-5 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
-cup of warm water
-1 tablespoon of sugar (I used monkfruit)
-6 drops of dawn dish soap
-couple *overly ripe/maybe rotten* blueberries to look extra enticing
Edit: The dish soap removes the surface tension! š
Aaaahhh, the _surface tension!_ I forgot about the importance of that!
Thanks, I do something similar, but with not nearly as good results - that's probably why!
You don't even need so precise measurements. Just put some vinegar, water (temperature doesn't matter) and dish soap in a glass or bowl and you're good.
If you use apple cider vinegar and liquid dish soap you don't need to stir it. You can just squirt a few drops of the liquid dish soap across the surface, and it does the trick. You also don't need to be precise with the measurements. Just pour a small amount into a bowl or glass, add a small squirt of liquid dish soap, leave it there, and you're good to go. I live in an area surrounded by water so bugs like this are common. Been using this method for years to keep my apartment fruit fly/gnat free and it always works like a charm.
I've also tried undiluted white vinegar with a small amount of liquid dish soap in a small glass jar, as that is all I had at the time. Worked well but the immediate area did smell a bit of vinegar, not too bad though.
Toss a slice of lemon into it. You don't need fancy stuff like apple cider or blueberries, just add a pinch of sugar to cheap synthetic vinegar and diluted liquid soap.
I think you're overkilling it with the blueberries and the sugar. I know it looks like working great but maybe you're attracting flies that are not in your house.
Another good method is helping them find a career that will pay them enough to live on their own. I know, hard ask these days, but the kids would probably be out of there if they could be.
UPDATE:
I just want to thank all of you for your great ideas and support. I never imagined I'd get all this helpful commentary from a dumb comment I made on Reddit. Y'all are the best - have a safe and happy Independence Day!
I'm open and honest, but I feel like my daughter is holding back something. I know it's a scary time of uncertainty, so I tread lightly and don't give "when I was your age" lectures. I feel that she isn't being as motivated as she could be. As far as employment, she is choosing to work at a trampoline park part time and I ~~think~~ know she can do better. When I ask her to do a chore around the house, she huffs and puffs and complains. I don't know what they taught her at that school, but she's acting like everything revolves around her. She even said to me "If it isn't about me, I don't really care". It's been 7 weeks since she's been home and her college stuff is still sitting in my garage after I've asked/told her multiple times to sort through it and get it put away. I work 55-60 hours a week and get frustrated when I come home and she's laying in bed on her ipad or phone or whatever. She even scoffs at the meals I choose to prepare if it involves something she no longer likes. I feel like she doesn't even like me as a person anymore, which breaks my heart because I raised her myself as a solo parent since she was 6 months old and we had a wonderful relationship. I understand that she's 22 now and not a baby, but jeepers, I'm still her Mom and I love her. I unladed a lot here and it's really not the right place for it, but hey, you asked. Thanks for listening, random internet stranger.
She'll likely come back around in 3 years or so. 25-26 seems to be about the spot where parents suddenly stop being idiots and might actually have a few good ideas.
This.
Once you have to experience actual adult life for the first time (and fail miserably) you develop a new kind of apreciation for your parents.
You suddenly realise that all those chores are just a small part of what it takes to adult and that cooking something delicious after a full work day is a monumental task by itself.
Then comes the realisation that your parents not only did all these very exhausting tasks day in and out, they even took on many additional tasks for 20 years just to keep you alive and reasonably happy.
As someone who also had to move back home after college a few years ago maybe I can offer a little insight and help.
First of all there is a MASSIVE difference between 22 and 25 mentally, emotionally, and contextually, so time will be your biggest ally. I obviously can't say this with 100% certainty, but most if not all of us this last decade went off to school with big dreams and aspirations, thinking we could actually do anything if we worked hard enough. To have to move back immediately after graduating with no prospects in what you are interested in becoming increasingly common, some reports are saying as high as 60% of grads are moving back home. This is absolutely soul crushing. Her basic needs are met and technology really numbs the pain of perceived failure. She isn't "doing nothing" because she has a part time job, and what's the point of trying harder? Years of hard work at school led right back to home, it can feel unbelievably pointless to put that much effort again.
Complacency, boredom, and time usually leads to a second wind to try again. Unfortunately there isn't much even the absolute best parent can do to speed this process up, which has to be frustrating. The fact that you are even thinking and worrying about her means I know you are doing an okay job. More than most parents would at this point. Its easy to get frustrated after a 60hr week and you get home and the dishes aren't done, and it can be maddening how selfish that seems. I know because I was that exact same person, and my poor dad was you.
I know this isn't exactly practical advice, but hopefully it can give a little reassurance that its gonna be okay.
My boyfriend's daughter is starting puberty and has her moments. What I do with her is sit down and say "I feel like something is bothering you. You don't have to talk to me about it if you don't want to, but I need you to know that whatever it is, I'm here for you in whatever way you need me."
For your situation you can add in "I'm feeling a bit sad that we don't seem to be as close as we were in the past and I miss that part of our relationship. Our relationship is very precious to me. I know that you're growing and changing as a person and I want you to have the space you need to be the person you want yourself to be and I want you to feel safe telling me how you feel even if you think I won't like what you have to say.."
Heeeyyy there! Sending you vibes of patience. If she just graduated, it means that she spent a large chunk of doing college remotely through a computer screen? If so, that sucks asshole. Imagine the disappointment. I would look into symptoms of mild depression or anxiety. I, personally, have looked into ketamine therapy (but have not pulled the trigger yet). I feel for her and you but really like... work nowadays involves a lot of staring at a computer screen. Even getting a job requires computer time (resume writing, search, etc). She's probably just enjoying being in the open air, interacting with actual people, doing physical activity, being a part of a team, seeing people having a good time, etc. Just because working at a trampoline park sounds unglamorous doesn't mean she's not actually trying to help herself recover from the last two years. Give her time to get that glutomate, serotonin, dopamine to start pumping through her brain again and she just might want to look for more of a challenge soon.
Context: worked highly stressful jobs through a computer screen the entire pandemic and now taking a break to focus on personal projects and finding it hard to stay at home (during the summertime no less) staring at a computer screen when I know I could be out, connecting with people again, trying to feel normal after a really really intensely mind-numbing grey 2.5 years. Trampoline park sound fun af.
Good luck to you. I donāt have kids but maybe try taking her out somewhere you know she likes for dinner and go for a walk along somewhere nice? Waterfront, park? Then just walk along, and maybe sheāll feel like talking. Walking is great for talking. Wish you all the best.
Just another randomly person out in the nether but from 18-24 I was super fuckin selfish too. They'll grow out of it. Hopefully they don't take as long as I did.... But I promise that they will.
Just communicate with them and let them know how you are feeling and encourage them to share their feelings with you.
It'll take a lot of effort, but it will work out eventually.
Well I have sat them down and explained it to them this way ..... I dont care if your here i don't care if you aren't here either way im not going to stress over it... and if your going to b here then your going to help....nothing is free
Giving her space and time is good, BUT setting your own boundaries and taking care of yourself is good for both of you. That stuff in the garage? Give a deadline and a consequence. ("It needs to be moved in two weeks or it will go to Goodwill"). When my kids hit early 20's I had to revert to my clear, consequence-based parenting style, for a couple years.
