How Do You Kill Fruit Flies?

[Bribie G]

I'm a bit of a gardener and keep a compost container in the kitchen for scraps and peelings, etc, which I put in the compost every day. Over the last few weeks we have been invaded by fruit flies, and they have now migrated to everywhere moist, like the bathroom, toilet, ensuite, laundry and hang around flowers & pot plants. They seem to be more or less immune to flyspray although if you can get one at full blast while they are resting on a wall or curtain that kills them. I reckon they are breeding up faster than they can be eradicated.
I guess some sort of lure / trap is the way to go, does anyone have any good fruit fly eradication tips?

Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.

 

[MAUOMBO]

pour yourself a glass of red, go and read the forum for half an hour...

come back and I guarantee a few dead fruit flies in your plonk

MAUOMBO

 

[Fatgodzilla]

I'm a bit of a gardener and keep a compost container in the kitchen for scraps and peelings, etc, which I put in the compost every day. Over the last few weeks we have been invaded by fruit flies, and they have now migrated to everywhere moist, like the bathroom, toilet, ensuite, laundry and hang around flowers & pot plants. They seem to be more or less immune to flyspray although if you can get one at full blast while they are resting on a wall or curtain that kills them. I reckon they are breeding up faster than they can be eradicated.
I guess some sort of lure / trap is the way to go, does anyone have any good fruit fly eradication tips?

Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.

Sure they are fruit flies ? Mine down here don't get attracted to wet areas or other plants ? possible what we have here is different to yours in the warmer climates. Take it conventional FF baits are ineffective ?

 

[chappo1970]

Same same down here in Bethania Bribie. I have a large veggie patch and at least a dozen fruit trees that have been hit hard this year. I use Confidor, any good gardening joint will have it, seems to give the little blighters a knock. We did try the traps but they were no where as effective.

 

[tommygun]

they could be vingar flies which are often around compost. It could also be fungal gnats which you'll find around potting mixes and stuff. these types of creatures breed like crazy in summer. Try a pyrethrym type spray or you could even try a neem oil which you can get from a nursery or some supermarkets.

 

[afromaiko]

Fruit flies or little black drain gnats? Try a kettle of boiling water down your drains in bathroom, ensuite etc. Cover your compost container. Don't over water indoor pot plants, let the soil dry out.. same goes for any garden bed or plants near the house. Spray the rest of the buzzing pests and they shouldn't reappear.

 

[chappo1970]

Fruit flies or little black drain gnats? Try a kettle of boiling water down your drains in bathroom, ensuite etc. Cover your compost container. Don't over water indoor pot plants, let the soil dry out.. same goes for any garden bed or plants near the house. Spray the rest of the buzzing pests and they shouldn't reappear.

Cheers Afroman!

Problems is I am right on the Logan River and about half way down the backyard there is a natural spring which will pond for a week or so after rain. So it impossible to get rid of all the laying water.

 

[Batz]

We have success with Wild May fruit fly attractant.

http://www.wildmay.com/

Saved our Avocado crop last year and is doing the job once again.You'll be surprised how quick the traps fill and the population of fruit fly drops.


Batz

 

[chappo1970]

Thanks Batz they are on the way home at Mt Gravatt. I am gunna check it out because I really need to do something about them they are drive us all crazy and most of my veggie crop has been ruined ATM.

 

[newguy]

I always get them in the house around late summer/fall. They'll frequently crawl through the tiny holes in my airlock lids and drown in the water. Homebrew is a really good attractant/trap. Just fill a beer can 1/2 way with your homebrew and set it out. Every time you walk by it, cover the hole with your hand and shake the can. This method will usually drastically reduce their numbers, at least in my house.

