|dreams

Howto get rid of the fruit flies in your kitchen with very little effort.

Even in an insanely cold country like Sweden summer is the season of fruit flies. Here’s a way of getting rid of them I found on USENET a few years ago. It works quite well.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• One small glass jar.

• One piece of thin paper. Newspaper paper is perfect.

• Vinegar.

• Hand-washing dish detergent.

Make a funnel out of the paper. It should fit snuggly into the jar or the fruit flies will be able to escape. This is actually a bit tricky but using newspaper paper, instead of copier paper, makes it somewhat less tricky. Once it fits you trim can away the surplus paper.

Pour some vinegar into the jar, just enough to cover the bottom of the jar. Fruit flies like decomposing fruit, which is pretty much what vinegar is. If you don’t have any vinegar around you can use beer or wine. Vinegar, in my experience, is more effective though. Put in one drop of the detergent. This will decrease the surface tension in the vinegar and increase the chance of the flies drowning. I use hand-washing dish detergent, but if you don’t have any I guess liquid soap or shampoo will do.

Now put the funnel back in and place the jar near the flies. To speed up the effect you can use multiple traps. You also need to deprive the flies of food sources. Store your fruit in the fridge or in a closed container. Use a trash can with a lid and take the trashed out every day.