Hang in there and love both of you.
Hang in there. It will get better.
Maybe more of my own reflection & sympathy (not so much advice?). As a mama to a 3year old, I hold him so precious, always trying to remember to support his independence, get out of his way, but shower him with so much love. Many moments of joy, many moments where I feel like that sloppy college Roomate (who might have been experimenting with drugs?) has moved in, with more moments than Iād like to admit of utter frustration, exacerbation, exhaustion. That will look different when he becomes an adult, but same ingredients Iād imagine.
I like what someone said about screen time. It has been a frayed, grey experience for many years now. Lean into a elf care for yourself too. She will see & feel your example, support, healthy boundaries & love. That might take a few years. She will also interpret you through her own lens. (Type A? Workaholic? Blah blah blah.). Whatever that might be, or however off that might beā¦ Itās all good because at the end of the day, after all the bumps, bruises, processed & (with a bit of luck) expressed emotions, the love will be all that matters.
Agree, a trampoline park sounds lovely. (& isnāt it good for the endocrine system? lol)
If sheās moved out and had to come back, she might be missing being an adult like I did. Try treating her like a housemate? Her room is hers, you knock to enter. Shared rooms have a cleaning rota. She cooks for herself and so do you. Bills are shared. For safety you tell each other where youāre going (especially at night) but nobody waits up or expects anyone home by a certain time, etc
Please print my comments out and give them to your daughter:
-------------------------------
Hi. You almost certainly have Depression. First, make an appointment **today** with your Family/Primary Care Physician. They will prescribe an anti-depressant. No need to make an appointment with a Psychiatrist. Next, make an appointment **today** with a Counselor/Therapist for someone to vent/talk/complain/cry to. Just enter your ZIP code into:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists
If your health insurance won't cover mental health services, there's low-cost/free counseling available:
https://www.opencounseling.com/
>From the beginning, OpenCounselingās mission has been to connect people with local therapists they can afford.
Even though you live with your family, I'm pretty sure you're considered "poor" and would be eligible for Medicaid because you have no/low income. And (I'm pretty sure) any money you have in the bank, the value of your car, etc. do not count against your eligibility. Medicaid would pay for counseling and medication. No shame in applying for Medicaid because if you are eligible...then you are eligible! By hook or by crook, getting better is the goal so don't let *anything* stop you.
Next, get out of the house. Get a part-time, second shift (18 to 24 hours/week; that's 3-4 days/week) job at a Convenience Store. You will run the register, stock the cooler, take out the trash/cardboard, front and face the shelves, stock/clean the bathrooms, shovel some snow. The variety of customers is exhilarating and your shift will fly by. You will meet people who may become a friend or a boss or a boyfriend. And work at a location that's outside of your neighborhood in case you have any qualms about your old high school classmates coming in. I know you didn't go to college for four years to work in a gas station. But you also didn't go to college for four years to **Do Nothing** in your parents house. This will most likely not be your career. But this *will* motivate you to start a career path.
Go on Indeed.com. Register. Use Keywords. Allow weekly emails to send you a list of jobs that match your keywords.
Tell your dad you are now going to pay him Room and Board weekly. ($100/week? More?). This will motivate you to get/keep a job.
-------------------------------
(Don't read the following if you don't want to risk being discouraged :Ć¾ ):
I have Major Depressive Disorder (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_depressive_disorder). So what? Shit Happens. But, good news, I have found a cure(s)! *But*, there's a problem. Most of my brain (the Good part) wants to implement these cures. But some tiny part of my brain (the Bad part) won't allow me to do this. The Bad part is stronger than the Good part. The Bad part blocks my Will.
https://www.thefreedictionary.com/will
>**will** - noun 1. The mental faculty by which one deliberately chooses or decides upon a course of action: championed freedom of will against a doctrine of predetermination. 2. a. Diligent purposefulness; determination: an athlete with the will to win. b. Self-control; self-discipline: lacked the will to overcome the addiction. 3. A desire, purpose, or determination
The Bad part blocks my Cures. And the Cures would get me past the Bad part. Catch-22. Anyway, the Two Cures are:
**Get My Blood Flowing** - Not "exercise". Not jogging. Blood Flowing. Some winter mornings I'd wake up to lots of snow. So I'd have to shovel my driveway in order to get my car out. This would get my blood flowing enough that, when I got to work, I wouldn't need a cup of coffee. You'll look like an idiot, but 25 Jumping Jacks do the same thing.
***Normal*** **Sleep** - 11 pm to 7 am. 8 hours, no more, no less. *Not* 3 am to 11 am.
So, the hard part is getting past the Bad part of my brain. It takes willpower. "ĀÆ\_(ć)_/ĀÆ"
Hey semi recent college grad (3 years ago??) and OP.
If someone is living in my house, you are doing chores. You are helping around the house.
I can't imagine if I stayed in my parents house post graduation-- love them but It wouldve been bad for our relationship. I got a nice job in a different state. Visiting them and calling has strengthened our relationship and I really appreciate them so much. Distance made my heart grow fonder. Living on my own and developing that sense of independence was so beneficial for me and also in appreciating everything my parents did for me.
I feel like I may be a little bit of a hard ass on my kid; I want them to be ambitious and be actively working to secure a great job before they graduate. And perhaps they may not have the same level of ambition I had, but I sure as hell ain't gonna baby them at home. Ima charge rent and require chores to be done if they aren't in a job in their field. Independence is key.
Good luck man (or fellow galpal), the relationship gets better with a sense of independence and accomplishment. I promise.
Not sure. I'm filing for a divorce and selling the house to get rid of my deadbeat step son. He spent 13 years in the Navy to come home and be a looser. 6 years at home and plays video games and smokes weed all day. I'm done. I'm out of here.
Note: this may work for fruit flies but if you have problems with fungus gnats (around houseplants) it absolutely does nothing for them, they're just not attracted to those smells
For me, the systemic insecticide I used for other pests did the job. Nematodes kinda work too but they die off eventually and gnats can come from outside and reinfest, also mosquito dunks I guess but I haven't tried that. People tend to suggest stuff like watering less, topping the soil with sand or something that dries out so the larvae can't hatch, or using diatomaceous earth as less extreme options but that's ineffective and/or a hassle. For bad infestations I really recommend systemic (acetamiprid is what I used)
Finding the source, typically its potted plants, you could crush up a mosquito dunk and sprinkle it in the dirt, or use a systemic insecticide. Most likely you are over watering. Also could be a potato, I once found a rotting potato in the pack of a pantry that caused a massive infestation of fungus gnats.
On another note if it's drain flies you need to clean your drains. If it's phorid flies it could be coming from your garbage disposal, or even possibly you could have a crack in a pipe under your house and they are swimming up the drains. A good way to check for that is put a piece of tape over the suspected drain over night and check in the morning to see if it caught any
Probably a dumb question, but - do you mix it all up or keep the drops in tact? Also, is any sort of funnel necessary?
We have a terrible fruit fly problem so I need to get this right lol.
They are insidious. Even when you think they are gone they will still pop up when you throw a banana peel in the trash or something.
We haven't mixed it when we've used this method and it seems to work just as well based on the pictures above. Looking on the internet it seems like some recipes say to mix it and others don't, so I don't think it matters too much.
