I wonder if the maggots would cause any problems. I had a ton of the little fruit flies appear late this summer (along with yellow jackets). It was the first time I had seen them, and I ate the berries as normal, even those which had been munched a bit. The most damaged ones weren't as tasty, though I'm not sure if it was just simple over-ripeness, or a higher maggot content. Usually, I did a cursory check to make sure there wasn't anything huge crawling out :) A quick Google didn't reveal any obvious issues, so as long as the taste isn't impacted I'll probably just keep eating them. I may avoid some of the more damaged ones... I'd be interested if anyone knows of a downside (other than the "eww" factor).

what really worked for me is yeast. i noticed that the fruit flies really liked to hang around bread. so i proofed some yeast (overly warm water, sugar, and yeast) amounts don't matter, but don't be too stingy on the sugar. i also found that when i put the mixture in a medium blue bowl vs white they were way more attracted. i also kept a spray bottle nearby, and would spray them into the mixture as they hung around the sides of the bowl. i must have got thousands over a month. change the water/yeast mixture when there are too many fruitflies. plus once the yeast has proofed, spray it down a bit or stir it so that the yeast isn't frothy on top. excuse the lower case - i have a broken arm. carol

Sadly, my digital camera is busted. I was hoping the description would seem familiar to someone... guess not? If I can lay hands on a camera from a friend, I'll see if I can post an image.

Well, they have come and gone - they got here about 9:00 AM, which I was not expecting. Before they got here, I picked a bunch of Meyer lemons, but the spraying was so non-invasive, that I wish I had left them on the tree. I might freeze some of them. I also picked a few Yuzu and might freeze those also. I find it a bit more difficult to zest citrus after it has been frozen and defrosted, and so I might try zesting them frozen before I defrost them. They made a written list of all the fruit trees/plants I have in my back yard, including the dragonfruit, even though I have not yet gotten fruit from it. I am not sure whether they recognized the white sapote, and they did not ask me about that either, but then I have not gotten fruit from that yet either, although I remain hopeful. The tree is growing well. They had no problem recognizing cherimoya, and so that might be more common than I thought. The only thing that impressed them in my back yard was my Big Green Egg.