Organic way to get rid of fruit flies!

[Jackfruitwhisperer69]

Hi to all fellow members ,

Here's way to get rid of them fruit flies organically...this method I learnt from my uncle recently. This method is also used throughout the island, especially people that make their own wine.

*Coke bottles
*Wire to be heated over fire to make the holes .
*12(as many as you want) holes are made...3 on each side and 2 holes below the lid, so that you can hung the bottle on the tree.
*Aged Vinegar(this is home made and left in wooden barrel to age) or normal cheap vinegar.

This aged vinegar has a potent smell...like gasoline After hanging this on the trees at my orchard in Calheta...I then inspected the bottles before leaving, there was a few flies already dead or in the process of dying....it works like a charm I also hanged one in the Surinam cherry tree here and After few days, there was a bunch of them flies already dead in the bottle.
 


I usually hang these bottles at least a month before the fruits start to ripen...this will minimize the damage of the fruit flies.

Hope fellow members give this a shot

Take care,
Steven

[fyliu]

Thanks for the instructions and helpful photo. We're lucky to not have a fruitfly problem in California but that could change in the future.

[Cookie Monster]

That's pretty stinkin smart. Wonder if we can use that technique for the pesky papaya fruit fly (which also sometimes infects mangoes!).

[Tropicalgrower89]

I wonder if this would work on aphids as well since they hate garlic-type smells.

[Jackfruitwhisperer69]

Thanks for the instructions and helpful photo. We're lucky to not have a fruitfly problem in California but that could change in the future.

Hi Fang,
  I only have problems with them Psidiums...this genus of fruit trees are a magnet for fruit flies I'm surprised that they don't attacked them figs...which i'm thankful for 

[bradflorida]

Thanks for the tip Steven!

Brad

[Tropicdude]

Test were done here on the island, using different lures for fruit fly traps,

They found that urine is just as effective as the pheromone tablets being sold.

also, color of the trap did not make any difference, yellow was thought to attract more, but in practice no difference was registered.
---------------------------------------
keeping fruit off the ground,  keeping traps up and working,  are the most effective ways to control fruit flies.

I did some more looking into this, and found that beneficial nematodes can also keep in check fruit flies, and many other critters. including the harmful nematodes .

[Jackfruitwhisperer69]

That's pretty stinkin smart. Wonder if we can use that technique for the pesky papaya fruit fly (which also sometimes infects mangoes!).

Hi CookieMonsta,
  It's well worth a try...I can't vouch for it...cause i don't have those demons over here

I wonder if this would work on aphids as well since they hate garlic-type smells.

Hi Alexi,
I haven't thought of using this for the Aphids  You are onto something  How would you use the vinegar on them aphids?

Thanks for the tip Steven!

Brad

 Hi Brad,
No problem

Test were done here on the island, using different lures for fruit fly traps,

They found that urine is just as effective as the pheromone tablets being sold.

also, color of the trap did not make any difference, yellow was thought to attract more, but in practice no difference was registered.
---------------------------------------
keeping fruit off the ground,  keeping traps up and working,  are the most effective ways to control fruit flies.

I did some more looking into this, and found that beneficial nematodes can also keep in check fruit flies, and many other critters. including the harmful nematodes .

Hi William,
I also make traps for them fruit flies...just blend available over ripened fruit. Make them holes in the bottle and insert funnels that is made by hand from plastic...this method is really time consuming I now prefer the vinegar method

I agree fruits that fall on the ground should be discarded as soon as possible...in a ''hot'' compost pile or dig a foot deep hole. should also help.

Thanks for sharing...I didn't know about the urine being as effective as pheromones

[fyliu]

OT but I have a friend who raises fruit flies to pollinate cherimoyas. He claims to have discovered a type that is attracted to the flowers and banana peel.

