An abundance of fruit flies this year, even in my morning coffee!

Ruth n Jersey

Ruth n Jersey

Well-known Member
Location
Northern New Jersey
I've never seen so many fruit flies. Other years we would have a few now and then especially if I left bananas, or other fruit and veggies to ripen on my counter. I've also noticed that they seem to be drawn to my morning coffee. I usually leave my morning coffee cup by the sink, get dressed and make the bed. By then the hubby has had his second cup and then I do the breakfast dishes. This morning there were 5 fruit flies in the bottom of the coffee cup.I wonder if they are caffeine addicts? This isn't the first time it has happened. After pouring myself a cup and sitting down at the table I noticed one or two already in the cup. I'm glad they float, I probably would have swallowed them. I leave the ripening fruit on the porch now. Maybe that will help.
 

Ruth n Jersey said:
I've never seen so many fruit flies. Other years we would have a few now and then especially if I left bananas, or other fruit and veggies to ripen on my counter. I've also noticed that they seem to be drawn to my morning coffee. I usually leave my morning coffee cup by the sink, get dressed and make the bed. By then the hubby has had his second cup and then I do the breakfast dishes. This morning there were 5 fruit flies in the bottom of the coffee cup.I wonder if they are caffeine addicts? This isn't the first time it has happened. After pouring myself a cup and sitting down at the table I noticed one or two already in the cup. I'm glad they float, I probably would have swallowed them. I leave the ripening fruit on the porch now. Maybe that will help.
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They are a nuisance and extremely hard to get rid of. We had an outbreak last year.

As far as the coffee cup goes. If you use sugar or cream they will be attracted.

I built traps and they get loaded with fruit flies. Remember . They breed every day.
 
OH I've never had fruit flies in my cups...but they are a damn PITA with the Bananas...it seems I can't keep bananas out for more than a day or 2 and they're attacked with fruit flies!! I've never known this problem before this year..
 

This has been a banner year for all sorts of "pests". I've never seen so many squirrels this year, in the 15+ years we've lived here....but then, the hickory trees are full of nuts, so the squirrels are having a heyday. The biggest problem, this year, is an infestation of Armadillos, which are digging holes all over the yard. I'm having plenty of "target practice" as I go out for a bit before bedtime...and the buzzards are having a feast.
 
Don M. said:
This has been a banner year for all sorts of "pests". I've never seen so many squirrels this year, in the 15+ years we've lived here....but then, the hickory trees are full of nuts, so the squirrels are having a heyday. The biggest problem, this year, is an infestation of Armadillos, which are digging holes all over the yard. I'm having plenty of "target practice" as I go out for a bit before bedtime...and the buzzards are having a feast.
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The armadillos are digging holes to get at the pests in your yard.

They are doing you a favor.
 
Ruth...Set a glass 1/4 full of apple-cider-vinegar/water/&few drops of detergent on your table or counter where you set your coffee . The detergent breaks the surface tension of the water so when they fly in & land on it they drowned. Sheesh, they must like coffee too. Maybe add some sugar to the vinegar/water glass to really win them over.

You need one of those coffee cups with a lid. Some coffee cups are "Thermo" with lids. They are the shape and size of a coffee cup with lid.

Good luck Ruth. That would be so annoying.


 
Camper6 said:
The armadillos are digging holes to get at the pests in your yard. They are doing you a favor.
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Actually, they are going after earthworms...which are quite beneficial for maintaining a nice yard. These pests dig huge holes....often several inches across, and equally deep....a Real Mess. I doubt that Canada has ever had any of these critters....it is only in recent years, as the climate has warmed, that we see them this far North.
 
I've been having the same issue whenever I bring bananas home, what I've been doing lately is sprinkling some cayenne pepper over them and that at least keeps them away from the bananas.

I also set a small jar out with some vinegar and a little dish soap it out covered with plastic, then poked tiny holes. This wasn't doing as great a job as I hoped, so I sprinkled a little bit of self-rising flour on top of the plastic, knowing that even if they didn't go into the jar the flour would stick to their feet they'd have to lick it off and it would kill them by blowing up their stomachs. Works to kill other insects as well, they carry it back to their nesting place where others share in the deadly experience.
 
I haven't found any critters in my cup, that's horrible-almost a Stephen King novel in the making. This summer I've been swarmed by horse flies and they made quite a meal out of me even though I had applied insect repellent. They even swarmed around my car for what seemed like miles. Here in Kansas, it's the spiders that seem to be on the increase. I blame it on our unusually mild winters that don't get cold enough, long enough to kill off larva etc.
 
Fruit flies are a pain here too. I can't even go for my walk without having to fight them off of me but when I come back from my walking, they don't bother me. The only difference I can figure out is, when I'm going to walk, I must smell so sweet that they can't leave me alone but when I finish my walking, I stink so bad they don't want to be near me. All I know is, they are a pain this year!!!!!
 
It's been quite damp in the Northeast this year and they are attracted to wet, near sinks, etc. Last year it was awful, I walked around the kitchen with a Windex spray bottle to zap them.

This year, my condo association put down something for ants and whatever else, so I hardly got any.

Fruit kept in brown paper bags might be spared but it ripens faster.
 
We've been buying a lot of peaches and plumbs and leave them out on the counter to ripen. They seem to come with their own group of flies every time I go to the store, sometimes I see on walking across my computer screen, which is far from the kitchen. When I need to I do something similar to Lara, use red wine vinegar and dish soap mixed in a small shallow bowl, usually get quite a few that way.
 
When they find their way into an area where I'm sitting I'll usually place a few drops of one of my essential oils on some tissues or cotton balls near by, this seems to chase them away. Lately I've been using my Roseamary oil, they seem to really dislike it.
 
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