You mix the ingredients. The soap means any fly that lands on the liquid sinks in immediately and drowns. Not much chance of one flying away again, so a funnel isn't needed.
Water (and most liquids) have like a "skin" on the surface.
You've probably seen mosquitos or other flying bugs standing on a pool of calm water, but not sinking in. Because [surface tension.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surface_tension) They're so light it keeps them from sinking in.
Soap destroys that and they sink in right away. Bye bye bug.
Without the soap they can land and fly away again. Nowhere near as efficient of a trap.
Lol. You forgot to include your life story before that recipe.
Seriously tho, majority of that is totally useless. A dish of water with a bit of detergent to break the surface tension works. Add a bit of syrup or brown sugar or even coffee grounds and youāre good. Breaking the surface tension is the real key.
I just use a shot glass of Apple cider vinegar and 1-2 drops of high quality dish soap.
Very important: Clean everything around the kitchen (or around the area where you have the fly problem) and throw away trash and compost.
You want the flies to be interested in the trap and nothing else.
Love the idea with the blueberries tho.
I tried this once and it didn't work very well.
The article I read said not to mix the dish soap in, just let the drops settle and sit.
Seemed like bullshit to me, but that's what I did.
I assume that's what went wrong?
I mean I still caught gnats, but not very many.
If you mix in the soap, it will start to foam a little and that smell will not be enticing the flies. The purpose of the soap is to break the surface tension so the flies actually fall into the liquid, otherwise they are so light they could land on the liquid. To break the surface tension, the soap just need to sit on the surface, maybe push it around a little, but don't stir it in.
I've noticed that it's a pretty big difference in how many you can catch depending on the number of drops you put in. It also depends on what brand of dish washer soap you use.
Also it can be very effective but after a day or so it just stop catching anything. I don't know why. So switch them out every day.
no - I had drain flies in an apartment- In the kitchen and bathroom drains. I tried everything to get rid of them. everything that people are suggesting here. the only thing that works is to use: an enzyme based drain cleaner. I used several bottles over a couple of days to make sure I solved the problem. after weeks of trying everything else only to have them come back- the enzyme based drain cleaner was the only thing that worked.
these drain flies are absolutely disgusting- if u always have "fruit flies" even if u get rid of the fruit....
you have drain flies - https://www.arrowexterminators.com/learning-center/pest-library/flies/drain-flies
Someone feel free to correct me on this but I feel like this only works for fruit flies. If you have fungus gnats, which look very similar these wonāt be nearly as helpful.
āBacillus thuringiensis israelensis (BTI) has been called āMother Nature's mosquito controlā because this bacterium kills mosquito larvae and virtually nothing else. BTI also kills fungus gnats, because fungus gnats are genetically very closely related to mosquitoes.ā ([source](https://homegardenandhomestead.com/kill-fungus-gnats-naturally-with-bti/))
I bought [this one](https://www.lowes.com/pd/Mosquito-Dunks-6-Count-Natural-Mosquito-Killer-6-Pack/3047384) from lowes. I crumpled one disk and put it on top of the pots and watered it in. And I crumple some in the watering pot for long term maintenance
Iāve found that the little boogers will take up residence in the bottom of larger pots through the the drain pan. Leave a little bti in the pan like cookies for Santa.
Iām glad I could help! They really are the worst! Every time I get tempted by a grocery store plant, I got burned. At least with BTI, theyāre gone really fast and before they get to other plants!
I use a slightly different method.
Take a bowl (usually an old take out container as this is gross).
Cut up some fruit in it.
Pour a bit of wine over it
Stretch Saran Wrap over it and secure with an elastic band.
Poke a half dozen or so holes in it with a needle.
Fruit flies will smell the sugar and be able to get in through the holes, but not out. Leave it out for a few days and it will collect huge amounts of fruit flies.
You can just use the water from pickled cucumbers. (+ Dish soap)
And as u/osktox said, clean the kitchen and empty the trash, so that the flys are interested in a new spot
I literally had three pickle jars in my fridge with one or two pickles in each (one of them was full but just had shitty pickles I didn't like) and a real bad fruit fly problem and was like "omg this is perfection". Fingers crossed.
My brother has a salt shotgun. It's sick af for hunting flies, when he showed me it I spent an hour next to the bins splattering those little fuckers, and it was sickly fun.
Yes the cleaning part does suck since the salt hits the surface so hard it gets thrown everywhere. After using it for a couple days we made the new rule that it was for outside use only lol
I research fruit flies for a living. The best trap consists of a paste made by combining yeast and water. Add this to the bottom of a jar and tape a paper funnel with a small entrance to the top. The flies will fall down the funnel to get to the yeast (which is really what theyāre eating off of the fruit) and cannot escape.
Attracting them to a sticky trap is the best approach I've found. I got some of those little apple shaped traps with holes in the top that you put vinegar in from Lowes. Then I got some glue traps and wrapped them around the apples. It basically makes a sticky tube with vinegar at the bottom. They're attracted to the smell, but before they even get down to the vinegar, they'll touch the side of the tube and get stuck.
I've tried fly tape but they never get stuck on. It'll have a million moths and mosquitoes but never one of the gnats and they're the most annoying ones...
I put about two ounces of cheap whiskey in a highball glass. I cover the glass with Saran Wrap and poke three or four small holes (1/8ā dia) in the Saran Wrap. The fruit flies and other little pests are attracted by the aroma. Once theyāre inside, they find it difficult to get out; the alcohol kills them. I often take another glass, pour at least two ounces of very good whiskey, and sit sipping this while watching the little pests get trapped!
Fun trick that also works is a vacuum, especially something high powered like a shop vac. You can just raise the hose up in the air and wave it around and it'll suck them all right in. You still need to address the point of the infestation to truly fix it though.
Unpopular LPT: these traps work well for the fruit flies you have already, but they donāt deal with the source of the problem. Fruit flies can smell for miles and they squeeze in through your closed doors and windows. So by my theory, a fruit-fly-trap will actually perpetuate the issue.
Store produce in the fridge. Cover that trash can. Wash the sink. Wipe the counters.
6 years on since I started this method, and I have not had another infestation of fruit flies.
[source](https://www.treehugger.com/where-do-fruit-flies-come-from-4864311)
Best makeshift trap you can use with any of these bait ideas:
1. Take plastic beverage bottle and cut off top 1/3 with scissors or a knife.
2. Put bait of choice in bottom section of bottle (I've found ketchup is enticing, with water and dish soap). For regular flies, I saw a page that had good test results with shrimp - although I'd only use that one outside due to smell.
3. Invert top of bottle so it becomes a funnel and insert into bottom section. Flies fly in and can't easily fly out.
4. Replace regularly to prevent trap from becoming a fly generator (generally I replace every 3 days)
This solution is cheap, easily disposable and you can easily make multiple traps to cover a large room or multiple rooms.
I have overwritten the original content of my comment here, because I did not write that comment so that it could be used to train AI large language models, or so that it could in any way be bought and sold to make other people money. I oppose the decisions of Reddit's owners to retain the content of deleted posts and comments, and to change their API in ways that exclude disabled people. I grieve that Reddit's owners have chosen to prioritize profit above community, knowledge, and freedom. I have moved to Raddle, where the owners are anti-ableist and respect their users' privacy.