[BMc]

Our QFly is the 2nd most destructive, most adaptive and it seems, smartest of the fruit flies.
Farmers have been using these yeast traps for ages with varying levels of success. They are great at catching huge numbers of male fruit flies, but the females will not enter a trap. it seems that the males will go anywhere to do what they were programmed to do. The females seem much more picky and do not enter any enclosed spaces. The trapping of a huge number of males can put a dent in the breeding cycle and bring down overall numbers in an orchard, but it only takes a few fertilized females to ruin an entire crop of fruit. So we use these sorts of traps as a monitor, to see when the flies arrive, then we get out the female sprays which go onto colored masonite boards around the edges of the property.

Fyliu, those pollinating flies are likely Drosophila flies, harmless little flies that hang around spoilt fruit and compost piles. The destructive ones are mostly bactrocera species.

[fyliu]

Fyliu, those pollinating flies are likely Drosophila flies, harmless little flies that hang around spoilt fruit and compost piles. The destructive ones are mostly bactrocera species.

Yup, they are the ones that feed on fermenting fruits and not the ones that lay eggs in good fruit.

[fruitlovers]

Hi to all fellow members ,

Here's way to get rid of them fruit flies organically...this method I learnt from my uncle recently. This method is also used throughout the island, especially people that make their own wine.

*Coke bottles
*Wire to be heated over fire to make the holes .
*12(as many as you want) holes are made...3 on each side and 2 holes below the lid, so that you can hung the bottle on the tree.
*Aged Vinegar(this is home made and left in wooden barrel to age) or normal cheap vinegar.

This aged vinegar has a potent smell...like gasoline After hunging this on the trees at my orchard in Calheta...I then inspected the bottles before leaving, there was a few flies already dead or in the process of dying....it works like a charm I also hanged one in the Surinam cherry tree here and After few days, there was a bunch of them flies already dead in the bottle.
 


I usually hang these bottles at least a month before the fruits start to ripen...this will minimize the damage of the fruit flies.

Hope fellow members give this a shot

Take care,
Steven

Hi Steven, this plastic bottle trap has been used here for very long time. The usual lure here is methyl eugenol. Never tried vinegar. Another lure that works with many fruit flies here is citronella oil. You put a cotton swab inside the bottle that has been dipped in the lure. The bottom of the bottle has soapy water that the fruit flies drown in. When the bottle becomes full of flies you empty it and renew the lure. The tricky part is that different fruit fly species have different lures that attract them. So what works here for one species will not work on other species elsewhere.

[Mike T]

My reply was going to be very much the same as what BMc has said already.Locally the papaya fruit fly was eradicated by using chipboard blocks impregnate with malathion and attractant as females don't enter traps even with vegemite.Dacus is the other bad ass FF genus, but no one worries about fungus gnats,drosophila an the little guys.Qfly can turn guavas into bags of live rice.
Bactrocera and Dacus maggots are firm and can jump.

[siafu]

Need to try this on my best carambola.
The bastards started to include it in their diet.

[Jackfruitwhisperer69]

Hi members ,

Fang,
That's interesting ...I would also be attracted to them flowers Their perfume is pure heaven THX for sharing

BMc and Mike,
Australia knows how to grab the bull by.......the horns Since the madame QLD fruit fly is picky.... I wonder why not irradiate them females(since they are picky) to make them sterile and release where there is a cultivation of fruits...commmercially or just back yard growers such as you guys. Catching them males...sure will break them breeding cycles!

Oscar,
Citronella oil is also an excellent lure, but very hard or just impossible to find here. When bottles are full, i take a strain and strain the contents and reuse the remaining liquid and adding more, since with time, the vinegar will evaporate. Totally agree with you...this may work for some and will not work on other species. I think the specie we have here is the Mediterranean fruit fly which is native to the Mediterranean.

Sérgio,
This bastards also started to include Pitanga in there diet....first time this year

[Tropicalgrower89]

That's pretty stinkin smart. Wonder if we can use that technique for the pesky papaya fruit fly (which also sometimes infects mangoes!).

