I recently read a tip about fruit flies and knew I had to try it. You pour an inch of cider vinegar in a glass, and a bit of washing up liquid.I tried it, and within 12 hours there was a layer of dead flies on the bottom of the glass. It's a bit gross, I know, but it's better than catching the damn things in a glass of wine you weren't finished drinking.
8 comments:
Do you mix the two liquids or pour one on top of the other? I'm guessing that the vinegar attracts the flies and the soap traps them.
Most of our local fruit flies have now perished due to the cold (at least I haven't seen any indoors for a few days) but I could have done with this tip a few weeks ago ;-)
Brilliant ... I'll clip this so that I rmember next year, when they're back ... although there's one big old fly in our bedroom that comes out at night and divebombs my bedside lamp while I'm trying to have a quiet read ...
Thanks Melanie!
It's just a few drops of washing up liquid. I suppose it's to break the surface tension, otherwise the tiny flies might be able to land on the liquid safely and fly off again.
I haven't experimented with this tip so I don't know about the specifics. Maybe it would work without the washing up liquid. Maybe it doesn't have to be cider vinegar, maybe malt vinegar works just as well. Maybe some other liquid would work even better. The buggers are always dive-bombing my glass of wine for example, but I have to say I've never seen so many dead flies as I caught this way. It makes a lie of that old saying "you catch more flies with honey than vinegar"!
thanks mel will give this a go , theres been a few in the kitchen lately. that photo looks gross and sort of satisfying at the same time if you know what i mean.
thanks mel will give this a go , theres been a few in the kitchen lately. that photo looks gross and sort of satisfying at the same time if you know what i mean.
At last, a solution for them.
We had swarms coming out of an abortive kitchen composter this summer.
I have had more than one pint of cider marred by them this year.
Thank you!
If they land in your cider just grit your teeth as you drink then you can spit them out !! Or do as I do and drink Guinness then you don't even see them as they sink through the head.
Needed this one a few weeks ago!! I tried using some leftover wine, but I think they were nearing the end, I only caught 2. Thanks for the great tip!
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