Jar Love #6: Fruit Fly Pest Control

Jars are pretty. They hold pretty, pretty things. And pretty nutritious things. And then sometimes, they hold not so pretty things, yet they prove for the millionth time to be pretty darn useful.

Check this out.

For the past several months we've had a problem with flies. Tiny, red, pesky flies. Just buzzing around our house, particularly the kitchen and the bathroom. They were irritating to say the least, but they made me paranoid too. Is my house dirty? Are my cleaning skills not up to par? Do I have a problem?

Finally one day I got so fed up I went online and researched the little buggers. Turns out I did have a problem and that problem was called "fruit flies". Fruit flies are attracted to produce that is sitting on your counter. So I put the produce away.

But the flies didn't go away. So I did some more research. Fruit flies can be attracted to food remaining in your garbage disposal. So I was extra diligent in making sure the disposal was clean. And the counter was clean. And the kitchen in it's entirety was clean.

But the fruit flies remained. In my bathroom too. Which was void of produce and garbage disposals anyway.

Grr.

Finally I read that cider vinegar in jars placed in areas that are fruit-fly-infested will do the trick.

Jars, you say?

I prepared my jars, placed one in the bathroom and one in the kitchen, and in one week's time my home was fruit-fly-less! And still is!

In case you have the same problem, you will need:

jar

cider vinegar

aluminum foil

Pour cider vinegar (and it must be cider vinegar! Apparently the smell resembles rotting fruit, aka fruit fly crack) into jar. You don't need much. Just enough to drown the little buggers.

Place aluminum foil over jar opening. 

Poke ONE hole into foil. (When I first did this I poked several holes and soon realized the flies were just coming and going as they pleased. My husband had the insight to change the foil and poke ONE hole. This way the flies go in, but can't quite figure how to get back out.  Not the smartest link on the food chain.)

Place jars in kitchen and bathroom.

Change out cider vinegar every couple of days.

After a week you ought to be free of your fruit-loving pests! 

Jars save the day again!