Open a Bar to Get Rid of Your Fruit Flies

Tried it?      

Liked it?     

As a Toronto resident, I was fortunate enough to have enjoyed the recent garbage strike (please excuse the sarcasm dripping from this sentence); now that it’s over, the legacy remains in my kitchen in the form of the dreaded fruit fly.

Now, those who enjoy bananas in the summer without air conditioning are likely intimately aware of  these pesky fiends with their tiny, quickly propagating ways so, when I found them circling my green bin in the kitchen, I knew I had to spring into action—and what better way to go about it than via the cheapest possible route?

First, I looked online for a non-chemical remedy; then, of course, I had to make it my own…

Vegan Warning: None—unless you have something against apples… or fruit flies.

The Killing Bar
1 shot glass (mine was personalized—if yours is not, it may not work)
2 tablespoons of cider vinegar
1 drop of dish soap (I used grapefruit… fruity!)
Fill shot glass 1/3 full with cider vinegar. Add a drop of dish soap. Place near the cloud of fruit flies (or an approximation thereof… I placed mine atop my stove). Change vinegar every 1-2 days, depending on intensity of infestation.

In semi-technical terms, fruit flies enjoy cider vinegar; when provided with it, they can drink what they like and escape without fear of compunction (which would normally necessitate the need for plastic wrap with holes poked in it). However, when a small amount of soap is introduced, the surface tension is compromised, effectively sucking the buggers into the mire. In the immortal word of Thomas Dolby: “SCIENCE!”

I didn’t need to cover my glass with (wasteful) plastic wrap, nor did I need to poke holes in said cover, and my fruit-fly issue was inconsequential enough that it only took me less than a week to rid myself of my own personal scourge; of course, I ensured that my green bin was thoroughly rinsed with bleach as soon as I noticed the minutest trace of rice-shaped larvae inside (remember to remain vigilant of this evil indication).

It was almost spooky how interested I was in counting the tiny corpses that collected in the bottom of the glass, not to mention how disappointed I was when they were no longer accruing after a few days. The spookiest thing of all, however, was the fact that I was pitching a holy hissy fit earlier this week about my unwelcome guests and, now, I don’t even think about them—because they’re gone. It’s like the whole sordid affair never occurred.

Really, that’s about it. It honestly worked for me, and any lingering smell of cider vinegar (which didn’t bother me too much) far outweighed the alternative of hosting these hated critters indefinitely.

What were your results?

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