There was a recent posting on making a simple trap. Someone will probably remember it - but I make a trap for flies - which would probably work for fruit flies as well.

Using a plastic liter bottle - the kind used for soda, tonic water, etc., cut the top off just below the shoulder, reverse the top to fit into the lower part. Pour some water in the bottle - an inch or so - and add some rotten meat for house flies, or add sweet stuff for fruit flies.

Flies fly in can't fly out - drown.

I also like to put fruit scraps - peelings, etc., in my worm composting bin outside. Because we sometimes have dropping citrus in the yard, I keep a large wooden box for worm composting the falling fruit along with kitchen scraps and coffee grounds. This keeps fruit flies and others from being attracted outside.

We only have one garbage pick up per week and with canning during summer, there is a lot of extra fruit and veggie scraps. The outside worm bin does a good job of keeping my garbage can "sweeter" during the heat. I hope my Waste Disposal people appreciate my extra efforts.

Bejay

Try this.. They also have a soapstone enclosure too.

Here is a link that might be useful: Fruit fly trap

Take a small dish and put some vinegar or wine in it, then cover it tightly with plastic wrap(secure with a rubber band) and poke several holes in it with a toothpick,the flies are attracted to the smell but can't get out. Some put a drop of dishsoap in it to break the surface tension of the water.

Here you go.

Here is a link that might be useful: Fruit flies in the house discussion

Found apple cider vinegar in a small dish lured them away and they drowned in it . Great tip some one here gave.

ML

I've been using a wide mouth qt jar with a simple hand made paper funnel, maybe one inch opening, stuck into the jar and masking taped together, and 2" of raw cider vinegar in the bottom. Pretty amazing, it attracts them from all over the kitchen - I've got boxes of peaches, apples, plums, and then the compost pails etc, and that thing pulls them all in.

Some people mistake fruit flies for the smaller fungus gnats. The gnats lay eggs in all plants soil and these hatch into maggots that feed off tender roots. There are yellow sticky traps for these, and they are quite effective on controlling the gnats. Fruit flies are bigger with shorter wings.

Today,I took out some clean, sterilized jars and noted tiny fruit fly exoskeletons plastered to the inside of three of them. They had baked on in the oven. Instead of preserving these for future generations, I washed the jars. I cannot figure out how they got in there because I store the jars upside down. Canning is not for sissies.

I am reminded of the famous words of Groucho Marx: Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.

I've had some luck with the dish of vinegar covered with plastic wrap with tiny holes. Thanks.

I think what Groucho Marx said is great -- I've never heard that before.

Irene, we always place plastic wrap over EVERY jar we wash so that it's clean whenever we want to begin using it again for the next canning project. The stored jars stay clean and insect-free, and that way I never have to spend time scrubbing out dirty, dusty jars. Was sorry to hear about your baked-on fruit flies.

We purchase Stretch-Tite and think it's the best there is.

Here is a link that might be useful: Stretch-Tite Plastic Food Wrap

I too use apple cider vinegar, with a dash of dish soap to break the surface tension... You want the flies to sink when they land on the surface of the liguid, hence the soap. I usually put it in a shot glass and put it on the sink...

Ever notice fruit flies attracted to your glass of wine? Same concept..

Leave it out until you catch all the fruit flies.

clean every thing up and they will be gone in a few days if your still invaeded put all your dishes away and use fly spray

We just had the hoard of fruit flies in the kitchen... they do seem to like ripe bananas. As suggested, I put a couple of ounces of cider vinegar and a drop of soap in a small jar sealed with a lid in which I had poked 3 holes. We went away for a few days to visit the GSs and returned to a jar of drowned fruit flies and none anywhere else. Thanks for the suggestion!

Glad it worked for you,westelle... an open jar or glass works just as well.