Getting Rid of Fruit Flies

How can I get rid of gnats/fruit flies in my house?

By Rosa from Las Vegas, NV

Answers:

Getting Rid of Fruit Flies

Hide all of your fruit and vegetables that you don't keep in the fridge in cabinets (where, if you keep them all the time, they will stay fresh longer). Take out the garbage and recycling frequently and rinse food debris from objects before placing into either. Then fly paper it up. If you have any plants in the kitchen or kitchen area, move them to a different room. Line your kitchen drain with a tiny amount of bleach or less toxic vinegar.

Now you've removed all their food sources and you'll have to wait until the adults die or get caught on the paper. These animals probably came into your house not through an open window, but on, say, a bunch of bananas you recently purchased. The adults hide out or the eggs hatch once you've brought it into your home and Drosophila melanogaster hatches within 12-15 hours after an egg is laid. It takes only a week for that larva to become a breeding adult and the cycle starts over. That is why they are difficult to get rid of, but by no means impossible. Good luck! (05/23/2010)

By Danielle