Fruit Flies

[Sakkarin Profile]

Dozens of the bloody things driving me crazy. Anyone got a cure? I've even got them harassing me in my "studio", and there's no food in there.

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

Are they coming off a particular plant? Or from your food bin?
I get Tony to put him fruit peelings directly into the large outdoor food bin not the indoor one.

[scullion Profile]

yes. get a jar and put something in it that they like - like banana skin or other fruit/veg waste.
stretch a piece of cling film over the top and pierce a tiny hole in the middle just big enough for them to get in. they don't find their way out.
put it near where they were before you cleared out the thing that attracted them in the first place!

then just leave it to do its magic.

[jeral Profile]

I moaned about these last year, which turned out to be from eggs on the skins of fairtrade bananas. (A swarm would fly out of the bin.) Needless to say, I've washed bananas since then.

None of the internet remedies even remotely worked for me, indeed the flies seemingly reproduce faster than the speed of light.

Answer? Leave the windows open. If possible, find something they like, e.g. red wine or rotting fruit and place it as a draw near to the window. Mine disappeared overnight, so good luck.

[aero280 Profile]

We had an infestation 18 months ago when the builders disturbed the rotten timbers in the roof. They got everywhere. Their favourite was Camembert. They disappeared once the roof was replaced. Phew!

I put out some flypapers which helped, but they were covered inside 24 hours. Then diminished after a few days as I replaced the papers.

They may have been "cluster flies" rather than fruit flies.

We have flying ants at the moment.

[jeral Profile]

Flying ant day here too. Spotted three on an open casement window, which I shoo'd away and promptly closed all windows for the rest of the day, watching them land on the outside all day. No way dare I go out, being a magnet. They should have gone back to ground by tomorrow.

Sakkarin, don't forget to wipe down with Dettol or diluted bleach anywhere you've seen the fruit flies land as you need to get the eggs too before they hatch.

[Suelle Profile Website]

Snap - flying ant day here too, yesterday. It spoiled the first get-together with both of my children since lockdown began!

[chihuahua8 Profile]

Flying ants here as well, had two swarms in two days and still found a few alive around the inside of the patio door this morning. Last (almost) straw was finding a cockroach in the porch. The ants are an annual problem, I think the whole Village is built on ant's nests.
JeanT

[Sakkarin Profile]

Flying ants were front page news on the local paper's website this week!

https://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/news/ ... fordshire/

[jeral Profile]

On the radio: 50 mile wide swarm of flying ants spots by Met Office space cam over Kent this morning. Just the odd one or two then.

Flying ant day here is normally around the end of July so I wouldn't be surprised if a few million more are socially distanced lining up ready for take off.

[Pampy Profile]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-49023143 - flying ants on the Met Office weather map showing as rain.

[scullion Profile]

but have you got rid of your fruit flies‽

[Lusciouslush Profile]

P'raps they were all eaten by the flying ants.............?

[Sakkarin Profile]

Still the odd one or two, but I've just moved the problem outside by emptying my leftover food immediately into the outside bin.

I didn't realise flying ants were really ordinary ants, but I guess the clue was in the name...

Some intriguing info in this article, apparently the queens gnaw off their own wings.

https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/when-why ... light.html