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Fruit flies!

(29 Posts)
HeavenLeigh Mon 02-Dec-24 14:15:57

Coming downstairs this morning into my kitchen I noticed few fruit flies, I’m very clean person but they freaked me out so I’ve been cleaning my kitchen like a tornado going through everything! Yes I have fruit bowl no nothing had gone off in it, I always wash fruit when I buy bananas pears etc, I have recently bought couple bunches of flowers and put on the windowsill. I do use kitchen bin which is cleaned regularly . How on earth have these things appeared never had before. Anyone Else .

keepingquiet Mon 02-Dec-24 15:40:41

It is probably due to the warm weather we had yesterday. I wouldn't see it as a reflection of your cleanliness. It's nature and they'll soon go, but my bet is the came out of the flowers.

Wheniwasyourage Mon 02-Dec-24 17:27:39

Time flies like an arrow.

Fruit flies like a banana.

Imarocker Mon 02-Dec-24 17:35:08

Fruit flies come home with your shopping. Put cider vinegar in a bowl with a drop of washing up liquid.

MayBee70 Mon 02-Dec-24 17:39:20

Imarocker

Fruit flies come home with your shopping. Put cider vinegar in a bowl with a drop of washing up liquid.

With cling film over the top with holes poked in. I sometimes use wine so at least they die happy. My compost caddy encourages them unfortunately.

SueDonim Mon 02-Dec-24 17:48:08

Are you sure they are fruit flies? I learnt from GN about fungus gnats and it turned out that what I thought were FFs were actually FGs. If you have any house plants, it could be them.

They come into the house on plant compost, apparently because compost nowadays is no longer sterilised as it used to be. When I lost my house plants (thank you, cats) the FGs went as well.

JamesandJon33 Mon 02-Dec-24 18:23:17

I was told to sprinkle cinnamon around, and it did work.

valdavi Mon 02-Dec-24 18:30:35

They are not nice, my fruit bowl lives next to the garden & compost does encourage them so I get them in a really hot spell. But apparently they are no risk to health, unlike bluebottles which are a major risk to health, so follow the helpful tips on here & I'm sure they'll go.

Whingey Mon 02-Dec-24 19:31:38

Mum had a fruit fly so I waved a newspaper to get it out. Car outside went honk. Mum said blimey you must have whacked his bum!

Allira Mon 02-Dec-24 19:38:47

SueDonim

Are you sure they are fruit flies? I learnt from GN about fungus gnats and it turned out that what I thought were FFs were actually FGs. If you have any house plants, it could be them.

They come into the house on plant compost, apparently because compost nowadays is no longer sterilised as it used to be. When I lost my house plants (thank you, cats) the FGs went as well.

I bought a couple of small packets of compost to repot indoor plants and was horrified spot see loads of little gnats emerging and flying around.

Allira Mon 02-Dec-24 19:39:17

spot confused
to

Oreo Mon 02-Dec-24 20:16:38

Allira

SueDonim

Are you sure they are fruit flies? I learnt from GN about fungus gnats and it turned out that what I thought were FFs were actually FGs. If you have any house plants, it could be them.

They come into the house on plant compost, apparently because compost nowadays is no longer sterilised as it used to be. When I lost my house plants (thank you, cats) the FGs went as well.

I bought a couple of small packets of compost to repot indoor plants and was horrified spot see loads of little gnats emerging and flying around.

I have some of these tiny flies cos I re potted a couple of plants, they go in and out of the pots and fly about near them.
They’re so tiny! Harmless things.

Quizzer Tue 03-Dec-24 13:18:18

Are you sure they are fruit flies? I get flies from the soil in my pot plants. They are like house flies but vey tiny. Even if you spray them the eggs seem to survive in the compost and it takes 2 or 3 sprays to get rid of them.

DeeAitch56 Tue 03-Dec-24 13:39:29

Got them for the first time this year, unfortunately home remedies didn’t work so ended up buying some little bottles of killer liquid that they get attracted to and drown in it

HeavenLeigh Tue 03-Dec-24 13:41:00

What is the killer liquid you bought zDeeAitch56

Doodledog Tue 03-Dec-24 13:50:39

I've got a case of fungus gnats just now. I thought I'd got rid of the blighters when I last repotted my houseplants and stuck those yellow flags in all the pots. I caught lots of them, and thought that was that, but maybe they have a lifecycle that means a new generation has hatched or the central heating has brought them to life? Something has happened though, and I'm sick of them hovering about. Any ideas welcome. I'd Nepalm the things if I could.

dotpocka Tue 03-Dec-24 13:55:30

shallow bowl with vinagar adrop of soap

Sarahr Tue 03-Dec-24 14:38:23

They get into an cracks and crevices and just wait to come out to annoy you. It's not because your house is unclean, they are just as happy in a totally sterile home too.

Greciangirl Tue 03-Dec-24 15:27:29

I had a lot of them during the summer when it was warm.
They hovered around bunches of bananas I bought.

I realised this after trying to fathom out where they were coming from.

After that I covered them with a tea towel.
They seem to appear around bruised or very ripe fruit.

tictacnana Tue 03-Dec-24 15:58:28

Citronella candles. Work like a treat. Have just received my order of 100 for the next invasions. They smell lovely and the fruit flies HATE them.

Daffydilly Tue 03-Dec-24 16:42:33

Are you sure they're fruit flies? There's a type of gnat that loves the moist top inch of so of a houseplant.

A thin layer of gravel will help, as will watering from the bottom rather than the top. The little blighters can take months to die out, though.

jocork Tue 03-Dec-24 22:13:59

I keep an empty plastic container to put veg peelings netc in before transfering them to the garden bin. Afew weeks ago I had a small plague of fruit flies so cleaned it out and haven't seen any since. However a friend mentioned she had had a lot around that time so there must have been something around that time which encouraged them, not just me having not cleaned the container enouigh.

Milliedog Tue 03-Dec-24 22:22:01

If they are fungus gnats, the beat thing to do is to get rid of your houseplants. When you replace them, spread a thick layer of gravel / chipping on the top of the soil and only water from the bottom. I speak from bitter experience 😪

Diggingdoris Tue 03-Dec-24 22:31:49

You can get rid of fungus gnats easily. Strike a few matches then blow them out and push head down into compost. They don't like the sulphur.

Allira Tue 03-Dec-24 23:16:50

Oh, interesting tip.
Sulphur dioxide, of course.