Damn fruit flies! how do i kill them?

[Abaddon]

Argh! my room, and consequently my house is FILLED with fruit flies!


Before christmas i bought a mushroom growing kit (edible shrooms you druggies!)

This comprised of straw compost, box and mushroon spore mix.

I set it up, and went home for xmas holz.

Since then i come back and there everywhere!

I can see 50 on my bedroon ceiling right now!

I know they initially bred in the damp soil of the shroom box, but i ave so many plants in a room they are now starting on the other plants!

You see i am a biologist and a plant lover... i ave cacti, trees, bananna plants, flowers,palms, all sorts in my room!

I hope if i let my plants dry for a while the flies will struggel to find a nice ecosystem to breed in (already thrown out shroom box) and they will eventaully dwindle to nothing.

I also bought a pilcher plant and a venus flytrap to help..

Beyond spraying.. can anyone think of anything else to do?

 

[Ayatollah So]

Sounds like you already have the only strategy I've ever seen succeed against fruit flies or most other insect pests: deny them habitat. Denying access to water does wonders against cockroaches - probably works on fruit flies too.

Any bananas growing on those plants? Could be a problem.

 

[Abaddon]

oh no, sadly not yet.

Its some fancy bananna tree that will grow black skinned banannas, but its only into its second year, in a British climate.. so i might not even get nana's this year

 

[sysyphus]

I've had that problem a number of times. Nothing works better than a vacuum. Vacuum up as many of the little bastards as you can, they'll keep coming back, but in smaller numbers each time, shouldn't take too long before you've rid yourself of the little fiends.

 

[Abaddon]

hell, that even sounds fun!

I shouldn't relish killing them so much considering its my fault, im a zoologist in training etc... but they are just pissin' me off now!

 

[sysyphus]

It is fun, and it amuses the hell out of everyone who watches me do it.

Feel no guilt! They've invaded your home!

 

[Shaihulud]

Spiders, you need to keep spiders in your room. Big hairy venomous spiders.

 

[Abaddon]

i had the same problem last year at my halls (but only to a small degree- a few flying around my room.)

And i DID have a pet spider... a tiny little spider made a web in the lea of a bananna leaf, i would stun a fruit fly and feed him it every day.. man he grew fast (compared to other babys in my room , i obviously had a nest hatch weeks into me moving in).

He lastest all year, even made the trip back home from uni!

But then without flies to repeated feed him, and a whole new environment things change, i also think i tried to feed a fly too big for him, it ruined his web, he ran off and didnt make it again.. i then couldnt find him in my room..

i miss my pet spider

 

[skadistic]

For every gnat you see there are 20 larva in soil somewhere. With that said you have a few options 1)get rid of all the soil you have 2)use pesticides. You can try the soaps and organic ones but they suck what you need has a brand name of Isotox. It is a very toxic liquid wear gloves and a resperator and do a few aplications. The best way to avoid bugs is to use sterile soil to begin with. You can buy it from the store that way or microwave or bake at a relitivly high temp.

 

[Abaddon]

I can believe you, they breed at a terrifying rate. I have moved the soil that was to blame outside, but i worry they will have also moved to other plant pots.

The wierd thig was the soil WAS sterile.. it came in plastic sealed bags.. the flies just somehow found it.

The larva must be tiny.. i dug about the soil, and while i distrubed some flies, saw no evidence of grubs.

Don't like the idea of using toxic stuff, especially seen as this is within my bedroom, and seen as i am in a house with 5 other students, its the room i spend the most of my time in (im not a loner, u just DO )

 

[taper]

I had fruit flies infest my kitchen over the summer. We got rid of them by setting out small dishes of Mountain Dew with a drop of dish soap in them. The flies are attracted to the sweet pop, and the soap coats their wings and won't let them fly away.

 

[Urederra]

I had fruit flies infest my kitchen over the summer. We got rid of them by setting out small dishes of Mountain Dew with a drop of dish soap in them. The flies are attracted to the sweet pop, and the soap coats their wings and won't let them fly away.

It also works with root beer...

 

[Abaddon]

well if you were to post me some to Newcastle upon Tyne we might be able to do something there...

 

[diskurs]

i know a guy in hamburg whos a flee-whisperer.
but dont worry, i think he has a branch office somewhere in london...

if you cant get his phone number, fight them with fire!

 

[Abaddon]

flea-whisperer?

What is he going to do.. lead an army of fleas against the fruit flies?

KEWL!!!!!!111111eeleven1uber!!!!

 

[diskurs]

yes, didnt you know, that fleas are the natural enemies of fruit flies?
when properly trained, they will rush them and occupy their habitat. though you will then need an amoeba whisperer to get rid of the fleas! and i dont know any...
really a vicious cicle!

 

[taper]

You don't have Mountain Dew in England? I thought PepsiCo was very global. Any sugary beverage should work.

 

[Abaddon]

Sadly no, well i think you can get it down south in London etc.. but up here in the north, we dont get it

 

[Fifty]

just move all the plants out of the house for a bit and bug-bomb the whole house.

 

[Fifty]

Or introduce a bigger, scarier insect that preys on fruit flies, and when that gets out of control just repeat with an even bigger insect, continue until you end up with something really crazy runnig around your room.