I think having fruit around just guarantees a person will have fruit flies. Well, having lots of ripening fruit, which I have lots of right now and ripening--pears--assures I do have a few fruit flies. I have something else that has little black wings. My favorite way to get rid of them is to use a vacuum cleaner. It is so satisfying to wave the vac wand and suck them up! When I had a fly infestation and put up a fly strip, the fruit flies stuck to it, too.
This setup is not unsightly like a fly strip and does not require me to drag the vacuum into the kitchen and wave the wand around. I did try the trick with vinegar in a jar and plastic wrap over the top. I poked holes, but my fruit flies could not find their way inside! Stupid fruit flies!
Now, I take a small bowl and put a few drops of Dawn in it and add half an inch of vinegar. Fruit flied are attracted to the vinegar and the Dawn kills them. When the bowl is full of fruit flies, or they are all over the bottom of the bowl, I dump it into the commode and start over. The vinegar and Dawn cannot be anything but good for the commode.
For some reason, I have mosquitoes in the house. It is puzzling and very annoying. They love to bite me on my arms just above my elbow on the back of my arm. When I go to sleep, I am covered to the neck by a sheet, so they don't bite. But, at any other time, they bite me day and night and drive me mad.
Last night, early in the evening I put Vick's Salve on the outside of my arms above my elbows. It worked! I told exbf about this because mosquitoes eat him up outdoors at my house. "Hell NO! THAT would be worse than repellent!" he screamed into the phone. Now, he never curses and never yells at me. He hates mosquito repellent. I plan to just put a streak, a thin streak down his arm. The odor will be enough. He was bitten on the face four times in his long struggle to the car.I will just put a little smear on his arms and a bit on his cheeks and chin.
Vicks Salve will work to put it on clothing, But, I think I will put in on a rag and ties it around my arm if I need more odor. If I were working outdoors and had on work clothes, I would smear a little here and there on my clothing.
I really hate using mosquito repellant as I feel it is not safe. Smelling like Vicks is not a problem when faced with being bitten by mosquitoes. Plus, if you are bitten, Vicks takes the sting and itch out of them!
If this does not work for him, I will make something from garlic to smear on him.
Your turn
What is your favorite trick for getting rid of fruit flies? How do you keep mosquitoes from biting you?
Great idea! I use Vicks on the soles of my feet a couple of times a week. Keeps your feet soft. And anyway, I love the smell of Vicks. I always have. As a little girl I would dip my finger in the jar and suck on my finger. I know now that is not good for you, but it's what I did. Never thought about using it to keep bugs away.
ReplyDeletetana50,
ReplyDeleteMy sister would hold it in her mouth! Mama would have killed her if she knew that. She loved it. I put it all around my nostrils.
I use Vicks on the soles of my feet if I am coughing. I never thought about the softening effect. Maybe I should try it on my feet for softening.
Some people find the smell offensive, but I don't. It works to keep the bugs away and helps to make the bites quit itching.
A couple of years ago I had a kitchen full of peaches, pears and tomatoes to can. These attracted swarms of fruit flies. I took a quart mason jar, poured in about an inch of cider vinegar in the bottom and stretched a little Saran Wrap over the top, held down by a jar ring. Poked about three small holes in the Saran Wrap.
ReplyDeleteThe flies would find the holes and go into the jar after the vinegar, but they weren't smart enough to find their way out. That worked really well for me.
Vicki,
DeleteI don't have fruit flies smart enough to find their way in. I tried it your way, and I caught one fruit fly in a week. This way I catch dozens in one day. Please send me some smart fruit flies!
Linda...I expect it worked for me because I had lots of the little buggers all concentrated in the area of my kitchen sink where I was working with the food. This probably wouldn't work where there were few flies. Not smart - just many. :)
DeleteI had many and near the sink, too. I still say mine weren't smart...lol. I kept adjusting the holes, hoping it was me. I have only gotten one fruit fly in a trap with plastic wrap. So, it is open bowls, Dawn and vinegar. I really really hate it when I cannot prepare food without having to pick out the fruit flies. I found some in the freezer!
DeleteThe fruit flies in California are not smart either!
DeleteJanet,
DeleteYeah, if they cannot find their way in through the plastic wrap, how can I catch them? I think Vicki lives in Hawaii, home of smart fruit flies.
Knock on wood we have not had a real problem with fruit flies. But I don't keep a lot of fruit out. Once in a great while, we will get one or two fruit flies and for some reason they all dive bomb Den. It is quite funny to watch.
ReplyDeleteSonya Ann,
DeleteOh, fruit flies love me, too. He has my sympathy!
Vicki is from Minnesota, the land of smart fruit flies who can find their way through a hole in plastic wrap.
ReplyDeleteI make my trap from mixture of syrup and honey. Fruit fly trap from this mixture work's very well, nxt time i try to use bana trap as well.
ReplyDelete