fruit flies in the house (countertops, school, live in)

[no kudzu]

For about 2 weeks we have been doing battle with what I am calling fruit flies
in our home. I think they came in with some produce. They are those t-tiny little almost floating things that you can't catch. We put up some fly strips and a lot were caught but we still have them, mostly in the kitchen.

Anybody have any recommendation on what they really are and how we can get rid of them without calling in professionals?

[RDC11]

I've had those a few times and they sort of came out of nowhere,hovering over over-ripe bananas.I did nothing except to get rid of the fruit and they disappeared.I see them periodically on and off,irrespective of weather,always near the bananas which is about the only fruit outside on the counter.

[Poggly Woggly]

I occasionally get some inside one way or another. If you can find the source of where they're concentrated then get rid of it....and use a fly swatter. They're a must if you live in NC. Do you know that they now make an electric fly swatter?

[JimLovesNC]

Yesterday I must have swatted about 15 flies. It's making me nuts!

[ZimaCheryl]

When at Home Depot the other day I noticed a "pantry pest" trap.
I've never used it, so don't know how well it works, but for a couple bucks it wouldn't hurt to try it.

[xylemphloem]

If they are the same ones we get, here's an old-school home remedy:

Take a small bowl or glass and put around 1/4 to 1/2 inch of apple cider vinegar in it. Add a couple of drops of dish soap. Give it a bit of a stir, and leave it out overnight where you see them concentrated. You'll find a whole pack of dead flies in the bowl in the morning. Clean out the bowl and repeat as needed til they are gone. (Usually only takes 2-3 nights.) Not the most pleasant cleanup, but it gets rid of the flies!

[TheBigKahunaNC]

There is one commercial trap made for these "fruit flies". I bought one from KMart and tried it, but it only caught one or two. It's basically a small plastic apple that comes with some "bait" which is just liquid that smells like rotting fruit. There are instructions online on how to make your own tap with a plastic cup or jar. Using apple cider vinegar and dish soap. They are most attracted to bananas....try sticking banana in a jar, put some plastic wrap tape around the top and poke a few small (toothpick) sized holes in the plastic. They cannot resist bananas.

They live and breed in water, like down in your sink traps, trash cans, flower pots with damp soil, etc. Try pouring clorox or ammonia down all of your sink drains. They also hang out in toilets or urinals. They are VERY hard to get completely out of your home.

Some people call them "gnats" or "nats", but they are most likely fruit flies or phorid flies. Phorid flies will scurry around on countertops before flying away, and fruit flies have red on them, if you want to tell the difference. Both are extremely hard to get rid of. I cna go look closely at the windows in my dining room, almost anytime, and see one or two sitting on the outside of the glass....looking for a way in.

[VickiR]

I've had them in the past. Don't know anyone that hasn't! They find over ripened fruit but once you get rid of the "problem", they leave!

I had some bananas in the freezer in my garage. Was saving them for banana bread. Daughter went into the freezer and accidently left the bananas on the floor, beside the freezer. For a few days, we had zillions of fruit flies in the garage and couldn't figure out why until we noticed the rotten bananas beside the freezer! Got rid of the bananas and the flies went on to the next free meal!

Vicki

[suedonym]

terro makes a fruit fly trap that totally eliminated our fruit fly problem! and it was pretty cheap - under $5? i got it at walmart.

this is it on amazon Amazon.com: Terro 2500 Fruit Fly Trap: Patio, Lawn & Garden but like i said, you should be able to find it at walmart....

[TheBigKahunaNC]

^ I was unable to find those traps at any store except KMart. They are $7.