Kitchen Garden Forum

I have two large trays of slowly ripening tomatoes indoors which arenot generating a single "fruit fly".

I also have a large fruit platter containing mixed fruit, including plums and it's surrounded by these creatures flying all over the place. I washed all the fruit & the fruit bowl and within 10 minutes the plague of them was as bad as ever.

How can I get rid of them?

I have the same problem Primrose and judging by the number that I found swimming in my glass of red wine on Sunday I would suggest leaving a glass out for that very purpose. I got rid of loads like that. Leaving some in a bottle didn't work nearly as well.

However, what I did find was that when I fished them out of the wine (I was drinking it)and dumped them onto a tissue, unless I squashed them too, the sobered up and flew off.

Yes, I fished one out of my wine glass last night. Flicked it onto the table mat and after a few minutes it struggled drunkenly off. Hardly little pests, aren't they? Think they're all alcoholics. They can smell a glass of wine 100 yards away.

Do you know, Primrose, I got so fed up with fishing drunken fruit flies out of my wine every evening, that I now cover it up with a coaster between sips! But it's amazing how they always recover and fly off quite (or very?) happily.

Funny you should say that, I'm sitting here with a glass of wine covered with a coaster

Apparently this is the origin of tapas which are appetisers but it comes from placing a "lid" or "tapas" such as slice of bread over your glass to keep the bugs out.

I had to laugh at this thread, exactly the same problem in my kitchen right now and they're so hard to get rid of! Mine emanated from a bunch of rather forgotten grapes. If you upend the covered, infested drop of wine in the glass and give it a good shake that drowns a few - but they're very, very fast and often depart the glass before you can clamp the top on. (the plastic lid off a cream carton in my case). Any more techniques?

I tried a flypaper once but my husband objected on aesthetic grounds. It did work, though. A saucer of beer can get rid of quite a few.
----------------
Granny

I'm sneaking up on them and squashing them. I'm getting very good at mashing them when they're on the wing

I find wet hands or rubber gloves effective. I always miss with dry hands or gloves but have more success when they're wet.

I find the hoover very effective and you can catch them mid flight too.
Jennifer

This week we are muck spreading and as you can imagine the air is to say the least pungent and suddenly all the fruit flies have disappeared.
Yesterday the kitchen was full of them and today they have gone. Not exactly the remedy that I would recommend and I don't know which is the lesser evil!
I know that the back of my throat is somewhat sore already. This muck is onto grassland and will linger until we have a really good downpour which is not on the horizon according to the weekly forecast.
JB.

I actually quite like the smell of muck, a very natural smell, not like silage, now i can honestly say i don't like that at all.

Hey, OH, I am glad I am not the only one who likes the smell of manure! The pasture next to our allotment was manured on Saturday and I soaked up the lovely aroma! We did have a short shower of rain last night and quite a lot is forecast for tomorrow so it should be ok for being washed in.

And I agree, silage smell is quite different, sour and acrid, doesn't smell natural.

Things we discuss on here really does make me smile.

Hi OH,
What I omitted to say is that it is Turkey Muck and the back of my throat is stinging and if you and Monika can find something pleasing from this you need to see a doctor urgently!
It is being spread on grassland and needs a really good downpour of rain to get rid of the stench and as the answer to a maidens prayer (and mine) it is absolutely tipping it down now.
JB.