Little bugs flying around the kitchen and bath (Houston: home, buy)

[Kappinator]

Is is just my house, or does anybody have little bugs in the kitchen and bath? They look like a fruit fly. I've tried drain gels, baking soda down the drains, spraying plants, putting fruit in brown bags, having exterminator spray, etc. and NOTHING WORKS! Darn things will land on the smallest amount of water or trace of food on the counters. Any ideas to get rid of them?

[LostInHouston]

Originally Posted by Kappinator

Is is just my house, or does anybody have little bugs in the kitchen and bath? They look like a fruit fly. I've tried drain gels, baking soda down the drains, spraying plants, putting fruit in brown bags, having exterminator spray, etc. and NOTHING WORKS! Darn things will land on the smallest amount of water or trace of food on the counters. Any ideas to get rid of them?

Make a bunch of traps and put them in the areas you see fruit flys. I used the small throw away glad bowls (1-2 cup size). Put a piece of fruit or some cider vinegar in there (lemon wedges work good). Then rubber band some plastic wrap over the top, and finally poke a dozen or so small holes in the plastic wrap. The fruit flys will crawl into the container but can't get out. When you have a bunch trapped in there, you can spray them with some flying insect spray... wash the container out and make another trap.

[vicket]

That's funny...I'm in Houston and we had the same problem a few weeks ago. (Never had these bugs in Ohio- so I don't know if it's a regional thing.)
Anyway, they just disappeared on their own after a week or so.

[EasilyAmused]

Put out a glass of red wine overnight. Not kidding. Works like a charm.

They probably came in on some onions from the store.

[MommiePreMed]

Every night for 2 or 3 nights Pour bleach down your drains, clean the sinks well, stop the drains and don't leave anything in them.

[mirjaja]

I second the bleach down the drains suggestion. Also, change out your garbage cans and hose them down. We dealt with this last year, and finally traced it to a small garbage can in a guest bath that someone had left something in.

[SteveArmy]

did you buy any of those "rice/wheat stalk" home decor thingers lately?

[Oildog]

Run some water down the drains to make sure the traps are full, then pour bleach in them. I also second putting a glass of red wine out, they love that stuff.

[Kappinator]

Thanks for all the suggestions! Will give them all a try. On the wine thing, I'm a white wine drinker and there is never any left in the bottle...hehehehe. Guess I'll start sampling some reds now.

[Thaskateguy]

Bananas from time to time can bring in little fruit flies. They drive my Son Crazy, but they don't eat much, and add a certain ambiance to the place.