How to get rid of fruit flies and ants without poison

Fruit flies of course, are attracted to fruit, and some vegetables, especially if it is over ripened, or rotting. When fruit over ripens, it begins to ferment, and of course that's how we make wine, beer, and vinegar, so these beverages will also attract the flies as well. In this article I will show you how to use old fruit, or any fermented beverage you make have as a trap for the flies, using only common bottles or jars that you will likely have available.

It is very important however to make sure that your bait, is the only thing the flies have to eat. So any fruit and vegetables from now until the flies are gone will need to be stored in the refrigerator. If you eat fruit or vegetables like tomatoes, make sure that any leftovers,or peelings are either thoroughly ran through the garbage disposal, or taken outside. The remainder of old fruit that you select for the bait can be placed into a container, and put into the refrigerator. If there are any eggs are larvae on the fruit, the cold of the refrigerator will cause them to go into a semi state of suspended animation.

Until you have the fly problem under control, you should thoroughly wash any new fruit or vegetables brought home, and promptly put it away into the refrigerator, otherwise you could be in for repeated infestations.

Another method is to take old fruit and place it into a jar with an inch of water in the bottom. This concoction will Begin to ferment, and the flies will be drawn to it. You may also want to add a little sugar and a pinch of yeast to it as well. A peanut butter, or mayonnaise jar works well for this, but you can use whatever you have. That's the beauty of these fly traps. The jars can be plastic or glass, it doesn't matter, however, the cap should be plastic.

To make this trap, you will need to drill a quarter inch hole in the middle of the plastic cap. You should never use power tools unless you are competent in their use. If you do not own a drill, maybe a friend can help. After the hole has been drilled, sand the perimeter of the hole so that it is smooth. When you have done this, put your ingredients into the jar, screw the lid onto it, and set it into place. Whenever you see flies in the jar, just place a finger tip over the 1/4" hole, and shake. The flies will be drowned. Afterward, unscrew the cap, and wash the cap clean, then screw it back onto the jar. Old grapes work well for this trap, but a mixture of fruit may work even better. It's also a good idea to make sure that some of the fruit is floating, giving the flies a place to land. Experiment with whatever fruit you have available. Some of the flies will simply drown on their own.

It's important not to let the trap sit too long with the same old bait. You don't want to create a breeding ground for the the flies, so never let the bottle sit for more than three days without cleaning it out, and restocking with new bait.

If you do not have the means of drilling a 1/4" hole in a lid or cap, there's another way. What you will need is some type of bottle that has a lid, and the old fruit previously mentioned. Over ripened fruit usually works best, but any fruit will do. You will need to put the fruit into the container without getting it onto the mouth of the vessel. If you get it onto the top of the bottle, then the flies will congregate there instead of flying down into the bottom. I have used empty water bottles, because we usually have them in our recycle bin. One problem with most water bottles however, is the openings, or mouth of the bottle is a little narrow. To get the fruit into the bottom, cut it into pieces small enough to fit through the opening, then place a funnel into the mouth of the bottle and push the fruit through. If you do not have a funnel, then you can make one by rolling a piece of paper into a cone shape. The bottles that most sports drinks come in have wide openings, and you can just drop the pieces of fruit inside. The main objective with this type of trap is to keep the opening clean.

You will want to put the lid in a convenient place, but not beside the the bottle, as they flies will Begin to take off when you reach for it. After the bottle has been sitting for a while, get the cap, move in, slap it onto the top of the bottle, and screw it on. The flies are skittish, so the faster you act the better. If you have a number of flies inside, then discard the bottle, and set up another trap.

Since the flies are attracted to fermenting fruit, it only makes sense that they would also be attracted to wine. If you have a fruit fly problem, and you have ever left a glass of wine sitting out, chances are that you have found fruit flies on the glass, or in it. So, for the third method you will again need a jar and a cap with a 1/4" hole in it. Simply pour about one inch of wine, beer, or vinegar into the jar. Then sit it in place. Some of the flies will drown in these fermented liquids on their own, but being pro-active will speed up the process. Once again, place a finger tip over the opening of the bottle cap and give a few shakes to drown the flies.

You can also use a drinking glass, a rubber band, and a sandwich bag to create the same type of trap. Start by snipping a small hole in the corner in the sandwich bag, then pour two inches of a fermented liquid into a glass. Next place the sandwich bag over the top of the glass so that it creates a downward funnel shape, with the hole at the bottom. Next take a rubber band and wrap it around the sandwich bag to hold it in place. Sit it in place and wait.

It's a good idea to create a variety of the traps that I have suggested and place them around the problem area. Find out which type of trap, fruit, or fermented liquid works best for you.

One of the most obvious ways of getting fruit flies is via the fruit that you buy, but that's not the only way. Fruit flies have a very keen sense of smell, and can pick up the scent of fruit from blocks away. They might come from a neighbors garbage, or from a neighborhood garden, including yours. When fruit or vegetables begin to over ripen, or rot, they attract fruit flies. If some of those fruit flies pick up the scent of fruit inside your home, they just hang out and wait for the chance to get in.

When you buy fruit it may not have any flies with it, but it could have hundreds of tiny fruit fly eggs, or larvae that will become flies in a weeks time. That's why it is a good idea to thoroughly wash fruit when you first bring it home.

Now we will look at a natural way to get rid of ants.

This remedy is so easy, and yet so effective. All that you need to do to rid yourself of household ants is simply take the bottle top from a water bottle, or any cap for that matter, fill it with cornmeal, and set it where you have the ant problem. You don't have to worry about pets getting poisoned, or food contamination, since most problems occur in the kitchen.

It may take a week or two, but this works. The ants can't digest cornmeal. They will take it to their queen, and feed her as well and eventually they will all die. It is important to make sure that all they have to eat is the cornmeal.

Since I enjoy eating fruit, and have a number of critters that like fruit as well, I have encountered the problem with fruit flies more than once. Not wanting to expose my little furry friends to any toxins, I decided to try to trap the flies. Knowing that fruit flies like spoiled fruit, I decided to use that as bait, and an empty drinking bottle seemed like the perfect trap. Later on I experimented with different containers, and bait as well. I found out that even flies have a difference of taste.

I have also had problems with those little ants that get into everything. A relative told me about using cornmeal. I tried it, and it worked. I'm always looking for natural remedies that work, and these do.

Randall Guinn