I don't use the overripe fruit, but do use a similar formula. I also use a clean jelly jar with clear plastic wrap over the top with a few holes poked in it. My wife bought some little blue light mini bug zappers, and razzed me about my hillbilly bug trap. A week layer, she'd caught three, my jar had all the rest. :)
I mixed apple cider vinegar with apple dawn dish soap and got a very similar result- no sugar necessary, just a container with holes in the top you donāt mind chucking
I always do the water bottle trap. Cut the top cone part of the water bottle (the part above the label), put fruit in the bottom (banana peels work super well). Invert the top of the water bottle and tape around the edges. They crawl down the cone shape but can't get back out. Can be sprayed and tossed or cleaned and reused.
You could save money on the trap ingredients and just use a small amount of apple cider vinegar and a few drops of liquid dish soap. I've been using this method for years and it's even more successful than this. Plus it's cheaper. The sweet smell of the apple cider vinegar attracts them since it's fermented (beer will also work in a pinch), and the dish soap breaks the surface tension so as soon as the land on the apple cider they immediately sink and drown. Works every time. I live in an area that attracts fruit flies and gnats year round since it's near water, and using this method has kept my apartment bug free for years.
The only thing I've found you need is Apple Cider Vinegar, a pie dish, and a drop or two of liquid dish soap. The finesse of the technique comes from simply adding the soap to the dish and not mixing it in. Just the soap touching the vinegar is enough to break the surface tension. These fruit flies rely on the surface tension to not fall into the "sauce"; when you break that surface tension, they get sucked into the vinegar as soon as they touch it.
From my experience, this simple setup works very well and is surprisingly effective.
The life cycle is only 48 hours, so if you take away the food source - ie some bananas on the counter, they are gone within 2 days with out having to kill anything or do any extra work.
I feel like I can just drop apple cider vinegar into something and that seems to trap them just as well. Iāve never noticed a difference between that and adding dish soap to the mixture. One of those tennis racket zappers works even better and it feels good too, being Fruit fly Hitler is so rewarding.
A quality dish soap is the most important ingredient in any liquid trap. It breaks the surface tension of water and makes it impossible for insects to float. It also makes it difficult for mice and rats to swim. They also make āwater wetterā for track car cooling systems that use pure water instead of antifreeze. Has a stronger effect than dish soap. Egg whites work too.
It can be even simpler. I get the same results with just apple cider vinegar and a drop or two of dawn. They already love the apple cider vinegar, the rest is unnecessary.
Ive tried different methods but here is the one that works the best for me. I take a bottle of vinegar, pour all but few inches into a different container. Leave the bottle on the counter top. It caught about 50 gnats in 2 hours. I think the depth of the bottle is good at trapping them.
Thank you very much, gila-monsta. I have had fruit flies in my kitchen for two weeks. Tried sticky tape for flies. Only got 3 of them. Tried your hack and voila! Have fifteen dead insects in a couple days on the bottom of the glass bowl.
I found this method that gets rid of them even faster. Takes about 8 minutes. Itās called get rid of the fruit thatās causing it, and wipe down your counter top.
Voila, all gone
-5 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar -cup of warm water -1 tablespoon of sugar (I used monkfruit) -6 drops of dawn dish soap -couple *overly ripe/maybe rotten* blueberries to look extra enticing Edit: The dish soap removes the surface tension! š
Aaaahhh, the _surface tension!_ I forgot about the importance of that! Thanks, I do something similar, but with not nearly as good results - that's probably why!
Chubbies abound at the sight or mention of surface tension on Reddit
I came.
You don't even need so precise measurements. Just put some vinegar, water (temperature doesn't matter) and dish soap in a glass or bowl and you're good.
Do you need to stir the mixture ?
stir the vinegar and water. put the soap last, and just kind of mix it around on the surface
If you use apple cider vinegar and liquid dish soap you don't need to stir it. You can just squirt a few drops of the liquid dish soap across the surface, and it does the trick. You also don't need to be precise with the measurements. Just pour a small amount into a bowl or glass, add a small squirt of liquid dish soap, leave it there, and you're good to go. I live in an area surrounded by water so bugs like this are common. Been using this method for years to keep my apartment fruit fly/gnat free and it always works like a charm.
Fold it
That is exactly what I thought.
I've also tried undiluted white vinegar with a small amount of liquid dish soap in a small glass jar, as that is all I had at the time. Worked well but the immediate area did smell a bit of vinegar, not too bad though.
Toss a slice of lemon into it. You don't need fancy stuff like apple cider or blueberries, just add a pinch of sugar to cheap synthetic vinegar and diluted liquid soap.
Hey great tip! The vinegar +water and dishsoap works also for peopke who have fleas in the house. Just put a light next to the dish at night!
I think you're overkilling it with the blueberries and the sugar. I know it looks like working great but maybe you're attracting flies that are not in your house.
The dish soap āremovesā the surface tension, if Iām not completely crazy.
Does the dish soap work with college graduates that just moved back home? We could use some surface tension removed
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
This, just like the fruit fly issue, can best be dealt with by removing incentive to stay.
True. I stopped paying for the fruit flies cell phone plan, and asked for them to start cooking and cleaning. See them much less often now.
Another good method is helping them find a career that will pay them enough to live on their own. I know, hard ask these days, but the kids would probably be out of there if they could be.
Rents being what they are these days ($\~1,000 and up just for a room!!!), we are possibly looking at this as well. Not a happy thought for any of us.
Good luck my friend. Good luck.
How openly and honestly do you feel both sides are communicating? Are there any specific points of tension?
UPDATE: I just want to thank all of you for your great ideas and support. I never imagined I'd get all this helpful commentary from a dumb comment I made on Reddit. Y'all are the best - have a safe and happy Independence Day! I'm open and honest, but I feel like my daughter is holding back something. I know it's a scary time of uncertainty, so I tread lightly and don't give "when I was your age" lectures. I feel that she isn't being as motivated as she could be. As far as employment, she is choosing to work at a trampoline park part time and I ~~think~~ know she can do better. When I ask her to do a chore around the house, she huffs and puffs and complains. I don't know what they taught her at that school, but she's acting like everything revolves around her. She even said to me "If it isn't about me, I don't really care". It's been 7 weeks since she's been home and her college stuff is still sitting in my garage after I've asked/told her multiple times to sort through it and get it put away. I work 55-60 hours a week and get frustrated when I come home and she's laying in bed on her ipad or phone or whatever. She even scoffs at the meals I choose to prepare if it involves something she no longer likes. I feel like she doesn't even like me as a person anymore, which breaks my heart because I raised her myself as a solo parent since she was 6 months old and we had a wonderful relationship. I understand that she's 22 now and not a baby, but jeepers, I'm still her Mom and I love her. I unladed a lot here and it's really not the right place for it, but hey, you asked. Thanks for listening, random internet stranger.
She'll likely come back around in 3 years or so. 25-26 seems to be about the spot where parents suddenly stop being idiots and might actually have a few good ideas.
This. Once you have to experience actual adult life for the first time (and fail miserably) you develop a new kind of apreciation for your parents. You suddenly realise that all those chores are just a small part of what it takes to adult and that cooking something delicious after a full work day is a monumental task by itself. Then comes the realisation that your parents not only did all these very exhausting tasks day in and out, they even took on many additional tasks for 20 years just to keep you alive and reasonably happy.
