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Permalink Reply by Victoria on August 12, 2009 at 10:17am

I have been dealing with them for weeks. They are such a pain. AM640 has a short article about them on their site today. Supposedly it is going to get worse during harvest time, which sucks:( The worse place I have seen it is Price Chopper last week. The tomatoes had dozens upon dozens of them sitting on them and hovering above them, it was disgusting!!! Needless to say I didn't buy any tomatoes last week:(

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Permalink Reply by Jen C on August 12, 2009 at 11:15am

We had an inundation of fruit flies for several weeks in July. I've heard it's becasue of the garbage strike, with all the recycling and organic waste that was laying around for a month.

I built a home made trap that worked wonders and we're now virtually fruit fly free. Similar to your trap with a couple of differences:

use a small juice glass
1/4 c vinegar (apparently apple cider vinegar works even better)
drop or two of dish soap (the dish soap breaks the surface tension of the vinegar so the little suckers drown)
stir gently
add a couple of pieces of rotting fuit (since the flies were attracted to tomatoes, we used a couple of slices)
cover tightly with saran wrap and poke a few small holes in the top (they can get in, but not out)

Hope this works!

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Permalink Reply by Jeremy Goldberg on August 12, 2009 at 2:03pm

At least it isn't just me...I will definatley try that trap. I am just not sure where they are coming from because i seem to kill a lot and more just keep coming. I am hoping that my trap is not just attracting more to come in from outside. I am hoping for a cold snap to kill them off....

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Permalink Reply by Chris on August 12, 2009 at 2:14pm

I keep wondering when the garbage workers are going to come and get the fruit flies out of my kitchen.

I've tried balsamic vinegar and red wine vinegar and dish sopa with the saran wrap but its not working too well. how small are the holes you poked in the wrap? i think i made them too big and they're managing to escape. My next thought is a full on panzer attack...

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Permalink Reply by Jen C on August 12, 2009 at 3:07pm

Chris,

I poked the holes with the tip of a pen, so not too big. I used a small juice glass and made about 4 holes in total. I think the rotting tomatoes are the real trick to getting them in the trap.

We've haven't been the only ones with infestations of these little buggers. The Globe has a whole story on it in today's paper.

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Permalink Reply by Marlene O'Leary on August 12, 2009 at 7:46pm

We share your pain. We actually broke down and closed all the windows, turned on the central air and cut some limes up around the house. We then place wet pieces of paper towel over the lime traps and took them outside. I am happy to say we have not seen a fruit fly in the house in a few days. GOOD LUCK

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Permalink Reply by Nancy on August 13, 2009 at 6:51am

The CBC Radio had a whole segment on this one morning earlier this week. I only tuned in in time for the last suggestion which was to vacuum them up. I did a quick search and couldn't find it on their site.
If nothing else, you know you're not alone. Apparently there's a huge increase in the number of fruit flies. They wondered if it was related to the garbage strike.
FWIW, I have a few flies around actual fruit but no swarms.
Good luck.

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Permalink Reply by Stef on August 17, 2009 at 4:55pm

My solution was this:
One bowl of over-ripe cherries, covered by a plastic bag, leaving an opening at the bottom with the plastic standing up. An old Glad plastic bag will do; the flimsy plastic bags like you get at No Frills or Food Basics won't stay up.

The fruit-flies find the opening at the bottom, fly into the bowl and get drunk on the smorgasbord they've just found. My theory is when you startle them they fly up, seeing through the plastic but not realizing they're trapped (or they're too drunk).

Much satisfaction is gained by squishing the icky little f**kers in the bag. Just put your hand on the opening and close it first - some of them are smart, and it can sometimes turn into a fruit-fly version of The Cat Came Back.

Saying the following while trying to imitate Emperor Palpatine's voice is very satisfying:
'Haha, you vile little beasts! CAN'T FLY OFF NOW! OH, WHAT'S THAT? A FORCEFIELD!!! AH HA HAH HAHAHHAHH!!!'

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Permalink Reply by Egg Flik on August 17, 2009 at 6:21pm

1 glass with bottom filled with cider vinegar. A stapled piece of paper inside that forms a funnel / cone. Hole at bottom about 1" wide.

Flies get into the glass, climb up, trapped. Must make sure that the paper lies flush on top rim of glass.

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Permalink Reply by MamaLim on August 18, 2009 at 9:44pm

Lots of good tips out there. Here's the fruit fly trap that I use and it works every time.

In a small bowl put about 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar. Put in a spoonful of sugar. Mix up gently. Cover tightly w plastic wrap. Poke lotsa small holes w the tip of a knife.

OR substitute the vinegar/sugar for a 1/4 cup of whiskey. Totally works.

Won't be long before the drosophilae fly in, get trapped, and then drown. Within an hour, you'll catch 10+. Keep it over night, or as long as you need it. Lather, rinse and repeat.

My friend has been zapping the fruit flies with her hand held vacuum and it's been working amazingly for her. She heard this tip on CBC radio.

Lots of news coverage (Star, Globe & Mail) on this issue. The infestation has been linked to the ripple effects of the garbage strike.

MamaLim

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