Fruit Fly Control

Little or nothing to do with distillation.

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Fiddleford
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Fruit Fly Control

Post by Fiddleford »

Hello I haven't yet to find a topic on fruit fly control.
I thought it would be a good ideal for all of us to share our methods of fruit fly control, I have my own but it requires a watchful eye and maintenance.

My method is to clean a jar really good then put a tsp of molasses and yeast in the jar and sit it open in a high fruit fly location, typically around my mashes or dunder pits. after a bit of waiting I check the jars and if they have a hefty or any amount of the pesky punks in there I'll screw the lid on and run the jar under searing water, which kills them effectively then I place the jar back in the same place till I get little to no result. only problem is it takes a long time to get em to go in there and that's all I have a problem with.

If you have any additions to the methods or your own methods pleas share I and I'm sure others will appreciate to hear of them.
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cuginosgrizzo
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Re: Fruit Fly Control

Post by cuginosgrizzo »

I have my method too. It's time consuming but works very well. Take any hemorrhoid cream of your choice, and spread it carefully on the backs of the little pests. They die almost instantly! I have tried with toothpaste also, but it does not seem to work as well.

:lol: :lol: :lol:
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der wo
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Re: Fruit Fly Control

Post by der wo »

I make a mix from water, vinegar, honey and soap. Vinegar is extremely attractant for them. I don't now why honey helps. Soap reduces the suface tension.

Edit:...but will try out the hemorrhoid cream next time. Seems to be more respectful to those animals.
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Swedish Pride
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Re: Fruit Fly Control

Post by Swedish Pride »

just a shot glass of apple vinegar or some or the fermenting wash, a drop of washing up liquid, cover in cling film and pierce a few hole in the film, just set and forget. change weekly if needed
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Fiddleford
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Re: Fruit Fly Control

Post by Fiddleford »

der wo. I think that mixture would attract critters for miles around. I don't use molasses for the magical reasons of its being what it is, I use it because its what I got on hand, I will have to put honey aside next time I make mead.
Rye whisky rye whisky oh dont let me down
Gunna have me a drink then gambol around
Here's some fiddle music
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Fiddleford
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Re: Fruit Fly Control

Post by Fiddleford »

Swedish Pride. I have done that and it works just fine, but the boss of the household doesn't much appreciate shot glasses with questionable fluids in them, they much prefer jar's with questionable fluids in them because I already got a million of them. :wink:
Rye whisky rye whisky oh dont let me down
Gunna have me a drink then gambol around
Here's some fiddle music
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Truckinbutch
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Re: Fruit Fly Control

Post by Truckinbutch »

Dawn dish soap on top of cider vinegar , sticky fly strips , and a bug zapper used in conjunction .
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Re: Fruit Fly Control

Post by shadylane »

A shotglass full of fruity heads
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Truckinbutch
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Re: Fruit Fly Control

Post by Truckinbutch »

There is also the BUG-A-SALT pump shotgun that uses table salt (80 shots per tbs ) for close range interdiction of the crafty ones . I have a ball with mine . Google it .
If you ain't the lead dog in the team , the scenery never changes . Ga Flatwoods made my avatar and I want to thank him for that .
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cranky
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Re: Fruit Fly Control

Post by cranky »

Swedish Pride wrote:just a shot glass of apple vinegar or some or the fermenting wash, a drop of washing up liquid, cover in cling film and pierce a few hole in the film, just set and forget. change weekly if needed
That's the method I use too, apple cider vinegar, drop of soap in a bowl covered in cling wrap with some holes poked in it. One note of caution, don't use apple scented soap, they won't go for it.

If I have a lot of them I will wait til they are asleep then get the shop vac and suck them up, works real well.

They are actually completely suicidal for an apple ferment bubbling through an air lock full of heads.
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Re: Fruit Fly Control

Post by fizzix »

They also like those hanging fly strips if you get inundated like I did last summer.
The bait jars were filling quicker than their breeding.
Little buggers were so happy being stuck to the strips, they would actually die all glued together while humping.
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Re: Fruit Fly Control

Post by cdd »

I nuke my "distillery" with germicidal UVC and ozone every now and then. This pretty much wipes out anything living in the entire room. An extremely powerful stuff and no chemicals involved. Sometimes I'm thinking where I'm getting these wonderful ideas all the time. I guess you give the hardest job to the laziest person and this is what happens.
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Re: Fruit Fly Control

Post by Shine0n »

I've tried the vinegar and it did just ok, now I take an apple (store bought) after peeling it for the youngin put the peels in a mason jar and cling wrap it with holes poked in the top, change weekly and they stay under control.
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Re: Fruit Fly Control

Post by seamusm53 »

A year ago I had an infestation of these critters in my kitchen. I tried the vinegar trick and it didn't work. I put an inch of red wine in a jar covered with foil and a few toothpick holes through the foil. Drowned dozens of them. Figured my bugs were lushes not sour pusses. But I'm not sure its even possible to avoid attracting them when working outside in my garage - so I just cover everything with paper towels held in place with rubber bands - this keeps them from drinking too much of my product. Angels I don't minds - bugs are a different story.
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Birrofilo
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Re: Fruit Fly Control

Post by Birrofilo »

Pure cheap wine vinegar in a trap, i.e. a jar with a plastic foil lid on which I make holes with a fork (or a toothpick).
The pure vinegar makes a strong odour all over the kitchen. The pests cannot resist. I cannot resist as well, after a few days.
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Re: Fruit Fly Control

Post by seamusm53 »

Birrofilo wrote:Pure cheap wine vinegar in a trap, i.e. a jar with a plastic foil lid on which I make holes with a fork (or a toothpick).
The pure vinegar makes a strong odour all over the kitchen. The pests cannot resist. I cannot resist as well, after a few days.
Do you filter out the bugs before you drink it?
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Re: Fruit Fly Control

Post by cob »

I used to make yellow jacket traps out of gallon milk jugs and pvc pipe. they could probably be

down sized for fruit flys. the yellow jacket size uses 3/4" or 1" pvc pipe stuck through the milk

jug. the pipe needs to be long enough to miter both ends, so you have a long side and a short side,

the long side is the bottom. grind a good sized hole in the bottom, the miters are landing pads.

for fruit flys 1/2" pvc or even a drinking straw would work in almost any plastic bottle.
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