 

[daanmuller]

I'm a bit of a gardener and keep a compost container in the kitchen for scraps and peelings, etc, which I put in the compost every day. Over the last few weeks we have been invaded by fruit flies, and they have now migrated to everywhere moist, like the bathroom, toilet, ensuite, laundry and hang around flowers & pot plants. They seem to be more or less immune to flyspray although if you can get one at full blast while they are resting on a wall or curtain that kills them. I reckon they are breeding up faster than they can be eradicated.
I guess some sort of lure / trap is the way to go, does anyone have any good fruit fly eradication tips?

Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.

Sit down cross legged and close your eyes. Grab a pair of chop sticks and catch them using your hearing.

Patience my young grassropper

 

[br33zy]

I'm a bit of a gardener and keep a compost container in the kitchen for scraps and peelings, etc, which I put in the compost every day. Over the last few weeks we have been invaded by fruit flies, and they have now migrated to everywhere moist, like the bathroom, toilet, ensuite, laundry and hang around flowers & pot plants. They seem to be more or less immune to flyspray although if you can get one at full blast while they are resting on a wall or curtain that kills them. I reckon they are breeding up faster than they can be eradicated.
I guess some sort of lure / trap is the way to go, does anyone have any good fruit fly eradication tips?

Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.

As was said above Mike, they do sound like vinegar flies.

I get them a lot in my worm farm when its gone either anaerobic or too acidic. Solution is to add garden lime/dolomite (to offset the acidity); keep the heap aerated; and ensure you've always got plenty of dry carbonaceous (!) material (dead leaves, shredded paper etc) to balance out the high nitrogen stuff (vege and fruit scraps).

Killing them is a different matter - they are persistent little blighters, second only to cockroaches. So now I just stick with trying to prevent the conditions which allow them to fester in the first place.

Cheers

Breezy

 

[Swinging Beef]

...does anyone have any good fruit fly eradication tips?

Move swiftly against the dragonfly. Move more swiftly against the fruit fly.

 

[rude]

Im a keen gardener allso, have quite a few fruit trees with loads of fruit fly, both types Queensland Q fly & the mediteranian fly.
I have to spray mine, have used them all but rogor is pretty strong stuff, knocks them on the head.
I have used plastic drink bottles with holes in them filled with the yeast slurry & water. The fruit fly come from everywhere to get this.
Found I just cant eradicate them so the rogor & pick the fruit up when it falls is the best.
Have heard that chooks are good as they eat the larvae in the ground from when the fruit drops.
All in all they have beaten me just waitng for the sientists to get their acts together.

 

[jonocarroll]

I'm still arguing that I read all these comics for the off chance that the information contained within will one day be useful in life...

 

[chappo1970]

I hear you MrRude. Nearly all my fruit and some of the veg has been stung. Very disapointing to cut a beautiful ripe tomato open only to find the critters have beaten you to it. I am going to try Batz suggestion, I am really close to plowing the whole thing and make it a cricket pitch instead!

 

[Bribie G]

Thanks for the tips so far, I bought a bottle of three dollar cleanskin to make beef bourgoigne and marinated the meat in it this afternoon, there's still a third of a bottle left so I'll put out a few little chinese bowls of it around the place and see what happens - for starters. As it was so cheap I bought another two bottles so I might have a couple of glasses myself while I'm waiting for the Bribie Bitter to chill down (forgot it and it went into the fridge late)

 

[br33zy]

Thanks for the tips so far, I bought a bottle of three dollar cleanskin to make beef bourgoigne and marinated the meat in it this afternoon, there's still a third of a bottle left so I'll put out a few little chinese bowls of it around the place and see what happens - for starters. As it was so cheap I bought another two bottles so I might have a couple of glasses myself while I'm waiting for the Bribie Bitter to chill down (forgot it and it went into the fridge late)

One thing that was quite successful for me was hanging a good old flypaper near the worm farm. Was absolutely covered in them after a day. Took two papers (and my aforementioned treatments) to get them down to bearable numbers.

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

 

[newguy]

View attachment 24760

There's birdshot and buckshot, but I've never heard of flyshot.

Seriously, a vacuum cleaner would be more effective and the neighbours won't call the cops when you use it.