Monday, September 23, 2013

How to Catch a Fly

Back when we were packing up our house last year, we got the majority of our boxes from various grocery stores around town. If you can time it just right (ie. before they crush them to send off for recycling) you can get nice apple and banana boxes great for moving for cheap or even free. Unfortunately, all the boxes we filled our house with brought with them an unexpected problem. You guessed it (or you should have) - a fruit fly infestation. It was so gross, I still hate thinking about it. I picked up this simple tip for getting rid of them, and I very recently (as in, I still have these out right now) got to use this trick again. Yay. I'm just grateful I already had this up my sleeve, because it honestly works pretty quickly.
how to combat fruit flies



So it's really simple, and you probably already have everything you need right in your kitchen. I did - both times. Last time, I used a regular quart mason jar. This time, I used smaller jars, and even a small condiment dish. Whatever works, right?
how to combat fruit flies

They kind of blend in with the specks in the counter top, but look at all those fruit flies in there! I officially apologize if you were in the middle of eating or about to when you started reading this.

So anyway, the two ingredients you need:

  1. Apple Cider Vinegar 
  2. Dish Soap


That's it. Pour in enough to reasonably drown your fruit fly swarm, then add just a drop or two of whatever dish soap you have on hand. Mix it up a little bit, then set it out where you're having the most trouble. The apple cider vinegar lures them in with the sweet smell of fermented fruit, and the dish soap apparently breaks the tension on the top of the liquid. I'm not awesome with chemistry, but just go with me on this. When the flies try to sit on top of the vinegar to take a drink, they end up falling in. Once their wings are wet, it's all over. As I type this out, I realize it sounds pretty cruel, but they're fruit flies. Let's not think too much on it.

Have you tried this before? What did you think? I have a few other tips and tricks up my sleeve like this one. I think I may start including them all on the blog. Maybe you already know all of them - or maybe you'll think I'm genius... at searching Google, right? 

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