janeyb wrote:I use the apple cider vinegar and dish soap drizzle too. It works like a charm,

Same here. I've also found that even if I try to keep the kitchen as clean as possible and take the garbage out every day I'd still have some lingerers until I started stopping up the kitchen sinks wherever not in use. The default state for the sinks is now "plugged with stopper".

I'll add that the dish washing soap and vinegar really works wonders. I like to get evil with it and pick whatever smells i think the poor bastards would love the most. Fruity vinegar and sour beer mixed with soap works wonders. I usually make up 4 or 5 of these small cups of liquid and place them in strategic spots throughout the house. By the garbage, by fruit bowl, by the sink, by fermenting beers and by the kegerator. The death count is tremendous, usually more fruit flies than I thought were even in the house and always by the next day the house is completely fruit fly free.

Hi,

Are you using open cups? I have been using wine bottles, because they get in and seem unable to get out. They eventually spiral into vinegar left below.

I don't have the fruit flies presently. Usually when I begin canning, then they show up.

Regards,

Yes just a regular open cup. It seems to be working fine. They way they fly around drunkenly to begin with, I figure give them a bigger opening. I think the soap is what keeps them in the liquid, either killing them, or by the surface tension breaking as mentioned above.

Hi Cathy2,
Like Laikom, I am just using small open bowls which I place near our bananas. In the past, I have tried Kenny's suggestion which involves poking small holes in plastic wrap and covering the bowls. I now just skip the plastic because it is faster.

Based on the number of flies in the bowl, I don't thinking many fruit flies are escaping from the apple cider/dawn mixture (though I've never stopped to observe them )

Without using a cover, I can quickly dump the cider solution, rinse the bowl and repeat. Right now, things are fine because I froze my over-ripe bananas.

( I wanted to link to banana bread recipe which I thought I found on LTH, but now I can’t find. It called for cooking down the banana-liquid and the recipe used many more bananas than another other recipe I’ve seen. As a side note, if you know where to find this great recipe, please send me link. )

Hi,

Thanks, I will go open bowl next time the critters arrive.

Your recipe is very likely from Cook's Illustrated. Here is a link to their recipe on Epicurious website.

It is fussy and delicious!

Regards,

That's it Cathy!!
Thanks so much for finding it for me. This bread is delicious, and a great way to use up many "leftover" bananas.

I got my first infestation. I'm usually pretty good about putting fruit and vegetable scraps into a separate produce bag which I tie off and toss as needed. I don't generate much garbage and trash, perhaps one kitchen bag every few weeks, so things would get pretty bad without the separate produce bags. But I must have overlooked something and they took over during the last 3-4 days. In response, I disposed of a mango they seemed to like hanging around (not rotten or anything) but kept the apples and grapefruit. The remains of a bag of cherries was binned and everything was tied up and taken to the city trash can in the alley last night. I made one of those DIY traps with cider vinegar and dish soap.

laikom wrote:The death count is tremendous, usually more fruit flies than I thought were even in the house and always by the next day the house is completely fruit fly free.

All of this. I can scarcely believe how effective this practically free solution is. Just overnight, the dead nearly cover the bottom of my ramekin-sized trap. There are still a few flying around but the numbers are noticeably reduced in just hours. I thought I was going to be dealing with a problem for weeks but I think this is nearly wrapped up.