Homemaking Tuesday: Fruit Flies

If you have never had fruit flies you are one lucky clean freak!

It is not even summer yet, and the combination of poorly covered food in the worm box and bananas perfect for banana bread led to a breeding ground explosion in my kitchen.

The first solution is to fix the worm box. Done.

Then next get rid of the bananas. Done. We ate a lot of banana bread this week.

Lastly, clean the kitchen. So I clean it. Then we left for the weekend. I thought they would be gone.

Nope. While their numbers have greatly been reduced, we still have those pesky flies. So, I went to pintrest. I found a few good home remedies for fruit flies. So I pick three and decided to see which was the best.

Jar number one came from Musings of a Glamorpuss, Straight Red Wine Vinegar.

Jar number two comes from Home Your Way, Apple Cider Vinegar and fruit juice.

Jar number three, from Skruben, Apple Cider Vinegar and dish soap.

Fly Trap Jars, from left to right, jars 1, 2, and 3.

I made my jars, set them up in the heart of the breeding ground and walked away.

I checked them before bed, and I had caught 2... I checked then in the morning before my work out, 5... Not the miracle I was hoping for.

The flies were interested in every jar and I thought maybe the holes weren't big enough. So I made bigger holes and let them sit until after work.

And of course this whole time I have been thinking of that saying "you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar"...

Well after having the jar sit out for almost 36 hours I am impressed and a little disappointed.

Jar 1 seems to have been doing the best.

Red Wine Vinegar Fly Trap Results.

Jar 2 is catching a few too.

Cider Vinegar and Fruit Juice Trap.

Jar 3, straight vinegar... Doesn't work, just like I thought.

Now, I am going to  put out a new jar with some honey water. Let's wee how that does!

After 48 hours, Not a single fly!

So, but now we have been living with these flies for over a week, and while the traps are working they are not working fast enough! So, I gave in to Wonderful Man's suggestions and we got some fly ribbon.

We set one up and let it hang over two nights, and changed it. Then hung another. Now we are on the third ribbon and the flies are mostly gone!! 

What is the lesson here?

Cover your worm box completely, and don't just throw stuff in.

Keep super ripe bananas far away from the box.

Sometimes, you have to give in and use a product that works fast!

*By the way: I did check the package of Fly Ribbon and it said Chemical Free!*