As I'm new to this raw living lifestyle I've got kind of an odd question.

I've always kept fruit in the house for my kids, but not nearly as many as I do now. I like to keep them in a bowl on the counter for easy access for both me and them. Aside from that, I have all the empty space in my fridge filled with green and crunchy veggies.

Well I'm starting to have lots of fruit flies - or gnats - buzzing around my kitchen. This just started the last few days and I was wondering if anyone can tell me, other than keeping my fruits in the fridge, how do I keep them out?

It's kind of annoying and makes me feel like my kitchen is dirty. I like to keep a nice clean kitchen at all times and this is really starting to irritate me - and my family.

Tobie

i cover my bowls (tuck under the edges) with cheesecloth or mosquito netting if yo cant find fine enough cheese cloth seems to keep them away enough that they dont flourish .. worst i ahve flies is in sept/oct it seems ... if i didnt know anybetter id say they were coming in form outside but they only have a short lifespan so i dont know

anyhoo i found the cheese cloth helps and if it doesnt i stick em in the fridge and put out the plastic fruit for decoration

i have also considered raising pitcher plants, venus flytraps, etc. to help with problem ..cuz well theyre really neat and kinda creepy all at the same time

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist




Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/08/2008 01:17AM by Jgunn.

Heh...heh. There are ALREADY fruit fly eggs in many fruit skins. As soon as the sugars ripen...and temperatures are warm....well there you go. As you said, the best bet is to limit oxygen and lower temperature. You CAN do one or the other...but it's hit and miss. If you have no room in your refrigerator (which is the easy solution) then I would recommend a separate cooler....or make your own Zeer Pot! LOL.

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-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com

This just
> started the last few days

Your garbage change over the last few days? Take it out recently or has it been sitting there?

I always get them when I let the trash build up. Bannana Peels are the main attraction along with fruit like apple cores or orange peels rotting in the garbage..That's the attraction more than whole fruit just hanging around unless it's overly ripe. If you eat a lot of bannanas, might want to let the peels collect in a zip lock bag so you can at least keep it sealed well.



> It's kind of annoying and makes me feel like my
> kitchen is dirty. I like to keep a nice clean
> kitchen at all times and this is really starting
> to irritate me - and my family.
>
> Tobie

Yeah, those things are a nuisance and they multiply like crazy.

Easy fix. Plastic container with a cover. Or a glass jar. Fill it half way with apple cider vinegar and poke holes in the cover. The suckers crawl through the holes to go after the vinegar and can't get out so they drown.

Also, do you blend or juice a lot? When washing a blender or juicer, sometimes the leftover fruit/juices end up sitting around the drain area. (I've found fruit flies there) So pour something down it to clean the drains like baking soda+white vinegar.... or if you don't mind chemicals..Draino type stuff.

If you drink Kombucha, they're attracted to that too. I had a bag of empty bottles collecting once and I think they were using it as a breeding ground.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/08/2008 02:32AM by LikeItOrNot.

Thanks for the tips guys.

I think the problem is more of overripening of the fruit than it sitting in the garbage since I make sure my garbage is taken out daily. And I always make sure to have bananas on hand because I love them in my smoothies.

I'll definitely put these tips to use and hopefully I can get them gone!

Tobie

I vacuum the little booggers as much as I can.

Also, beware that they try to fly into your mouth and they do bite. I've been bitten by one. Guess it though I was a fruit. Oh, it hurts by the way.

Therese

weird thing just this week
i noticed what i thought was mouse droppings under the cooler drawers in my refridge
very odd.
so i layed a bed of baking soda to watch for mice footprints

today when i looked again there were the droppings as before
but no mice tracks
so i put my glasses on for closer inspection only to find
the droppings are actually dead gnats!

i suppose they hatch from eggs embedded in the store bought fruit
or come in on the apples i collect in the yard