It's that time of year in Texas when the bugs start to come out in masses! Every weekend I evict spiders from their homes in the corners of my rooms. I haven't seen too many roaches yet but they are sure to be around soon. This year there seem to be lots of flies, too. And the standard mosquitoes...oh, how they love me!Usually, I'm a bug friendly type of gal. I'll even pick some bugs up and take them outside rather than killing them - moths are a good example. But sometimes you just have to trap the little pests and dispose of them. Case in point: fruit flies.
I currently look like I'm conducting Biology 101 experiments in my kitchen in my attempt to rid my home of these pests. In fact, the other day I thought of my 9th grade Biology teacher, Mrs. Meece, and our fruit fly days. I don't really remember the point of the experiments we did. I do remember the ether getting to me and excusing myself from the classroom to go to the bathroom where I promptly passed out. Thank goodness Pam Vergara was in there, too, so that she could hear my head hitting the tile and call for help. Any questions as to why I didn't major in Biology in college?
Anyway, fruit flies tend to congregate in my kitchen this time of year. And it's not because I have a dirty kitchen or have left food sitting out. I think it's just that one or two come in and poof! You suddenly have families of fruit flies with aunts, uncles, third cousins twice removed, etc... all living in your kitchen. What to do?
Thought I'd share a couple of solutions that really work in case you, too, have become a shelter for fruit flies.
1) fill a mason jar (or some other container) about 1/2 way with apple cider vinegar; cover the top with saran wrap; poke little holes in the saran wrap (big enough for the flies to get in...small enough so that they can't find their way back out); secure the saran wrap with a rubber band. Place the jar near where you have seen the flies. Within a few days, you will have flies belly up in the vinegar thus proving the statement "you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar" incorrect!
2) put a piece of banana or some other fruit in a mason jar; cover the top with saran wrap; poke little holes in the saran wrap (big enough for the flies to get in...small enough so that they can't find their way back out); secure the saran wrap with a rubber band. Place the jar near where you have seen the flies. Within a few days, you will have flies galore in the jar. (A banana peel works well for this, too!)
Once you've trapped the little suckers, dump the vinegar down the drain and flush it with plenty of water. As for the ones that you trap in the jar with the fruit, one source says to microwave the jar - flies and all. I'm not sure I can bring myself to fry the little guys so I'll probably coax them into some vinegar. Because helping them drown doesn't seem as cruel as sizzling them with micro waves?! Yeah...I'm not sure why.
I currently look like I'm conducting Biology 101 experiments in my kitchen in my attempt to rid my home of these pests. In fact, the other day I thought of my 9th grade Biology teacher, Mrs. Meece, and our fruit fly days. I don't really remember the point of the experiments we did. I do remember the ether getting to me and excusing myself from the classroom to go to the bathroom where I promptly passed out. Thank goodness Pam Vergara was in there, too, so that she could hear my head hitting the tile and call for help. Any questions as to why I didn't major in Biology in college?
Anyway, fruit flies tend to congregate in my kitchen this time of year. And it's not because I have a dirty kitchen or have left food sitting out. I think it's just that one or two come in and poof! You suddenly have families of fruit flies with aunts, uncles, third cousins twice removed, etc... all living in your kitchen. What to do?
Thought I'd share a couple of solutions that really work in case you, too, have become a shelter for fruit flies.
1) fill a mason jar (or some other container) about 1/2 way with apple cider vinegar; cover the top with saran wrap; poke little holes in the saran wrap (big enough for the flies to get in...small enough so that they can't find their way back out); secure the saran wrap with a rubber band. Place the jar near where you have seen the flies. Within a few days, you will have flies belly up in the vinegar thus proving the statement "you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar" incorrect!
2) put a piece of banana or some other fruit in a mason jar; cover the top with saran wrap; poke little holes in the saran wrap (big enough for the flies to get in...small enough so that they can't find their way back out); secure the saran wrap with a rubber band. Place the jar near where you have seen the flies. Within a few days, you will have flies galore in the jar. (A banana peel works well for this, too!)
Once you've trapped the little suckers, dump the vinegar down the drain and flush it with plenty of water. As for the ones that you trap in the jar with the fruit, one source says to microwave the jar - flies and all. I'm not sure I can bring myself to fry the little guys so I'll probably coax them into some vinegar. Because helping them drown doesn't seem as cruel as sizzling them with micro waves?! Yeah...I'm not sure why.
2 comments:
found that red wine works too in the trap...i used it once when i left a glass on the counter while i made dinner... :)
ha! great way to find out...maybe. I think that beer works, too. basically anything with yeast or sugar. gross!
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