I made the mistake of bringing fruit home and then I forgot to wash it. It wasn’t intentional, I assure you. I usually use one of these fruit wash recipes. But as luck would have it when I walked in, my phone was ringing, my hands were full and my cat had apparently “malfunctioned” only moments before I got there. So skipped the fruit washing in order to handle everything else. Big mistake. About three days later I walked in and dropped my keys on the counter and it was like a fruit fly bomb went off. They were everywhere! And they’re so small that trying to spray them is like trying to spray oxygen, so it’s next to impossible without mucking up my entire kitchen. I had heard of a couple of remedies. One using apple cider vinegar and one using wine. I was so freaked out I decided to try both! Here are both methods:
What you’ll need:
- 1/2 cup Apple Cider Vinegar (any kind will do from Heinz to Braggs, the bugs ain’t picky)
- 1 tsp dish soap (or castille soap)
- small bowl or container
- Plastic wrap
- toothpicks
- rubber band
What to do: Pour the vinegar into the bowl and add the dish soap to break up the surface tension. (You don’t want them to fly in, take a sip and fly right off!) Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and then punch a bunch of tiny holes in the plastic wrap with just the tip of the toothpick.
What you’ll need:
- 1/2 cup red wine (again, any kind will do)
- wine bottle or similiar tall bottle with a narrow neck
- Plastic wrap
- toothpicks
- rubber band
What to do: Use leftover wine and just leave it in the bottle. Or pour a 1/2cup of red wine into the bottle with a funnel and add a drop of dish soap to break up the surface tension. Cover the mouth of the bottle with a small bit of plastic wrap and secure tightly with a rubber band. Then use the toothpick to poke a few tiny holes in the top.
For both versions leave out at least 48 hours in order to catch the flies and the new ones that will hatch! (Fruit flies only have short life spans and spend most of that time mating and laying eggs which is why they can multiply so quickly!)
I have done both methods and found them very effective! After a few days I just rinsed and dumped the vinegar with the dead flies down the drain. Yick! (It was so worth it though).
•What’s your fruit fly remedy?
