Staff Blog
HOW-TO: Free your kitchen of fruit flies fast
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| Photo l Felicia D’Ambrosio |
| A Drosophila melanogaster trap with victims |
‘Tis the season for juicy local cherries, sticky Mexican mangoes and beer, beer, beer. What do all these things have in common? Fruit flies — species Drosophila melanogaster, poetically Greek for “dark-bellied dew lover” — enjoy them even more than we do, and if you leave one strawberry on the counter for even a second, the petite pests will invade your kitchen.
WikiHow has a multi-pronged battle plan for fighting a major infestation, but if you have just an annoying few settling into your banana bowl, you can get rid of them quickly by using their alias against them: They are also known as vinegar flies.
In a small glass or cup, pour an inch of apple cider vinegar and a few drops of liquid dish soap. The flies will be attracted to the cider vinegar, then be taken down by the soap and summarily drowned. Winner, you.
Dude! This totally worked! Thanks for the tip.
Emily: Sweet, I’m glad this worked for you. It’s a bartender’s trick that keeps all your Stoli Raz & sodas from getting sent back in the summer.