Get rid of gnats for good with these clever strategies.
By Lauren Piro, Good Housekeeping
[post_ads]You're not alone in your love of seasonal produce: Pesky fruit flies always seem to find their way to your farmer's market haul before you even get a chance to fully enjoy it. It doesn't take long for them to take over your kitchen.
While your best bet for keeping them at bay is to store fresh fruit in sealed places, sometimes that overripe banana might sit out just a little too long and, bam, it's too late. Compost that mushy produce ASAP; then try one of these effective remedies to banish fruit flies from your kitchen.
1
Unfiltered apple cider vinegar
Pour a little into a glass, or just remove the cap from a bottle. (It doesn't have to be full — nearly empty will also work). Cover the opening in plastic wrap and secure with a rubber band. Then, poke a hole for the fruit flies to enter. They can't resist the scent of vinegar, and they won't be able to exit once they're inside.
"No matter how hard I try to prevent fruit flies every summer, they seem to always find me. Every year, I Google 'how to get rid of fruit flies' and every year, I end up using this tried-and-true method. It's not pretty, but it is pretty effective," says Kim at Today's Creative Blog.
[post_ads_2]
2
"No matter how hard I try to prevent fruit flies every summer, they seem to always find me. Every year, I Google 'how to get rid of fruit flies' and every year, I end up using this tried-and-true method. It's not pretty, but it is pretty effective," says Kim at Today's Creative Blog.
[post_ads_2]
2
Vinegar and dish soap
If you find your fruit flies are impervious to the plastic wrap, try adding three drops of dish soap to a bowl of vinegar, and leave it uncovered. The soap cuts the surface tension of the vinegar so the flies will sink and drown.
3
3
A paper cone and a piece of fruit
Place a little vinegar and a chunk of very ripe fruit in a jar. Then, roll a piece of paper into a cone and stick it into the jar, placing the narrow opening down. The fruit flies will be drawn in, but won't be able to get out.
"I learned this method from a friend who used to sell produce, and I think it is easier to put together and more effective than others. Instead of using plastic wrap, I use scrap paper that I can then compost later," says Tiffany at Nature Moms.
4
"I learned this method from a friend who used to sell produce, and I think it is easier to put together and more effective than others. Instead of using plastic wrap, I use scrap paper that I can then compost later," says Tiffany at Nature Moms.
4
Milk, sugar, and pepper
Everyday Roots blogger Claire likes this method from an Old Farmer's Almanac. Combine a pint of milk, 4 ounces of raw sugar, and 2 ounces ground pepper in a saucepan and simmer for 10 minutes. Then, pour into a shallow dish. The flies will be drawn to the mixture and quickly drown.
[post_ads_2]
5
[post_ads_2]
5
Red wine
Like vinegar, fruit flies love the smell of wine. Try leaving out an open bottle with a little liquid — the skinny neck will keep the flies trapped.
See more at: Good Housekeeping
