We're home--spoiled meat, fruit flies, and all!
Home at last, safe and sound! It was a good trip, but it's even better to be home.
Well, except for the over $6oo worth of meat that spoiled while we were gone. Read more about this adventure here, if you care to! Life is never dull.
In other good news, we were able to replace our wrecked car with a new-to-us minivan this weekend. God provided us with a good payout from the insurance company and a great deal on a van. Hopefully, this will cut down on all the car problems we've been experiencing! Who would have thought that a wreck would be the solutions to lots of prayers and months of car issues. God works in mysterious ways, doesn't He?
I still have some unpacking to do and loads and loads of laundry, but I already have some great re-posts scheduled for this week along with some new posts, so while I'm busy getting things back into shape in our home, there should be plenty of new stuff to read here.
By the way, does anyone have great ideas for ridding your home of fruit flies? We left the house clean, but the trash can in the garage bred a whole new family of fruit flies while we were gone. None of our attempts to rid our home of these pesky flies is working. Any great advice or ideas?
Well, except for the over $6oo worth of meat that spoiled while we were gone. Read more about this adventure here, if you care to! Life is never dull.
In other good news, we were able to replace our wrecked car with a new-to-us minivan this weekend. God provided us with a good payout from the insurance company and a great deal on a van. Hopefully, this will cut down on all the car problems we've been experiencing! Who would have thought that a wreck would be the solutions to lots of prayers and months of car issues. God works in mysterious ways, doesn't He?
I still have some unpacking to do and loads and loads of laundry, but I already have some great re-posts scheduled for this week along with some new posts, so while I'm busy getting things back into shape in our home, there should be plenty of new stuff to read here.
By the way, does anyone have great ideas for ridding your home of fruit flies? We left the house clean, but the trash can in the garage bred a whole new family of fruit flies while we were gone. None of our attempts to rid our home of these pesky flies is working. Any great advice or ideas?
posted by Crystal Paine at 8:00 AM
33 Comments:
I've been told that if you put something like watermelon rinds, banana peels, etc. in an open plastic bag on your counter, wait a while, then tie it up and take it outside, that it will trap some of the fruit flies. You may have to do it a few times.
Hi Crystal. I get rid of fruit flies by putting apple cider vinegar or fruit in a ball jar and poking holes in the lid. They fly in and then are unable to make their way out. It's the best thing that's worked for us so far.
I had a regular fly infestation of my big trashcan. I left if outside in the hot sun for a day, then sprayed it down with Raid, let it sit some more in the hot sun, then my husband washed it out. I haven't really seen any more flies, so I think that worked! I sprayed the outside lid and handle with Lysol several times before I was willing to touch it at all!
I second the apple cider vinegar...
Heather
My mother in law just caught all of hers by covering a dish of juice with plastic wrap and poking holes just big enough for them to fly in. They get trapped inside. She placed several of these traps around the house.
I use apple cider vinegar in a little glass cup with a couple drops of dishwashing soap ( I always try to pick fruit flavors). I leave it near the area where the flies usually hang out. This has worked wonderfully for me!
I've hear that putting a bit of banana in a glass and a funnel in it works well. The same concept of the jar with holes in the lid. They can get in but have a MUCH harder time getting out. Glad to hear that you were able to get a "new" van!!! I pray that this is more reliable than the end of the last one.
I had also heard of the apple cider vinegar trick as well.
Sorry to hear about your loss of all that meat. Ugh! :(
Woohoo on your new to you minivan!! :D Praise God!
I use a long narrow neck vase with about 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar and a squirt of dish washing liquid. It clears them right up.
Andrea's solution works!
A squirt of dishsoap in the vinegar reduces the surface tension, so they can't land on the water. I just use aluminum foil with holes poked in it for a "lid".
Use an inch or so, and change the vinegar when the dead flies build up.
I've also heard of a lady using apple vinegar in her SINK overnight, with the dishsoap, but I haven't tried it!
You want to make sure there is nothing in your house they can continue to breed in. Fruit flies only live a few days, so they should go away rather quickly unless they are still "hatching" somewhere. I had a problem a year ago, and finally tracked it down to an old bag of potatoes in the back of my pantry I had forgotten about. It was the grossest thing ever!
Sorry to hear about your meat. :( That woudl be so dissapointing.
I second Lura's method - it works perfectly. In fact, while I have fruit around, I always just leave a glass of this concoction sitting on the counter.
I will add to the vinegar thing! Pour an inch of apple cider vinegar into a canning jar, add two tsp of sugar, and 2 drops of dish soap, stir. Cover with saran wrap and fasten with a rubber band around the top. Take a tooth pick and poke one hole a 1/4" long. They will go in and not be able to find there way out! And die! This really does work! I have one on my cupboard at this minute! Sorry to hear about all that good meat going bad! This happened to me once and it was all my frozen vegetables and fruit too!
So discouraging!
I second (or third) the apple cider vinegar and dishwashing soap trick. We usually have a jar sitting behind the bananas and it keeps them from living in the house.
Any container that you don't want anymore, put any spoiled fruit (banana is what I have found works best) and about 1/2in water in the bottom. Cover the container with foil and poke small holes in the foil. When you have caught quite a few of the fruit flies cover the top again (with anything to keep the contents inside) and shake it up. Discard the flies, fruit, foil and water. Start again if they are still a problem.
Cut half a tomato and keep near the fruit fly congregation, then when they are enjoying it, trap them all with a saran wrap. We had issues with that as well.
i'm glad you asked that question! they are always on my fruit basket and in the kitchen trash. i've tried leaving banana peels in a ziplock bag, then closing it and squishing them inside. but, i never seem to get them all.
