Unwelcomed Guests from South America

Oh my word - we had THE worse go with fruit flies. They were EVERYWHERE. It all started with the harvest of our veggies from the garden - gifts from our neighbors garden, and a produce frenzy we were on. OH MY WORD. Now, we've had a run in with fruit flies in the past - you know - the rogue banana that is left out too long yadda yadda. We've never had them last longer than when we cleaned up the mess that prompted them - but this time - they were here - and they brought their friends, family, their friends family and the neighbors down the block.

We tried everything. We put all of our produce in the fridge - we DEEP CLEANED - I mean DEEP - disinfected everything, ran cleaner and boiling water down the drains - emptied the trash every night regardless of how full - cleaned every nook and cranny in the kitchen - and just when we thought we might have a handle on them - they showed up in the bathroom - UPSTAIRS in the drain. WHAT IN THE WORLD!?

We tried everything - and I was getting very frustrated when I looked online (of course) for some home grown remedies and found our answer. Now - I normally would never share our little fruit fly fiasco - just because the whole thought is so yucky to me ... but ... when you're at your last straw - and find something that works - you want to share it - and this did - so I am :)

Once a structure is infested with fruit flies, all potential breeding areas must be located and eliminated. Unless the breeding sites are removed or cleaned, the problem will continue no matter how often insecticides are applied to control the adults. Finding the source(s) of attraction and breeding can be very challenging and often will require much thought and persistence. Potential breeding sites which are inaccessible (e.g., garbage disposals and drains) can be inspected by taping a clear plastic food storage bag over the opening overnight. If flies are breeding in these areas, the adults will emerge and be caught in the bag.

A better approach, however, is to construct a trap by placing a paper funnel (rolled from a sheet of notebook paper) into a jar which is then baited with a few ounces of cider vinegar. Place the jar trap(s) wherever fruit flies are seen. This simple but effective trap will soon catch any remaining adult flies which can then be killed or released outdoors. http://www.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef621.asp

It worked !!!! We had to catch and release about twice a day over three days - and viola - no more buggers!! What was the source?! The fresh produce!? Our recycling bin? We're really good about rinsing everything before putting it in the bin. We don't really know. We do however, keep ALL our produce in the fridge from now on (we're trying to get used to cold bananas) and bring any cans out to the barn immediately after opening them. Funny - there isn't a dirty dish in the sink or on the counter anymore - for any amount of time - I don't want to leave any sign to those stinkers that they are at all welcome.

Well - there you go - my yucky little secret from last week!!