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Fruit Gnats
07 September 2023, 10:07 AM
Steve MillerFruit Gnats
We went out of town over Labor Day Weekend and when we returned we found that the bananas we left on the counter had become home to fruit gnats - thousands of them.
The internet offered up several ways to get rid of them and we’ve been trying several of them. Open dishes with either wine or vinegar and a bit of dish soap, the same dishes covered in plastic wrap with holes poked in it, open wine bottles with either wine or vinegar in them.
The verdict is in! By far the most successful trap is the open wine bottle with wine in it. They’re not all gone yet but we’re getting close.
Any other suggestions on how to get rid of the stragglers?
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Life is short. Play with your dog.
07 September 2023, 11:06 AM
wtgTry a different vintage.
If that fails, maybe a different grape.
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When the world wearies and society ceases to satisfy, there is always the garden - Minnie Aumônier
07 September 2023, 02:26 PM
MikhailohSweet wine.
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"A mob is a place where people go to get away from their conscience" Atticus Finch
07 September 2023, 03:11 PM
Piano*DadAre you referring to these guys ...
The Secret Lives of Fruit Flies!They call the room where they keep their drosophila "The Flybrary."
07 September 2023, 04:52 PM
Steve MillerThese are tiny gnats, not flies. They’re almost all gone - besotted and drowned.
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Life is short. Play with your dog.
07 September 2023, 05:08 PM
QuirtEvansI've always heard a combination of something sweet (even sugar water will do) and dish soap.
Alternatively, I had some flying things (nowhere near that many) in a bathroom after we were away a few days. A flea bomb eradicated them.
07 September 2023, 07:55 PM
wtgWe get an occasional fruit gnat in the kitchen and I've had fungus gnats around some houseplants in the basement. I've used stuff like this to deal with plant gnats, but I'm sure it would catch fruit gnats as well:
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When the world wearies and society ceases to satisfy, there is always the garden - Minnie Aumônier
07 September 2023, 09:13 PM
Mikhailohquote:
Originally posted by QuirtEvans:
I've always heard a combination of something sweet (even sugar water will do) and dish soap.
Alternatively, I had some flying things (nowhere near that many) in a bathroom after we were away a few days. A flea bomb eradicated them.
Probably drain flies. Kind of triangular with big wings for their tiny size. If you have a handheld shower, flush out the drain with it at full heat every now and then.
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"A mob is a place where people go to get away from their conscience" Atticus Finch
08 September 2023, 08:16 AM
Mikhailoh
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"A mob is a place where people go to get away from their conscience" Atticus Finch
08 September 2023, 08:43 AM
Mary AnnaGnats around houseplants! I usually have one or two in my office, where I have some succulents. We only have one other indoor plant, and it doesn't seem to attract them.
I drink sugary drinks and eat in my office all the time, and they don't seem attracted to them. This seemed weird for fruit flies, which we occasionally get in the kitchen and which are obviously attracted to fruit and foods with sugars in them.
I think you've solved my problem, wtg. Thank you!
08 September 2023, 09:01 AM
MikhailohMy daughter moved her houseplants from NC to Nevada successfully but brought with them a few bugs. She bought a Zevo, which does a remarkably good job of eliminating them. You just plug it in and the blue light attracts them to a sticky place.
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"A mob is a place where people go to get away from their conscience" Atticus Finch
10 September 2023, 07:27 PM
jodiI use the wine thing and then suck the ones that haven’t drown up in the hand vacuum.
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Jodi
12 September 2023, 04:36 PM
CindysphinxRegarding houseplant flies, you get them through overwatering. The easiest cure I've found is a bag of mosquito poison I bought at the local plant nursery.
You follow the instructions, which are to let the pellets soak in water for 30 minutes, then water the affected plants. It works well without harming the plant (but you have to remove the pellets and trash them before you water the plants).
12 September 2023, 04:37 PM
CindysphinxOh, and for fruit flies, I like a bowl of something sweet, covered with plastic wrap with holes in it. It's kind of a fun experiment to watch, as the flies check in but they don't check out.