Summer time, time for farmer markets and picnics. Fresh fruits and vegetables…and fruit flies or as some call gnats. These tiny flies are a nuisance, they land on your fresh foods, lay their eggs on your food, and if they land on your food, they usually contaminate the food with bacteria that is harmful to you. And who hasn’t swallowed a few every summer?
Once introduced to the house they seem next to impossible to get rid of the little buggers. There are many ways to get rid of these pests that not only work but cost little to next to nothing because you may already have them at hand. Here are some tips to get rid of fruit flies around your house.
* Tip # One: Pour bleach on the basement drain in the floor, this is because they sometimes will come up through the drain. Bleach will stop them in their tracks.
* Tip # Two: Before you get ready to go to bed, take a jar and pour vinegar to half way then add a large amount of sugar. Stir until the sugar dissolved then place a funnel in the jar. The reason for the funnel is that while they can get in they can’t get out. They will be attracted to the sugar and get trapped!
* Tip # Three: Place a jar of vinegar/sugar solution on each floor of your home. Especially the kitchen, make sure though that there isn’t food laying out since that would be more appealing then the solution.
* Tip # Four: Make sure that the dishes are done, the counters and stove are wiped down, and the garbage taken out otherwise that creates a more appealing place for the flies to hang out in.
* Tip # Five: Make sure that there isn’t stored any uncovered or unattended food in the cupboards.
* Tip # Six: Damp spots can be breeding grounds for these pesty flies. So check for any damp spots in and around your house and try talcum powder to keep these areas dry.
* Tip # Seven: An often overlooked item is cleaning sponges and clothes you use to clean the kitchen. Make sure that they are stored in a tightly covered storage container or in a zipper type of baggie. These cleaning items contain stuck on food and moisture which will attract the flies.
* Tip # Eight: Take special care to wash down the dishwashers, refrigerators and other kitchen appliances that may have food or grease stunk on. Don’t forget the sink. Make sure it is wiped down and dried so that the flies can not breed in the moisture.
* Tip # Nine: Check for rotten wood since these can be used as a place to breed.
* Tip # Ten: Household plants (this is a killer of household plants) treat the plants on a regular basis with insecticides. Just make sure it is safe for the plants and any thing edible. Another thing to remember about house plants is that if kept in one place too long the wood below can start to rot creating a breeding spot for the flies. To avoid this relocate the plant(s) regularly.
* Tip # Eleven: When making your trap you discover you don’t have a narrow necked bottle try a glass and seal it with plastic wrap after that is done make a couple of small holes in the wrap with a fork.
* Tip # Twelve: A fly zapper works as well just make sure there is not any other source of light since flies are attracted to the light.
* Tip # Thirteen: If you have a fruit bowl…cover it. Watch for flies on prunes, raisins, and dates. Throw out over ripe fruit. Wipe down containers that may have spilled food on it like cooking wine or ketchup.
HowOMG.com