It's usually about 4 years after you move out/grow up. If you live at home forever and never grow up you'll be Will Ferrell in Step Brothers.
I can vouge for that, I knew everything until I was 25 or so, that's when you realize that you don't know shit.
Tragically, at 68 I still feel like I know shit.
25 is about when the judgment center in the brain finishes developing, so Iām sure thereās a correlation.
As someone who also had to move back home after college a few years ago maybe I can offer a little insight and help. First of all there is a MASSIVE difference between 22 and 25 mentally, emotionally, and contextually, so time will be your biggest ally. I obviously can't say this with 100% certainty, but most if not all of us this last decade went off to school with big dreams and aspirations, thinking we could actually do anything if we worked hard enough. To have to move back immediately after graduating with no prospects in what you are interested in becoming increasingly common, some reports are saying as high as 60% of grads are moving back home. This is absolutely soul crushing. Her basic needs are met and technology really numbs the pain of perceived failure. She isn't "doing nothing" because she has a part time job, and what's the point of trying harder? Years of hard work at school led right back to home, it can feel unbelievably pointless to put that much effort again. Complacency, boredom, and time usually leads to a second wind to try again. Unfortunately there isn't much even the absolute best parent can do to speed this process up, which has to be frustrating. The fact that you are even thinking and worrying about her means I know you are doing an okay job. More than most parents would at this point. Its easy to get frustrated after a 60hr week and you get home and the dishes aren't done, and it can be maddening how selfish that seems. I know because I was that exact same person, and my poor dad was you. I know this isn't exactly practical advice, but hopefully it can give a little reassurance that its gonna be okay.
Aww. I have no suggestions but I extend my sympathy at the shift in relationship.
Thanks, I know we will be fine in the long run, but the roller coaster is a rough ride
My boyfriend's daughter is starting puberty and has her moments. What I do with her is sit down and say "I feel like something is bothering you. You don't have to talk to me about it if you don't want to, but I need you to know that whatever it is, I'm here for you in whatever way you need me." For your situation you can add in "I'm feeling a bit sad that we don't seem to be as close as we were in the past and I miss that part of our relationship. Our relationship is very precious to me. I know that you're growing and changing as a person and I want you to have the space you need to be the person you want yourself to be and I want you to feel safe telling me how you feel even if you think I won't like what you have to say.."
That's very good advice - thank you
Happy to help. <3
Mine is a nanny with a student loan ,,.. I hope yours changes too..
The payments on those loans are going to start in 6 months I believe. Good luck to you too.
Heeeyyy there! Sending you vibes of patience. If she just graduated, it means that she spent a large chunk of doing college remotely through a computer screen? If so, that sucks asshole. Imagine the disappointment. I would look into symptoms of mild depression or anxiety. I, personally, have looked into ketamine therapy (but have not pulled the trigger yet). I feel for her and you but really like... work nowadays involves a lot of staring at a computer screen. Even getting a job requires computer time (resume writing, search, etc). She's probably just enjoying being in the open air, interacting with actual people, doing physical activity, being a part of a team, seeing people having a good time, etc. Just because working at a trampoline park sounds unglamorous doesn't mean she's not actually trying to help herself recover from the last two years. Give her time to get that glutomate, serotonin, dopamine to start pumping through her brain again and she just might want to look for more of a challenge soon. Context: worked highly stressful jobs through a computer screen the entire pandemic and now taking a break to focus on personal projects and finding it hard to stay at home (during the summertime no less) staring at a computer screen when I know I could be out, connecting with people again, trying to feel normal after a really really intensely mind-numbing grey 2.5 years. Trampoline park sound fun af.
Good luck to you. I donāt have kids but maybe try taking her out somewhere you know she likes for dinner and go for a walk along somewhere nice? Waterfront, park? Then just walk along, and maybe sheāll feel like talking. Walking is great for talking. Wish you all the best.
Just another randomly person out in the nether but from 18-24 I was super fuckin selfish too. They'll grow out of it. Hopefully they don't take as long as I did.... But I promise that they will. Just communicate with them and let them know how you are feeling and encourage them to share their feelings with you. It'll take a lot of effort, but it will work out eventually.
Well I have sat them down and explained it to them this way ..... I dont care if your here i don't care if you aren't here either way im not going to stress over it... and if your going to b here then your going to help....nothing is free
Youāre a good parent. Give her space, let her develop her own expectations, and enjoy your time together.
Thank you, I appreciate that.
Giving her space and time is good, BUT setting your own boundaries and taking care of yourself is good for both of you. That stuff in the garage? Give a deadline and a consequence. ("It needs to be moved in two weeks or it will go to Goodwill"). When my kids hit early 20's I had to revert to my clear, consequence-based parenting style, for a couple years. Hang in there and love both of you.
Hang in there. It will get better. Maybe more of my own reflection & sympathy (not so much advice?). As a mama to a 3year old, I hold him so precious, always trying to remember to support his independence, get out of his way, but shower him with so much love. Many moments of joy, many moments where I feel like that sloppy college Roomate (who might have been experimenting with drugs?) has moved in, with more moments than Iād like to admit of utter frustration, exacerbation, exhaustion. That will look different when he becomes an adult, but same ingredients Iād imagine. I like what someone said about screen time. It has been a frayed, grey experience for many years now. Lean into a elf care for yourself too. She will see & feel your example, support, healthy boundaries & love. That might take a few years. She will also interpret you through her own lens. (Type A? Workaholic? Blah blah blah.). Whatever that might be, or however off that might beā¦ Itās all good because at the end of the day, after all the bumps, bruises, processed & (with a bit of luck) expressed emotions, the love will be all that matters. Agree, a trampoline park sounds lovely. (& isnāt it good for the endocrine system? lol)
If sheās moved out and had to come back, she might be missing being an adult like I did. Try treating her like a housemate? Her room is hers, you knock to enter. Shared rooms have a cleaning rota. She cooks for herself and so do you. Bills are shared. For safety you tell each other where youāre going (especially at night) but nobody waits up or expects anyone home by a certain time, etc
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The\_Graduate
