Invasion of the Fruit Flies

Ewww! Right? There seems to be an invasion of fruit flies in the Northern California region. Do you have a problem where you live?

We recently moved into our new home and found fruit flies constantly plaguing us. You can never catch them. They're so wispy and tiny. As soon as you try to swat or clap them, they seem to be jetted away by the action. Those little buggers have a short life cycle. 24-hours after eggs are laid, new flies hatch and soon begin their harassment, which lasts up to 50 days.

After noticing they were everywhere—other homeowners complained about them and you'd see them in stores and other establishments over a wide geographic area—I realized it was time to get serious about getting them out of our house.

A simple trap is all you need to entice the little bug-eyes to their last drink. You'll be amazed at how many you catch. And you thought there were only a few in your home. Ha! They were about to take over!

Throw out any overripe fruit which become breeding fields for the flies. Also, take care when you shop. If you see fruit flies around the produce, you can be sure you are bringing more home if you buy any fruit there.

Get a large mason jar and fill it with about a half a cup of apple cider vinegar. Add a drop or two of dish soap to break the surface tension of the cider so the pests fall into the liquid and expire. Using a sheet of paper, create a funnel with a half-inch opening, then drop it into the mason jar and make sure there are no cracks where a fly can escape. They will be attracted to the vinegar, fly into the jar and be unable to get out. They can't do a helicopter maneuver—thankfully.

Leave the trap out until you complete a full life cycle for the pesky flies and then some. You don't need to change the vinegar, but it gets so full of flies. Yuck! I throw it out and start with fresh about every 4 days. You should wait until the trap is clear of flies before you consider your home free from them.

Can't wait for the next plague of pests. Hope it's not voles. Those vermin infested the foothills in huge numbers in 2001. Whole landscapes were destroyed. I guess a few fruit flies aren't that bad.