Crystal,
We bought "Fly paper" from our hardware store and it worked pretty well. In addition, we kept dishes clear out of the sink at all times (they breed in drains) and at night we let hot water run for 2 minutes and added bleach straight down the drain. Do this before bed, so no one is running water down the drains for a few hours. It really helps.
Good luck!
I have been a new lurking reader, and this is my first comment. :-)
I also use a dish with AC vinegar, a spoon of sugar and a squirt of dish soap. I leave it out overnight and in the morning I have 20 or so flies. I replenish daily until they are all gone. We get those stinkers every year toward mid July and they like to linger until it cools off.
Congratulations on the new van!
Hi- sorry about the meat! Put some vinegar and old ripe fruit like bananas in a bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap. Poke some holes with a fork. The fruit flies will be attracted to the fruit and drown.
Oh Crystal, I am so sorry to hear about your freezer! This happened to us this past winter. What a mess!!
As for the fruit flies, try using vinger. Spray down all your counters and sinks. Also take your trash can, put some bleach in it and place outside in the sun.
Keep the top open. Then the next day wash with vinger and baking soda. This worked for us.
Oh and you might want to put some baking soda in the freeze if it still has a smell. If you can leave it open for a day or two that would help. Just make sure the little ones can't get to it!
Hope that helps.
Don't forget I am having a wonderful FREE give away over at my blog this week. Hop on over and be sure to enter!
Blessings-
Rachelle
This may sound crazy, but if they are the smaller variety, I've used a vacuum with the hose attachment to suck them right out of the air or anywhere else they may have landed. If you get within a few inches of them the current catches them and they are gone!
It's a quick way to clear out hundreds in a few seconds - and it's a little fun as well!
I've had fruit fly problems before, in my kitchen. I used vinegar down both of my sink drains, and then put ice cubes over the drains, and covered it up with an upside-down bowl overnight. Apparently, the cold and vinegar prevent the fruit flies from breeding. Perhaps you could use this in your trash can??
I'm so glad to hear about the van! That's wonderful! And how terrible to lose all that meat- I'll have to read the post you linked to- I'm sorry!
Dear Crystal,
That is to bad about the meat. Whenever my family goes on a long trip we have a neighbor come by our house and check the freezer. I can't help you about he flies, we are facing the same problem. We always seem to have a fly or two in the house. It drives us crazy. You may just have to get rid of the garbage can.
We're recently battling this problem, and with the summer harvest continually coming in there is no way to lesson the amount of "fly food". But, there is a solution. First, make sure any fresh food is covered by a towel. Then fill a small bowl with vinegar, add a little dish soap, and a piece of fruit. Leave it out where the flies seem to go the most. It's working here, our vinegar bowl has tons of flies in it.
What we have here may be fruit flies, but seem bigger than the ones we have seen elsewhere...we finally in desperation went to Walmart and got some fly strips...that horridly sticky paper. Well, guess what? we caught some of them...but mostly so far are those little moths. Which we think may have caused some damage to fabrics...so we are HAPPY to see many of both pests stuck there!! Hope you find a solution to yours...have not tried the other cures mentioned here but have read them elsewhere.
crystal! I READ MSM! oh my word! I am so sorry...
I have to chuckle at the "frugal failures" tag though...
we have all had things happen like this.
You dont know why these things happen.... dont try to figure it out....
xoxoxox
Crystal,
I'm not sure about the specifics, but sometimes your renter's insurance will pay for such a loss as this. Also, if it was power-related, I'd give a try at the power company. I know some utility companies will reimburse for loss of service time and it's worth a shot for this, too, considering the value.
Hope you can remedy all issues. Congratulations on the new van!
Cystal,
I just wanted to say, don't worry too much about the meat. Sometimes when these things happen, I feel better reminding myself that God will have some good come out of it:
- Perhaps your post will warn a less fortunate family about this garage outlet problem, and they will take precautions to avoid a disaster that may have set them over the edge financially
- Who knows, maybe the meat wasn't good in the first place? I imagine you bought quality stuff, so this is a long shot, but you never know...maybe God was protecting you
I know it sounds silly, but sometimes thinking of these things helps me. It seems like you've pretty much let it go, which is great, but just in case you haven't, try to think of positives that could come from it.
I have been able to get rid of lots of fruit flies, I just place a funnel shaped piece of paper over a jar with a 1" hole in it and tie or tape it around the sides. Then I fill the jar with 1" of a vinegar, fruit juice and yeast mix. It works every time!
Hi Crystal, I've enjoyed reading your blog for a couple of months now, I came across it while looking for schedule help with homemaking. Sorry about the freezer!!
I was just so amazed at what happened with your insurance write off with the car, the exact same thing happened to me only 3 months ago!! We had been told to replace our car at the garage, but we couldn't afford to, and the next thing I was involved in a road accident (noone hurt thankfully) and the car was written off. Thankfully we were given a good insurance payout in order to buy another car without the need of a loan. Amazing the ways God works in.
Love Dawn, SAHM to Calvin & Katie (3 yrs and 6 months)
I have put out cups or pretty vases filled with white vinegar. I find the fruit flies are attracted to this and end up falling in to the cups. It also helps take odors out of your home and keeps things fresh so it serves 2 purposes.
A few years ago, my father discovered that going around the kitchen every 1-2 days vacuumming the fruit flies with the hose of the vacuum and one of the extenders. This cut down on the number of fruit flies pretty rapidly.
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