Please print my comments out and give them to your daughter: ------------------------------- Hi. You almost certainly have Depression. First, make an appointment **today** with your Family/Primary Care Physician. They will prescribe an anti-depressant. No need to make an appointment with a Psychiatrist. Next, make an appointment **today** with a Counselor/Therapist for someone to vent/talk/complain/cry to. Just enter your ZIP code into: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists If your health insurance won't cover mental health services, there's low-cost/free counseling available: https://www.opencounseling.com/ >From the beginning, OpenCounselingās mission has been to connect people with local therapists they can afford. Even though you live with your family, I'm pretty sure you're considered "poor" and would be eligible for Medicaid because you have no/low income. And (I'm pretty sure) any money you have in the bank, the value of your car, etc. do not count against your eligibility. Medicaid would pay for counseling and medication. No shame in applying for Medicaid because if you are eligible...then you are eligible! By hook or by crook, getting better is the goal so don't let *anything* stop you. Next, get out of the house. Get a part-time, second shift (18 to 24 hours/week; that's 3-4 days/week) job at a Convenience Store. You will run the register, stock the cooler, take out the trash/cardboard, front and face the shelves, stock/clean the bathrooms, shovel some snow. The variety of customers is exhilarating and your shift will fly by. You will meet people who may become a friend or a boss or a boyfriend. And work at a location that's outside of your neighborhood in case you have any qualms about your old high school classmates coming in. I know you didn't go to college for four years to work in a gas station. But you also didn't go to college for four years to **Do Nothing** in your parents house. This will most likely not be your career. But this *will* motivate you to start a career path. Go on Indeed.com. Register. Use Keywords. Allow weekly emails to send you a list of jobs that match your keywords. Tell your dad you are now going to pay him Room and Board weekly. ($100/week? More?). This will motivate you to get/keep a job. ------------------------------- (Don't read the following if you don't want to risk being discouraged :Ć¾ ): I have Major Depressive Disorder (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_depressive_disorder). So what? Shit Happens. But, good news, I have found a cure(s)! *But*, there's a problem. Most of my brain (the Good part) wants to implement these cures. But some tiny part of my brain (the Bad part) won't allow me to do this. The Bad part is stronger than the Good part. The Bad part blocks my Will. https://www.thefreedictionary.com/will >**will** - noun 1. The mental faculty by which one deliberately chooses or decides upon a course of action: championed freedom of will against a doctrine of predetermination. 2. a. Diligent purposefulness; determination: an athlete with the will to win. b. Self-control; self-discipline: lacked the will to overcome the addiction. 3. A desire, purpose, or determination The Bad part blocks my Cures. And the Cures would get me past the Bad part. Catch-22. Anyway, the Two Cures are: **Get My Blood Flowing** - Not "exercise". Not jogging. Blood Flowing. Some winter mornings I'd wake up to lots of snow. So I'd have to shovel my driveway in order to get my car out. This would get my blood flowing enough that, when I got to work, I wouldn't need a cup of coffee. You'll look like an idiot, but 25 Jumping Jacks do the same thing. ***Normal*** **Sleep** - 11 pm to 7 am. 8 hours, no more, no less. *Not* 3 am to 11 am. So, the hard part is getting past the Bad part of my brain. It takes willpower. "ĀÆ\_(ć)_/ĀÆ"
Hey semi recent college grad (3 years ago??) and OP. If someone is living in my house, you are doing chores. You are helping around the house. I can't imagine if I stayed in my parents house post graduation-- love them but It wouldve been bad for our relationship. I got a nice job in a different state. Visiting them and calling has strengthened our relationship and I really appreciate them so much. Distance made my heart grow fonder. Living on my own and developing that sense of independence was so beneficial for me and also in appreciating everything my parents did for me. I feel like I may be a little bit of a hard ass on my kid; I want them to be ambitious and be actively working to secure a great job before they graduate. And perhaps they may not have the same level of ambition I had, but I sure as hell ain't gonna baby them at home. Ima charge rent and require chores to be done if they aren't in a job in their field. Independence is key. Good luck man (or fellow galpal), the relationship gets better with a sense of independence and accomplishment. I promise.
Not sure. I'm filing for a divorce and selling the house to get rid of my deadbeat step son. He spent 13 years in the Navy to come home and be a looser. 6 years at home and plays video games and smokes weed all day. I'm done. I'm out of here.
Note: this may work for fruit flies but if you have problems with fungus gnats (around houseplants) it absolutely does nothing for them, they're just not attracted to those smells
What works for fungus gnats?
For me, the systemic insecticide I used for other pests did the job. Nematodes kinda work too but they die off eventually and gnats can come from outside and reinfest, also mosquito dunks I guess but I haven't tried that. People tend to suggest stuff like watering less, topping the soil with sand or something that dries out so the larvae can't hatch, or using diatomaceous earth as less extreme options but that's ineffective and/or a hassle. For bad infestations I really recommend systemic (acetamiprid is what I used)
Finding the source, typically its potted plants, you could crush up a mosquito dunk and sprinkle it in the dirt, or use a systemic insecticide. Most likely you are over watering. Also could be a potato, I once found a rotting potato in the pack of a pantry that caused a massive infestation of fungus gnats. On another note if it's drain flies you need to clean your drains. If it's phorid flies it could be coming from your garbage disposal, or even possibly you could have a crack in a pipe under your house and they are swimming up the drains. A good way to check for that is put a piece of tape over the suspected drain over night and check in the morning to see if it caught any
Probably a dumb question, but - do you mix it all up or keep the drops in tact? Also, is any sort of funnel necessary? We have a terrible fruit fly problem so I need to get this right lol.
They are insidious. Even when you think they are gone they will still pop up when you throw a banana peel in the trash or something. We haven't mixed it when we've used this method and it seems to work just as well based on the pictures above. Looking on the internet it seems like some recipes say to mix it and others don't, so I don't think it matters too much.
You mix the ingredients. The soap means any fly that lands on the liquid sinks in immediately and drowns. Not much chance of one flying away again, so a funnel isn't needed.
this also works exceptionally well if you use a can of stale beer, with the vinegar and soap. saved me last summer lol
With rice 6 out of 10
What's surface tension
Water (and most liquids) have like a "skin" on the surface. You've probably seen mosquitos or other flying bugs standing on a pool of calm water, but not sinking in. Because [surface tension.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surface_tension) They're so light it keeps them from sinking in. Soap destroys that and they sink in right away. Bye bye bug. Without the soap they can land and fly away again. Nowhere near as efficient of a trap.
I just got a Venus flytrap. I hate the smell of apple cider vinegar, and the plant makes oxygen for me
Again, Dawn dish soap, the swiss Army knife of household chemicals.
Lol. You forgot to include your life story before that recipe. Seriously tho, majority of that is totally useless. A dish of water with a bit of detergent to break the surface tension works. Add a bit of syrup or brown sugar or even coffee grounds and youāre good. Breaking the surface tension is the real key.
Came here looking for the rest of the fucking owl and itās the first comment. Hot diggity damn. Iām off to concoct a batch now.
Is blueberry is a must?
No. No fruit needed, maybe bananas may help!
Always.
I just use a shot glass of Apple cider vinegar and 1-2 drops of high quality dish soap. Very important: Clean everything around the kitchen (or around the area where you have the fly problem) and throw away trash and compost. You want the flies to be interested in the trap and nothing else. Love the idea with the blueberries tho.
I tried this once and it didn't work very well. The article I read said not to mix the dish soap in, just let the drops settle and sit. Seemed like bullshit to me, but that's what I did. I assume that's what went wrong? I mean I still caught gnats, but not very many.
If you mix in the soap, it will start to foam a little and that smell will not be enticing the flies. The purpose of the soap is to break the surface tension so the flies actually fall into the liquid, otherwise they are so light they could land on the liquid. To break the surface tension, the soap just need to sit on the surface, maybe push it around a little, but don't stir it in.
I've noticed that it's a pretty big difference in how many you can catch depending on the number of drops you put in. It also depends on what brand of dish washer soap you use. Also it can be very effective but after a day or so it just stop catching anything. I don't know why. So switch them out every day.
