Fliiiies! FUCKING FRUIT FLIES! GAAAAAH!!!

I'm about ready to just torch my effing house to get rid of those things. They've been pestering us for weeks and nothing seems to be effective in getting rid of them!

Pest strips, leaving out bowls of apple cider vinegar, taking the trash out every day, taking the litter box out every day ........ WTF can I do to get rid of these fuckers?!

I feel your pain Dorisan...it had gotten so bad here that when I left a box of pizza strips on the counter to take out garbage, the little bastards were covering it inside the box. The only thing I could do was take apple cider vinegar and put a little dish soap in it. I left several cups of this out. I also bleached all my drains and changed out my trash can for a new one. It took weeks but I'm happy to say I am fruitfly free! Keep it up you can and will get rid of this scourage!

My potential solutions to fruit flies:

(some treatments you only need to do when you see the first sign of them)

- clean drains thoroughly and frequently
- keep sinks dry
- create multiple traps and empty outside every hour
- no garbage in or near the house
- no recycling nor compost in or near the house
- no fresh fruit outside the fridge
- no damp rags , mops, dishcloths
- wash fruit, especially soft skins
- clean and scrub every surface constantly
- remove houseplants

I have had them in the past, so I am very paranoid to prevent them.
My boyfriend is far more lax, so we have to treat for them a few times every year at his home.

Here is some good articles:
http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Rid-of-Fruit-Flies

http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/shopping-storing/how-to-get-rid-fruit-flies-10000001648489/index.html

Whenever my houseplants get infested, I've had a lot of luck with first stirring up the dirt- like the top inch or so, then giving it a heavy sprinkling of cinnamon. Maybe it could work if your houseplants are the problem?

I don't bring any fruit into the house for two weeks. That tends to get rid of them.

Quote
yurble
I don't bring any fruit into the house for two weeks. That tends to get rid of them.

Thing is .. we're not fruity people. Those varmints hitchhike on any sort of produce; I think they might even hop on you as you walk through the fruit/vegetable department.

They've just been really bad this year. I'll be trying to eat and simultaneously pinwheeling my hands over the food to keep the damned things from landing on my plate.

As much as I prefer organic produce, I sometimes wonder if that trend might be leading to an increase in those kind of pests.

BRING BACK DDT! eyes2

I've had decent results with these + sticky paper:

http://www.gardeners.com/buy/soapstone-box-with-two-fruit-fly-traps/33-710.html?start=1&q=fruit%20fly

Recipe I have not tried yet. Cut lemon in half. Put on plates, pulp side down , stick several cloves into lemon skin.
Best of luck.

They might not be 'fruit flies' - they might be 'drain flies'. (I am not sure what the exact name of these are.)

The good news is - getting rid of them is easy: HOT WATER. Just let HOT water run down your drains for a bit. Few minutes. Over Achievers might wanna toss down some boiling water.

We're getting All New! Sewers here! YAY! I mean Our driveways are all torn up, I asked some guy standing around outside if we could park on the street and he said yes. Hope the Poleece agree. I'm not driving over that crater sink hole. I could 'go in' (the garage) from the alley (yes - it's a 2 Way Hole Rrrrarrr!) But - that garage door doesn't work right PLUS - guess what else they're tearing up? The alley? DING DING DING! eyes2

Other Neighbor said - hopefully this will stop the flooding. Yeah. Hope in one hand, shit in the other, watch that come right back up in your basement. Not that I'm cynical or anything. They just started this work - gimme another month and I'll be at Full Bore Ranting!

Might have the Godzilla of drain flies too!

But - I've been wanting a pet, so ~
I'm trying to Think Positive!
Ha.

Might be drain flies. Try the hot water. Might solve it.

Ah! The little bastards suck! And we've got a bunch right now too... I like to stand in front of a window with a spray bottle, usually Windex. Wait until you see them and blast them against the window for easy disposal. Wipe up with paper towel.
This works on any surface you can see the little things, countertops, cupboards, etc.

Good luck eliminating them! Only a little more good weather left, I'm hoping they leave with the warm temps.

Quote
Presto
Ah! The little bastards suck! And we've got a bunch right now too... I like to stand in front of a window with a spray bottle, usually Windex. Wait until you see them and blast them against the window for easy disposal. Wipe up with paper towel.

