http://www.care2.com/greenliving/fruit-flies-ask-annie.html
Fruit Flies? Ask Annie
posted by Annie B. Bond Sep 5, 2008 5:00 pm
Dear Annie,
How do I get rid of those pesky fruit flies? –Richard, VA
Dear Richard,
Very ripe fruit always seems to draw fruit flies and they seem to pop in out of nowhere! One way to eliminate them is to remove ripe fruit. If the fruit isn’t rotten and can still be eaten, put it in the fridge or make a fruit salad, to use it up. Otherwise, the old folk formula for deterring fruit flies is basil. You can buy basil oil in health food stores. It is in the essential oil section. Add 1 teaspoon to one cup of water in a spray bottle, and spray the area. Another idea would be to put some potted basil plants on the kitchen counter near the fruit. Good luck!
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14 comments
add your comment »I have potted Basil on my kitchen counter and still the fruitflies are flying. I bought a couple of the fruitfly traps from GardenSupply.com and they work great.
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Hi Annie, can you please tell me if it is good fengshui to place a money plant near the kitchen sink, thanks.
Have a good day, cheers, Cheng
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Fruit flies love to make their home in the dirt of houseplants too. If you have a lot of plants in your kitchen, it might help to move them elsewhere. At least until you can get rid of the fruit flies.
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Can I also BOIL the basil, then put it in the spray bottle to spray the fruit? or let it cool before applying? or just put the basil then spray? Thank you for this idea.
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Does anyone know how to get rid of termites the green way? Please help, rent a house and the landord plays deaf. I need help immediately.
Thanks
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Cindy A's tip is what I use. (Though I use an old yogurt cup, and just about any leftover fruit/veggie scraps will attract them. I have noticed the sweeter, the better!) This works wonders. What I usually do is empty the trap outside either when it's full or daily (whichever happens first). I change the bait every other day or so because it will get moldy & stinky. Plus, if you leave the flies too long, they will lay larvae in the trap, producing more flies (which sometimes do manage to pull a Houdini).
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Thanks Jana, These all sound delicious!
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Here's some great ones from Care2:
Fresh No-Cook Tomato Sauce
Super Quick Fresh Tomato Soup
Savory Tomato Bread Pudding
There's even a recipe for your face!
Fresh Tomato Skin Cleanser
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great tips, especially now that the tomatoes from my garden are filling the kitchen counters. BTW, does anyone have a good recipe that uses lots of ripe tomatoes?
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Fruit flies were driving me crazy but I've found that bowls of apple cider vinegar with a bit of dish detergent to eliminate the surface tension works week at getting them. Red wine worked too, but it was so dark I couldn't see the flies till I dumped it out. I can't believe how many I've caught with the apple cider vinegar though!
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