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The Kitchen Table

no more fruit flies on the garden produce

9 years ago

I have been picking pounds of tomatoes this past month, but I hate the fruit flies. I wash the tomatoes in a sink of cold water when I bring them in, but I still get the flies.

My younger son was visiting, and he found the answer for me. Pour a little apple cider vinegar in a small bowl or bottle cap. Add one or two drops of liquid dish soap. The soap breaks the surface tension of the liquid so that when the fruit flies land to enjoy some, they sink in and drown rather than float on the surface, which they expected to do.

This post was edited by sheilajoyce on Sat, Aug 16, 14 at 18:15

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Comments (4)

rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
9 years ago
I use a bowl with half water/half ACV with the dish soap. Works like a charm. I also wrap my tomatoes loosely with newspaper when storing them on the counter; that really helps, too. I don't wash them until I use them.
jim_1 (Zone 5B)
9 years ago
Growing up in the 1950s in Ohio, my mother said that fruit flies were part of gardening. Accept them.

I recall all the canning and freezing that we did. She even made applesauce! We had about half an acre with all kinds of fruits and berries and vegetables. One of my first 'jobs' was, along with my sister, delivering fresh produce up and down the block to our neighbors. They would call in their order and Sally and I would collect the money upon delivery. From sweet corn to strawberries, pears and plums to carrots, we delivered them.
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Having the tomato plants in a 30 gal. pot makes a difference. I'd mobilize that pot so that you can move it into a garage every evening and roll it back out into the sun at mid morning. This may be more work than you want to do but this is only the beginning. In a few weeks you will not have as much sunshine and the fruits will develop more slowly. Many of them may be disfigured by the cool weather during polination and you should cull those to help put more energy into desirable fruits. Plant foliar diseases will also take their toll on your plants in the more humid fall weather. More and more of your time may be devoted to caring to dying plants. I'm going through this with greenhouses so I emphathize with you. Usually around Thanksgiving you get involved with other seasonal distractions and the plants just don't fit in with your plans. But, don't dispair. Seed catalogs are in the mail by then and you can begin planning for an early crop for '08. Take a few notes now of things you would do differently next year.
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Stacy, I do have the kind that likes the drains, and this appears to apply to the bathrooms as well. I think we are just going to have to do some serious drain cleaning. They especially like the drain in the kitchen that has the garbage disposal. It's difficult to imagine cold weather in September, since that is our warmest month here. It's difficult enough to imagine freezing weather. Everyone here freaks out when it dips below 50°, which is below normal for us. Kevin had business associates visit from Wisconsin a couple of days ago, and they were not phased by the 60° daytime high with rain. I, however, was wearing long underwear. All our windows have screens, as well as the sliding glass door, but the front door and the kitchen door do not. We never leave those doors open, and so it doesn't seem to matter, but we did install a screen door to the sliding glass door (which goes to the patio and back yard) because it is difficult to open and close sliding doors. Also, we wanted to be able to take advantage of the cool ocean breezes in the summer, but the screen is such a fine mesh that it blocks most of the breeze. If I do the rotten fruit bit, I will put cellophane over the top and make tiny holes with a toothpick. That worked before. Fruit flies were a bigger problem in Venice because I had so many fruit trees, but I'm not so lucky here - yet. Lars
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Jasdip
9 years ago
Grrrrr, hubby cut a cantaloupe earlier this week and left the rinds in the kitchen garbage, to take out the next morning.

I opened the cupboard the next morning to put something in the trash and out came a flurry of fruit flies! He felt bad, since he has put watermelon rinds in overnight with no problems.

Years ago when I fed the worms more food than they could keep up with I would get fruit flies. I don't get them anymore, as I freeze all the food before feeding, to kill any eggs.

A small jar with cider vinegar and a drop of dishwashing liquid always works for me.

Earlier this week I saw a segment on tv where the lady said to put a piece of fruit in a dish, cover with plastic wrap and puncture just one hole. They fly will get in and won't find his way out. I tried that, as I had one lone fruit fly that I couldn't catch/trap. I watched him hang out on the piece of pineapple, then he would disappear. A little while later he went in again, and again, he wasn't there. I figure he was flying in and out of that hole just to feed. LOL
joyfulguy
9 years ago
Thanks, Jasdip, for the idea ...

... using a Freezer to Forestall Fruit Flies!

(That idea should fly ... in the Household Hints section).

o j

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