, about an inch or two from the bottom, and tape it securely around the rim of the glass. The flies can get in but they can't get out. For some reason, they can't find the small hole in the cone.
  4. Just take the trap outside when it's full, open a small part of the taped area, and release the flies. 

And there you have it! This week, we released them three times in one day, we had so many! But now our home is successfully pest free.

If only I could find a way to easily trap the other things around the house that bug me... like misplaced toys, food crumbs, the "other" socks, dirty sippy cups that hide and grow science experiments...

2 comments:

a joyful noise said...

What a neat way to rid the inside of fruit flies! I wipe down my counter with vinegar to rid the ants. Any thoughts on ants?

BeckyE said...

I tried vinegar last night for the ants, and they weren't there in the morning! Thanks!! :)