With last year's incursion, I turned off all the lights in the house, turned on the porch light, opened the front door so that the storm door was exposed and waited for the pests. "Go to the light my children, gooo toooo the liiight" as I waited with a fly swatter to smash their little vermin asses to the glass

This year, I just don't have that kind of time - and there are just more of the fuckers. In the room where we hang out the most, I have three pest strips hanging; one right over my desk. I also just put a dish with apple cider vinegar at the corner. It's covered with cling wrap with holes punched in the top. My fly swatter is at hand for the flies that land near the bowl or close enough for me to thwap!

I hadn't thought about the drains. Dh has orders to run some bleach down them everyday - bathrooms, too. I don't know if they are coming from the drains but I have seen a few in the bathrooms.

This year, it's been all out war against the varmints.

Baking soda, then vinegar. Let sit for a bit, then hot water (I can't tell the difference between fruit flies and drain flies, tbh, and we get a few drain flies, every now and then). This should work pretty well to get rid of them and the smelly drain they're attracted to (kitchen, bathroom, wherever). Also, make sure your fridge isn't hiding something (like a cracked jar leaking where you can't see it).

THere are fruit flies flying around my desk at work as I type this. Bad year.d

I am visiting at my boyfriend's home and a fruit fly just flew up my nose while I was eating.

Aaaaaaarghhhhh!

Quote
cassia
I am visiting at my boyfriend's home and a fruit fly just flew up my nose while I was eating.

Aaaaaaarghhhhh!

Sorry


My automatic reaction to that is to blast, usually sending out flecks of snot. Since the dogs do it all the time, it doesn't turn any heads eyes2

What I hate is being paranoid about food. Eating a salad and I see a black speck:

"ohgawd, fruit fly! Dammit!" ::start picking it out:::

Dh responds "dear, that was probably the pepper spice I put in."

Me: "yeah, well, let me check it first. make sure it doesn't have legs." *yeccch*

Worse was one year when the Asian Beetles (they look like pale ladybugs) were really bad in the winter. Somehow, they get in the house through the tiniest crevice.

I'm at work, drinking a Pepsi in a cup from home that has a lid (required, just in case of spills). I get down to the last chug and feel something small and round rolling around in my mouth. I have a moment of horror. Oh, I can't swallow that but am afraid of what I'm going to spit out.

So, I do.

It was an Asian Beetle.

Looking closely at the bug corpse in my hand, it doesn't appear to have legs.

I called Dh from work, almost crying "there was a beetle in my cup. I think it's legs broke off and I swallowed them. WAAAAH!!" :bawl

I kept mouthwash in my locker just in case I had smelly food for lunch. Didn't matter how much I swished, I just knew there were probably bug legs lodged between my teeth. Gave me the yips for the rest of the night.

Dorisan -

Just a bit of commiseration over what I swallowed the other day ~

No, not bugs nor overly gross - it was my own hair. Eeeeesh. Yes it is too long (down to waist) and I need a hair cut. I am *trying* to 'eat healthier' - even though Italian Beef is not super healthy. You can get this at the store now - there's multiple brands frozen - such as this -

http://www.bellanico.com/our-foods/bella-nico-meat/

IIRC you (D) said once you're not big into cooking? If so, and anyone else - this is a good thing - all you have to do is thaw it in the micro and then boil it for a bit on the stove top (I like to add green pepper slices and those need to boil a bit too). The only other thing required is a hunk of French bread. Slop beef on, pour on lots of 'juice' to make it nice and soggy and sloppy, and you're ready to chow down!

It's not 'the healthiest' thing in the world, but neither is it the worst. And you could just have a small one + a salad.

Hey, it's a start. Who knows what germy hands are touching what at the Fast Food Joints, this is cleaner, plus - I think it's less greasier ~

But I digress ~

So I had made this for dinner one night - this IS "cooking" to me - and I was so proud of myself for trying hard and 'eating something halfway decent' - and then when I was swallowing the second bite ~

I felt something weird ~

It felt like a hair. OMFG GERMS! No wait - that has to be your own hair. OK. Sigh.

WAIT - It's still STUCK IN MY THROAT WTF DO I DO HERE?

I tried to grab ahold of it - but it was 'too far down'. Then what I had grabbed - broke off.

You'll have to swallow it ~

Which is what I did.

And spent the rest of the day worrying that this piece of hair was wrapped round my intestines, strangling them / killing me.

See what you get for trying to 'eat healthy'?

CLEARLY: A diet of beer and Taco Bell is THE ONLY ANSWER!

I read an article yesterday about a woman who got an insect in her ear during a camping trip. Gah, that was horrible reading. I think it was on the Slate. I don't recommend it, unless you want to read about how to best handle insects in the ear if you can't get to a hospital.

