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Monday, April 15, 2013

The Pesky Little Fruit Fly

Warm weather is here, and with it comes those tiny little fruit flies that buzz your head and end up in your perfect cup of morning coffee.
Even though they don't live long, they reproduce at an alarming rate.
They key is to trap them fast. There are many different ways to trap them. You can use fruit in a jar with holes in the top or you can use yeast, water, and sugar. Since they are attracted to fruit and the fermentation process, beer works great. I used the Bud Light Margarita. I was surprised at how fast they started coming to it.
Here's what to do:
Just wash out an old jar. I used a salsa jar since the flies are attracted to yellow and orange. I poked some small holes in the top using a screw (because I couldn't find a nail) and a hammer. Then I filled it half way full with the margarita and three drops of dish soap.
The dish soap breaks the surface tension and causes them to drown so they don't reproduce in your trap, which is another problem with using only fruit.
I hope this works for you.
Alternatives to place in the trap with dish soap are apple cider vinegar or wine. You may have to experiment to see what is the beverage of choice for your fruit flies. I usually set out a few with different liquids in them. I figured they liked menu options :)

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