Fruit Flies

[vindetz]

I came back from two weeks vacation and found my apartment infested with fruit flies. I cant understand it because when I left I cleaned all the dishes, took out the trash, and cleaned everything like a serious OCD case. Since I returned, I cleaned my place head to toe, sprayed Raid ant and roach killer on every surface, and even discarded the dead hooker under my matress. Still I came home from work today and they were still there. I am contemplating moving or burning the place down. Before I resort to such drastic measures do you have any suggestions on how can I get rid of them for good?
Vin Detz

[TooCute]

Have you cleaned out your drains? That is a very common place that fruit flies could be coming from. You can test them by covering the drains with plastic wrap for a day or two, or you could prophylactically clean them with some draino to get rid of all the organic matter (which is what the larvae are feasting on!)

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[Alice S. Fuzzybutt]

I was going to suggest that.

I notice fruit flies around my bathroom sink drain in the summer. Some Drain-O foaming cleanser should help.

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thank you dcpete!

[FUNKMAN]

i mustered the energy to write what i know about this subject: please enjoy!

Fruit Fly Elimination
Fly Elimination Products

The key to controlling fruit fly infestations is to locate and eliminate their breeding sources. Although there are several sprays and traps used to kill flies in a home, restaurant or other structure, the infestation cannot be eliminated without eliminating their source. A space spray (Pyrethrin spray) can be used as a quick kill, reducing populations of flying insects. Pyrethrin spray is also a crack and crevice tool that is used by pest control operators to spray the tiny areas where fruit flies and other insect pests breed. To monitor the area, use a Gold Stick trap. These traps use a fly sex lure to attract flies to their doom. Every fruit fly caught is one less breeding adult! If you locate a drain that is a breeding ground for fruit flies, use Drain Gel (Fly Gel) to destroy the film in which the fly eggs and larvae are developing. A surface spray is not recommended in this situation, unless there are great numbers of flies resting on the surface of trash cans, dumpsters or exterior walls. Fruit Fly Traps are also an excellent tool for capturing fruit flies. Attach the trap to the inside lid of garbage cans, dumpsters or compost bins to capture adult flies before they breed. Dispose of traps when full of flies or after 3 months. Click here to see fly elimination products. Inspecting the area for possible breeding sources is the key for fruit fly elimination.

Inspecting for Fruit Flies
When searching for fruit fly breeding sources, remember that the larva can only survive in decaying organic matter that is moist. The first obvious place to check is where any fruits or vegetables or stored outside of refrigerators or coolers. Other areas to inspect would be recycling bins, seldom used (or cleaned) garbage cans, underneath and behind large appliances. Do not overlook drains where small flies are often found breeding in the super thin layer or film of debris that naturally accumulates in pipes, traps and drains.

In commercial and residential structures, tiny amounts of organic debris are often found where the legs or feet of appliances, tables or cabinets touch the floor. These tiny spaces can harbor thousands of fly larvae. All small cracks and crevices at floor level need to be inspected and thoroughly cleaned.

Once one source has been located, continue with your inspection. Fruit flies easily follow air currents and usually have several breeding places in any structure. Do not assume that all of your breeding sources are indoors; fruit flies will wander in from nearby dumpsters, outdoor garbage cans or even damp compost piles where fruits and vegetables are disposed.



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you never have time to do it right, but you always seem to have time to do it over...

[Melrapuo]

about 4 weeks ago my family came back from visiting our grandmother's house. when they unpacked all the food from the trip, they noticed that there was some fruit missing (grapes, to be precise). we searched for about a half hour and came up with nothing, so we thought that perhaps the fruit was left back at my grandmother's house.

We called our grandmother, and asked if the fruit were left there by any chance. A relative, who had also visited that night, checked to see if the food had been left. When she returned to the phone, she said that the grapes were, in fact, left on the counter in the dining room. With this, we forgot about the situation.

About a week later, my father called me after getting off of work and told me to unlock the back door because he ws on his way home with packages from the local supermarket. I complied and waited for his arrival.

When he got home, I proceeded to help him with the packages. As he opened the trunk, a swarm of fruit flies flew out of the trunk and into the air, catching me off guard. I asked my father, "What th fuck?!?! Where did all those flies come from?" My dad said "Remember those grapes we though we forgot?"

What does this story have to do with your problem? Nothing at all. Except for the fruit fly thing. I just decided to tell a story as if it were written in a novel or some cheap book.

Anyway, we got rid of the flies by throwing the grapes out and keepin the trunk open for a bit. So gettin' rid of the source of breeding is definitely the thing to do.

O, and I was mad at my dad cuz he put the food from the supermarket in the trunk WITH the flies even though he knew they were there. Ugh...

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[FUNKMAN]

good one Mel!

i worked in a Produce Stand when i was fifteen and there was one time where there had to be several thousand fruit flies in the grapecrates. everytime a customer ordered grapes you stuck your hand in to get the grapes and the flies would hover around my hand and the crate. i hated having to put these grapes in a bag and give it to the customer.

We always had the best looking produce on display and alot of customers wanted the display stuff. you always got caught in the middle between your boss and the customer. Your boss wanted you to convince the customer that the crate you were taking from was just as good as the display stuff.

we would gather all the damaged fruit and put it in a basket and sell it halfprice. they called it "skinoff's" and it was good for people who were making pies. they could just cut the bad parts off.

we had cages in the back with approx 10 cats. we would get egg cases and sometimes there was a field mice in them. the boss would throw one cat at a time into the box and see which one would kill/eat the mouse. it took about 4 cats before a big orange one named Tangerine ate the mouse.

and boy did they sell great poundcake... nice and thick/dense out of the refridgerator with some sweet butter...

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you never have time to do it right, but you always seem to have time to do it over...