I can barely contain myself to write this, as I sit, writing in irritation over the insane amount of fruit flies that have recently taken up residence in my apartment!
As a Jacksonville resident all of my life, I've never dealt with so many, while my boyfriend, a St. Louis native, says this is nothing new to him since coming to Florida.
I'm used to seeing one or two as summer approaches, and with a thorough clean-up (usually around the trash area), I kill a few, and they're gone.
But this time, nothing seems to be working! The kitchen is now spotless, the garbage disposal is clean, and we're making sure to wash dishes as soon as we're done with them.
Our apartment is in a wooded area, right near a lake, so maybe that has something to do with it.
But does anyone have tips on how to kill them in mass, and keep them away?
(http://www.thereheis.com/nucleus3.22/media/gallery/20071210-fruit%20fly.jpg)
I feel your pain, carlamechele. Our house was recently plagued by a swarm of ordinary houseflies; seemingly out of nowhere. We did the same tasks as you describe (took out trash, chemically nuked the drains and neurotically cleaned) but still they persisted for around a week! I swear I must have missed one of the angels trumpeting.
We had to resort to those horrid hanging glue strips of death, but they worked and the population dwindled after a few days. Just stick them in inconspicuous areas where they've been hanging out. Heaven help you if you walk into one.
It's your boyfriend. You gotta 86 him.
bottle of stale beer near that glue strip will help.
Plus, they tend to land on light-to-white surfaces... cabinets, walls, TV screens...
If you have a vacuum with a wand, you can easily suck them up into that when they're just sitting there.
I hate those buggers. >:(
http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Rid-of-Fruit-Flies
Instead of dish detergent,use some of that Gulf oil.
Are they fruit flys or regular house flys? If the latter, then you can buy traps that you put water in and then hang AWAY from your house. They stink like anything, but all of the flies within a quarter mile are attracted to the thing and drown in the water. Totally disgusting, but they work and after a few days they are eliminated.
Fruit flies are delicate little things and the least whiff of insecticide, even on your screens will kill them.
The fruit flies are coming from your drains. You need to treat them for a week straight, everyday, to get rid of them. They lay eggs in the slime inside the pipes, and no, a little whiff of insecticide won't make them go away. As you treat the drains, get some little fly traps and put them on your counter. Should alleviate the problem. Good luck.