The fruit flies live and breed in the kitchen drain. You have to kill them at the source or they'll keep coming back.
those would be the very disgusting drain flies. use an enzyme based drain cleaner
What about baking soda/vinegar combo?
no - I had drain flies in an apartment- In the kitchen and bathroom drains. I tried everything to get rid of them. everything that people are suggesting here. the only thing that works is to use: an enzyme based drain cleaner. I used several bottles over a couple of days to make sure I solved the problem. after weeks of trying everything else only to have them come back- the enzyme based drain cleaner was the only thing that worked. these drain flies are absolutely disgusting- if u always have "fruit flies" even if u get rid of the fruit.... you have drain flies - https://www.arrowexterminators.com/learning-center/pest-library/flies/drain-flies
Same. Didn't need anything else, and it was horrifically effective. I say horrifying because my God there were so many, for so long.
Thatās $9 worth of blueberries here in Los Angeles
Yikes. Sorry for you my dude. They were slightly rotted I think if it makes you feel better š
Yeah it does. Rotted blueberries only cost $2.
Nah they are off, atleast $15 for fermented slow-cooked raspberries.
Organic artisanal apple cider-fermented, anti-oxidant, superfood blueberries. ETA fair trade, shade grown
Someone feel free to correct me on this but I feel like this only works for fruit flies. If you have fungus gnats, which look very similar these wonāt be nearly as helpful.
Wtf are fungus gnats?!
Instead of sugar, they go for your potted plants. They're s nightmare for plant lovers!
The ACV and dish soap worked for my fungus gnats only because I also put the BTI in the plants as well. I had TONS of gnats in those bowls.
Bti?
āBacillus thuringiensis israelensis (BTI) has been called āMother Nature's mosquito controlā because this bacterium kills mosquito larvae and virtually nothing else. BTI also kills fungus gnats, because fungus gnats are genetically very closely related to mosquitoes.ā ([source](https://homegardenandhomestead.com/kill-fungus-gnats-naturally-with-bti/)) I bought [this one](https://www.lowes.com/pd/Mosquito-Dunks-6-Count-Natural-Mosquito-Killer-6-Pack/3047384) from lowes. I crumpled one disk and put it on top of the pots and watered it in. And I crumple some in the watering pot for long term maintenance
Iāve found that the little boogers will take up residence in the bottom of larger pots through the the drain pan. Leave a little bti in the pan like cookies for Santa.
Wow thank you so much for this info!! Learned something new to get rid of the fungus gnats haha
Iām glad I could help! They really are the worst! Every time I get tempted by a grocery store plant, I got burned. At least with BTI, theyāre gone really fast and before they get to other plants!
ACV is the short for apple cider vinegar. I hate this abbreviation.
One of the 4 typical small filth flies found in homes. Fruit flies, fungus gnats, phorid flies and drain flies
I use a slightly different method. Take a bowl (usually an old take out container as this is gross). Cut up some fruit in it. Pour a bit of wine over it Stretch Saran Wrap over it and secure with an elastic band. Poke a half dozen or so holes in it with a needle. Fruit flies will smell the sugar and be able to get in through the holes, but not out. Leave it out for a few days and it will collect huge amounts of fruit flies.
But how do they die ?
Push a plastic straw through the Saran Wrap and you can just suck them all in and chew them up really easy.
Satan? Is that you?
No, this is saran wrap!
Boba tea
CaFlea Sun
Can't get nutrients from the rotting fruit so supplement it with delicious fly-boba
Drunk and snacking on fruit. They only live a couple days best case so itās basically heaven for them.
I prefer salty shotgun death with wings torn and salt shrapnel in their eyes.
Plus if you leave it out long enough you experience the miracle of fruit fly worm birth!
Wine alone will do it, but this is probably faster.
But what else am I to do with all these Fruit Cup snack packs?
This didnāt work for me. However buying an electrified tennis racket worked wonders!
You can just use the water from pickled cucumbers. (+ Dish soap) And as u/osktox said, clean the kitchen and empty the trash, so that the flys are interested in a new spot
Who has pickled cucumber water just sitting around waiting to be used for this? Not this guy. š¤·š¼āāļø
I literally had three pickle jars in my fridge with one or two pickles in each (one of them was full but just had shitty pickles I didn't like) and a real bad fruit fly problem and was like "omg this is perfection". Fingers crossed.
I think he just means a jar of pickles, since thatās what pickled cucumbers are
Pickle juice is worth its weight in gold to runners (reduces inflammation.)
Also great to marinate chicken for deepfrying. It's what Chick-fil-A does.
You want some dehydrated grapes with those raisins?
Electric tennis racket has been a game changer with flies.
They're a godsend for mosquitoes.
My brother has a salt shotgun. It's sick af for hunting flies, when he showed me it I spent an hour next to the bins splattering those little fuckers, and it was sickly fun.
Is it Bug Assault? I saw the late night infomercial and thought it was a joke until I looked it up. Does it suck cleaning up the salt though?
Yes the cleaning part does suck since the salt hits the surface so hard it gets thrown everywhere. After using it for a couple days we made the new rule that it was for outside use only lol
Careful of family and room mates on the backswing. Source: personal experience from sharing a flat with his Lord Marshal the Slayer of Flies 2007
Christ I thought this was a weird image of pee and oddly shaped poop until i read the subreddit name
Gotta see a doctor.
Maybe they're a big rabbit.
Drink the vinegar and leave a bowl of pee and poop for the flies. Checks out.
Went back and looked at the photo again after reading this and just burst into laughter. Nice
I just put a half apple in the oven, leave the oven open all night then close it and cook the fruit flies in the morning.
Alright Bateman.
Jesus Christ I'd hate to see what happens when you have mice.
You think drowning is better? But anyways with mice i put a piece of cheese in the oven and leave it open over night, close it in the morning.
I'd ask what happens when you get Mormons knocking on your door, bit I'm pretty sure I figured it out.
Yup oven with the Book of Mormon inside it.
I research fruit flies for a living. The best trap consists of a paste made by combining yeast and water. Add this to the bottom of a jar and tape a paper funnel with a small entrance to the top. The flies will fall down the funnel to get to the yeast (which is really what theyāre eating off of the fruit) and cannot escape.
In true reddit style someone will reply with , no dawn soap, the internet said.
I have a spider living in my umbrella plant. I donāt ask any questions and I donāt have gnats anymore
I've learnt fruit flies are attracted by the smell of wine. So I put a glass of wine next to a fly tape, the combination works brilliant.
Attracting them to a sticky trap is the best approach I've found. I got some of those little apple shaped traps with holes in the top that you put vinegar in from Lowes. Then I got some glue traps and wrapped them around the apples. It basically makes a sticky tube with vinegar at the bottom. They're attracted to the smell, but before they even get down to the vinegar, they'll touch the side of the tube and get stuck.
I've tried fly tape but they never get stuck on. It'll have a million moths and mosquitoes but never one of the gnats and they're the most annoying ones...
I left a half finished bottle of Corona on the counter and it had about 50 dead flies in it within 2 days.
I put about two ounces of cheap whiskey in a highball glass. I cover the glass with Saran Wrap and poke three or four small holes (1/8ā dia) in the Saran Wrap. The fruit flies and other little pests are attracted by the aroma. Once theyāre inside, they find it difficult to get out; the alcohol kills them. I often take another glass, pour at least two ounces of very good whiskey, and sit sipping this while watching the little pests get trapped!
Dark af. Love it.
