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Thank you, I have no plants at all indoors, I left some over ripe bananas on the kitchen work surface, which I suspect is what attracted them. I've thoroughly cleaned the kitchen including the bins and left the work surfaces completely clear. My windows do have compensation between the 2 layers of glass and they seem to have made their home in the bottom of the glass in the crack between the glass and the plastic. I've been using a jam jar filled with vinegar and dishwasher covered with cling film with tiny holes in, so I'll try a skinny jar with a funnel and see if that helps. This will only catch the hatched Ines thigh and I really need to get to the eggs to stop the cycle. Pouring bleach in the crack is helping but onlybreducing the amount by about 50%, maybe dish soap in their too might be more effective. They're driving me mad! I have cats and dogs and it's a nightmare feeding them, washing the dishes immediately and making sure the trash bin is always empty. They do only seem to only be nesting in the windows though for now and I don't want them discovering anywhere else indoors that they might like to make home
Just to make sure they are not the drain flies.
Try to identify the little buggers first: then deal with them accordingly
Insecticidal soaps would kill the gnats eggs - but has to be done 2-3 times every 5-7 days.
Like the others said if you are dealing with fruit flies and not gnats- make sure no fruit is laying around (including tomatoes) or berries or a bit of wine/fruit juice is left in a glass.
Sometimes, just cleaning all that will remove them.
Very good chance you may have imported the fly eggs on the bananas when you brought them in. Those eggs love to hitch rides from the field to your windows!
If you can't figure a way to kill the eggs/larvae and adult flies, Simple Green will do it. Just squirt 'em!
Thanks everyone, Raid fly killer has done the trick, completely gone in 2 days after spraying the windows where the flies were. I found a rotten bag of sweet potatoes that had somehow found their way onto the floor under the cupboard under the sink.
I found a rotten bag of sweet potatoes that had somehow found their way onto the floor under the cupboard under the sink.
That'll do it! Too bad you had to resort to spraying the Raid before finding/removing the culprit. The flies would have gone away by themselves once the bag was tossed.
Here are
some strategies that I use to get rid of fruit flies from my kitchen:
1.First of all, when you bring fruits and vegetables from the store, wash it off with lukewarm water before storing it.
2. Create a jar trap by putting over riped fruits in the jar. Then cover the jar with plastic wrap and poke a couple of small holes. Flies will be easily attracted to riped fruits.
3.Another method to kill the flies is by drowning them. Pour wine or beer and 3-4 drops of dish detergent into a wide saucer. Once the flies come into it, the detergent breaks the surface tension, and they drown.
4.Purchase trusted insect spray you could spritz around your kitchen.
I hope you will try these methods, and please do share your feedback.
Are you sure they're fruit flies? If there isn't any fruit around fungus gnats are a good possibility. Something is decaying...soil (any potted plants in the window? Planters outdoors?),is wood, etc. If pot/planter soil is overwatered and soggy you'll get gnats. Each female will lay hundreds of eggs throughout the soil. The only way to get rid of them is to dump the soil and provide better drainage/dry out whatever is soggy. Apple cider vinegar won't do anything about hidden unhatched eggs.
This is what I was going to ask because I think what I have are fungus gnats. Read that a dryer sheet is a deterent because of something in the sheet that the gnats don't like. So, until spring when I can replant, I've cut about an inch or two strips and taped them to the top of the pot the plant is in (turned around so I don't have to look at it) and we'll see if that works. I thought they were coming from the little composting bin by the sink, but not so.
This is what I was going to ask because I think what I have are fungus gnats. Read that a dryer sheet is a deterent because of something in the sheet that the gnats don't like. So, until spring when I can replant, I've cut about an inch or two strips and taped them to the top of the pot the plant is in (turned around so I don't have to look at it) and we'll see if that works. I thought they were coming from the little composting bin by the sink, but not so.
But you also get to smell the darned dryer sheet until whatever it is that makes them stink dries out. I'll pass!
The dryer sheet isn't solving the real problem. Once fungus gnats infest potting soil they are very hard to eradicate because they've laid thousands of eggs in it. No matter what you do to repel adults, they'll continue to hatch out. Repot the plant with fresh potting soil and dump the contaminated soil in the garden. Increase the drainage layer in the bottom of the pot (perlite, pumice, even crunched up packing peanuts or pea gravel), let the plant's soil dry out between watering (unless the plant requires constant moisture), and don't leave water in the pot saucer very long. Waterlogged soil that favors fungus gnats can also lead to root rot and fungus. Your plant will probably thank you too.
Last edited by Parnassia; 01-04-2021 at 03:08 PM..
But you also get to smell the darned dryer sheet until whatever it is that makes them stink dries out. I'll pass!
The dryer sheet isn't solving the real problem. Once fungus gnats infest potting soil they are very hard to eradicate because they've laid thousands of eggs in it. No matter what you do to repel adults, they'll continue to hatch out. Repot the plant with fresh potting soil and dump the contaminated soil in the garden. Increase the drainage layer in the bottom of the pot (perlite, pumice, even crunched up packing peanuts or pea gravel), let the plant's soil dry out between watering (unless the plant requires constant moisture), and don't leave water in the pot saucer very long. Waterlogged soil that favors fungus gnats can also lead to root rot and fungus. Your plant will probably thank you too.
I only used a 1-2 inch strip, about 5 inches long, and I cannot smell the dryer sheets. But I do appreciate this advice. I did have a fungus on a couple of the plants, and actually didn't realize it was becuase it was a moisture issue because I do let the plants dry out before watering and I do not let water stand in the drain saucer, because I do know about root rot.
I didn't want to replant until the spring, as that seems to be the advice. Plants rest in the winter...? What do you think? I can do it inside on my kitchen counter.....I just didn't want to shock them by repotting in winter.
Unfortunately I have fruit flies and no solution has worked... I have identified the bugs and they are most certainly fruit flies. Tried Apple Cider vinegar but it has virtually no effect. I also use Raid sticky tape and they totally avoid it, just fly around on my head, to my computer screen all over the place to **** me off except to the traps.
I have no fruits of any kind anywhere in my home so I have no idea where they are coming from.
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Strategies