I have fruit flies too, mainly because I give my birds fresh fruit and veggies during the day. It's hard to keep them under control, and I try hard to smack them down every time I see one.

I've nicknamed them all "Larry" because when I first moved in, there was one particularly annoying one that would dive-bomb my beer. I now have dozens of Larries flying around, and they are driving me bonkers! I may have to cut out giving the birds any fresh fruit for awhile, until the Larries all die off from starvation.

Apart from the fruit and veg in the house, I keep the place very clean. I think they came in from the outside, even though I have screens. When I walk outside, I also walk into a wall of gnats which is disgusting.

God I hate bugs!

I had an ant in my ear once while I was sleeping...and I was hungover....it was so noisy.

You know it's funny - or, I'm glad of it - but I really do not get bugs here. For as "steamy" and jungle like as it is. What is funny - the one 'expanded' news is now doing reports from "The Weather Patio" LOL. Guess they have to fill the extra time. It looks like a jungle. Everything does.

I do not have bugs in my house. I'm not sure what it is that I may be 'doing right'. If anything. I just do 'usual' cleaning, dusting, vacuuming, mop floors with water + Mr. Clean or Whatever Cleaner's on sale.

I do buy enough fruit and veges - these go in the fridge almost immediately. I only leave them out one day if they aren't ripe enough. I keep all pasta and rice in the fridge too. I keep all doors closed. I am on the porch, it is screened in (and windows can be closed too), right now just the screens - and there are no bugs here even.

Hm. ?

I had ANTS in my car! Little tiny ones. I did see by the back, near the alley (where there's weeds) - these weird seed pods which I thought were coconuts. No kidding. But I saw more of them and - I wonder what this could be? There are some palm trees here, but not that kind I don't think. And these things were very weird looking ~

I think the ants may have come from them. That's all gone now due to the construction. So that's a plus anyway. (I got 13 hours left of water. Ugh.)

With all the vegetation here - and there are plenty of bugs too - it's funny, I just don't get any really. Also - I do not have any type of shrubbery close to the house. I only have 3 indoor plants, none out here or on the front porch (a common decoration here, either hanging baskets, or pots on the steps, or both.) I don't have any of that, Boring Me. I do not throw any type of food out 'for the animals' either. From what I have heard this is bad for them and attracts pests. I don't have much food waste.

Just because I was on plants, sorry to drift here, Ima tack this on anyway because people need to beware of these -

http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/hogweed.asp

Keep far away from the Giant Hogweed! It'll burn you. Be sure to keep pets away too.

You should steer clear of Pokeweed also, esp. the berries, esp. in Fall when it turns purple. Do not let pets eat this either -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytolacca_americana

Killer Plants! West Nile Mosquitos! For those who care to investigate the Giant Hogweed further - watch it - the pix of burns and hurt doggie snouts are pretty grisly. (That's why I chose the Snopes link - no scary pix.) You wanna keep FAR away from this!

Just a PSA.

Quote
Zzelda

You should steer clear of Pokeweed also, esp. the berries, esp. in Fall when it turns purple. Do not let pets eat this either -

Awright, Miss Poke Salad Annie now I have an earworm eyes2

Quote
Dorisan

Quote
Zzelda

You should steer clear of Pokeweed also, esp. the berries, esp. in Fall when it turns purple. Do not let pets eat this either -

Awright, Miss Poke Salad Annie now I have an earworm eyes2

Sorry

The *thought of eating* this stuff is most horrifying to me. Oooo. NO.

Yay for cooler weather. I think it has driven (hopefully killed. DIE YOU LITTLE MOFOS!) most of the bugs away.

Gross but true story - I was out to dinner a few weeks ago. Ordered a salad with my meal. You know those little shakers of oil a vinegar they give you? I had already used a whole bunch of the vinegar, and had eaten about a third of my salad when I realized that there were little black flecks all over it. Had thought it was maybe pepper or oregano at first. Looked at the vinegar bottle - it was FULL of dead fruit flies. I was SO GROSSED OUT.

Quote
Ketchup
Gross but true story - I was out to dinner a few weeks ago. Ordered a salad with my meal. You know those little shakers of oil a vinegar they give you? I had already used a whole bunch of the vinegar, and had eaten about a third of my salad when I realized that there were little black flecks all over it. Had thought it was maybe pepper or oregano at first. Looked at the vinegar bottle - it was FULL of dead fruit flies. I was SO GROSSED OUT.

OH.

MY.

GOD. :goggle