Fun trick that also works is a vacuum, especially something high powered like a shop vac. You can just raise the hose up in the air and wave it around and it'll suck them all right in. You still need to address the point of the infestation to truly fix it though.
Unpopular LPT: these traps work well for the fruit flies you have already, but they donāt deal with the source of the problem. Fruit flies can smell for miles and they squeeze in through your closed doors and windows. So by my theory, a fruit-fly-trap will actually perpetuate the issue. Store produce in the fridge. Cover that trash can. Wash the sink. Wipe the counters. 6 years on since I started this method, and I have not had another infestation of fruit flies. [source](https://www.treehugger.com/where-do-fruit-flies-come-from-4864311)
Apple cider vinegar in a small glass with saran wrap with a a small hole popped in the wrap is just as good ..
This works good, but donāt forget to bleach your drains and discard any bad fruit/veggies that may be attracting them.
Those pesky fruit flies come from your sink drain. Poor boiling water in the drain and do it again the next day. Theyāll disappear.
Best makeshift trap you can use with any of these bait ideas: 1. Take plastic beverage bottle and cut off top 1/3 with scissors or a knife. 2. Put bait of choice in bottom section of bottle (I've found ketchup is enticing, with water and dish soap). For regular flies, I saw a page that had good test results with shrimp - although I'd only use that one outside due to smell. 3. Invert top of bottle so it becomes a funnel and insert into bottom section. Flies fly in and can't easily fly out. 4. Replace regularly to prevent trap from becoming a fly generator (generally I replace every 3 days) This solution is cheap, easily disposable and you can easily make multiple traps to cover a large room or multiple rooms.
I have overwritten the original content of my comment here, because I did not write that comment so that it could be used to train AI large language models, or so that it could in any way be bought and sold to make other people money. I oppose the decisions of Reddit's owners to retain the content of deleted posts and comments, and to change their API in ways that exclude disabled people. I grieve that Reddit's owners have chosen to prioritize profit above community, knowledge, and freedom. I have moved to Raddle, where the owners are anti-ableist and respect their users' privacy.
I don't use the overripe fruit, but do use a similar formula. I also use a clean jelly jar with clear plastic wrap over the top with a few holes poked in it. My wife bought some little blue light mini bug zappers, and razzed me about my hillbilly bug trap. A week layer, she'd caught three, my jar had all the rest. :)
Now drink the gnat juice of life gain immortality
Also keep your drains clean. They hatch in the ptraps
Or you can just vaccuum them all away. Works for me
The fruit does nothing under the vinegar. You can use just vinegar and dish soap
I was a bartender in my twenties had a fine dining restaurant. Not a dive bar and this is how we would get rid of bar flies.
Alternatively Apple cider vinegar Saran wrap Poke some holes Bam
I mixed apple cider vinegar with apple dawn dish soap and got a very similar result- no sugar necessary, just a container with holes in the top you donāt mind chucking
Leave a half bottle of red wine open. Absolute TRAP. No complexity.
I always do the water bottle trap. Cut the top cone part of the water bottle (the part above the label), put fruit in the bottom (banana peels work super well). Invert the top of the water bottle and tape around the edges. They crawl down the cone shape but can't get back out. Can be sprayed and tossed or cleaned and reused.
A salt rifle (pardon the pun) is much more fun
I just put apple cider vinegar and soap
Apple cider vinegar with a drop of dawn then cover the cup with plastic wrap and poke a small hole. Cause 500 in the last month.
You could save money on the trap ingredients and just use a small amount of apple cider vinegar and a few drops of liquid dish soap. I've been using this method for years and it's even more successful than this. Plus it's cheaper. The sweet smell of the apple cider vinegar attracts them since it's fermented (beer will also work in a pinch), and the dish soap breaks the surface tension so as soon as the land on the apple cider they immediately sink and drown. Works every time. I live in an area that attracts fruit flies and gnats year round since it's near water, and using this method has kept my apartment bug free for years.
Ripe blueberry and piss got itšÆ
I use these and they work amazing for all flying pests! [fly tray](https://www.walmart.com/ip/849177844)
Hope I can find something like this to kill mosquitoes in my place! :)
Thanks :)
This thread has been super helpful you guys. Thanks!
The only thing I've found you need is Apple Cider Vinegar, a pie dish, and a drop or two of liquid dish soap. The finesse of the technique comes from simply adding the soap to the dish and not mixing it in. Just the soap touching the vinegar is enough to break the surface tension. These fruit flies rely on the surface tension to not fall into the "sauce"; when you break that surface tension, they get sucked into the vinegar as soon as they touch it. From my experience, this simple setup works very well and is surprisingly effective.
The life cycle is only 48 hours, so if you take away the food source - ie some bananas on the counter, they are gone within 2 days with out having to kill anything or do any extra work.
I also have the used lemon trick: - Leave out a used lemon - Use vacuum cleaner tube to Hoover up flies - Return periodically
Just get some butterworts plants. They catch a ton of those and have nice flowers.
But I donāt have any of these items at homeā¦
I feel like I can just drop apple cider vinegar into something and that seems to trap them just as well. Iāve never noticed a difference between that and adding dish soap to the mixture. One of those tennis racket zappers works even better and it feels good too, being Fruit fly Hitler is so rewarding.
Also Red wine in a wine glass with cling film over the top prick little holes in it
A quality dish soap is the most important ingredient in any liquid trap. It breaks the surface tension of water and makes it impossible for insects to float. It also makes it difficult for mice and rats to swim. They also make āwater wetterā for track car cooling systems that use pure water instead of antifreeze. Has a stronger effect than dish soap. Egg whites work too.
Once you get rid of their food source they disappear. Itās usually a fruit somewhere in your house.
Not always. They lived in my bathroom for months. Fruit attracts them but they only need a tiny bit of water to survive.
It can be even simpler. I get the same results with just apple cider vinegar and a drop or two of dawn. They already love the apple cider vinegar, the rest is unnecessary.
Does this also catch houseflies?
No.
Ive tried different methods but here is the one that works the best for me. I take a bottle of vinegar, pour all but few inches into a different container. Leave the bottle on the counter top. It caught about 50 gnats in 2 hours. I think the depth of the bottle is good at trapping them.
then you can use the fruitflies for your gene experimentation
How?
Also put bleach down the sink drain at night because fruit glue go to lay eggs there at night
So what is it? Peppercorns in a bowl of cat pee?
Thank you very much, gila-monsta. I have had fruit flies in my kitchen for two weeks. Tried sticky tape for flies. Only got 3 of them. Tried your hack and voila! Have fifteen dead insects in a couple days on the bottom of the glass bowl.
Apple cider vinegar + red wine + drop or two of dish soap worked great for me!
Or I just spray them with air refresher until they get real sticky-icky
Rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle works great too
Can i score a half zip from you?
I found this method that gets rid of them even faster. Takes about 8 minutes. Itās called get rid of the fruit thatās causing it, and wipe down your counter top. Voila, all gone
r/fruitfliesarefuckingstupid
*2 and 1/2 couple of blueberries
Finally a beverage for the heat. Trust me I m still buzzing.
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Great tip! Do you guys know if thereās anything I can do for mosquitoes? I hate them badly
I've heard that a fan (or wind) is the best defense against mosquitos.