Hi CookieMonsta,
  It's well worth a try...I can't vouch for it...cause i don't have those demons over here

I wonder if this would work on aphids as well since they hate garlic-type smells.

Hi Alexi,
I haven't thought of using this for the Aphids  You are onto something  How would you use the vinegar on them aphids?

Thanks for the tip Steven!

Brad

 Hi Brad,
No problem

Test were done here on the island, using different lures for fruit fly traps,

They found that urine is just as effective as the pheromone tablets being sold.

also, color of the trap did not make any difference, yellow was thought to attract more, but in practice no difference was registered.
---------------------------------------
keeping fruit off the ground,  keeping traps up and working,  are the most effective ways to control fruit flies.

I did some more looking into this, and found that beneficial nematodes can also keep in check fruit flies, and many other critters. including the harmful nematodes .

Hi William,
I also make traps for them fruit flies...just blend available over ripened fruit. Make them holes in the bottle and insert funnels that is made by hand from plastic...this method is really time consuming I now prefer the vinegar method

I agree fruits that fall on the ground should be discarded as soon as possible...in a ''hot'' compost pile or dig a foot deep hole. should also help.

Thanks for sharing...I didn't know about the urine being as effective as pheromones

I would think that you could use it the same way for the aphids as you would for the fruit flies. They hate strong potent smells like garlic, so I think they would hate the vinegar smell too.

[fruitlovers]

Hi members ,

Fang,
That's interesting ...I would also be attracted to them flowers Their perfume is pure heaven THX for sharing

BMc and Mike,
Australia knows how to grab the bull by.......the horns Since the madame QLD fruit fly is picky.... I wonder why not irradiate them females(since they are picky) to make them sterile and release where there is a cultivation of fruits...commmercially or just back yard growers such as you guys. Catching them males...sure will break them breeding cycles!

Oscar,
Citronella oil is also an excellent lure, but very hard or just impossible to find here. When bottles are full, i take a strain and strain the contents and reuse the remaining liquid and adding more, since with time, the vinegar will evaporate. Totally agree with you...this may work for some and will not work on other species. I think the specie we have here is the Mediterranean fruit fly which is native to the Mediterranean.

Sérgio,
This bastards also started to include Pitanga in there diet....first time this year

Steven, its' funny because most herbal mosquito repellants here use citronella oil as one of the ingredients. I discovered this the hard way when i first got here. Put some mosquito repellent on and all the fruit flies followed me around all day long.  BTW citronella grass is very easy to grow. You can also buy citronella essential oil by mail. Most aromatherapy stores sell it. Here it is also sold at Home Depot as an insect repellent.

[Jackfruitwhisperer69]

Hi Alexi,

I would think that you could use it the same way for the aphids as you would for the fruit flies. They hate strong potent smells like garlic, so I think they would hate the vinegar smell too.

So, using vinegar as an Aphid repellent ...I was thinking of spraying a plant with vinegar, to repel the aphids, like you would do with garlic that is blended. I reckon this will not be good for plants since vinegar is sour(acid) and it might also burn the leaves of the plant.

Hi Oscar,
Steven, its' funny because most herbal mosquito repellants here use citronella oil as one of the ingredients. I discovered this the hard way when i first got here. Put some mosquito repellent on and all the fruit flies followed me around all day long.  BTW citronella grass is very easy to grow. You can also buy citronella essential oil by mail. Most aromatherapy stores sell it. Here it is also sold at Home Depot as an insect repellent.

Here we do have much problems with mosquitos. There is a banch of essential oils...Camphor, Rosemary, Tea tree oil...etc Never seen citronella for sale...Maybe, in those shops that sell incenses and a bunch of other stuff. I didn't check out these places...simple reason The incense smell is over powering   Lemon grass grows quite well over here and i have one...Citronella sounds like an awesome plant to grow

[fruitlovers]

Hi Alexi,

I would think that you could use it the same way for the aphids as you would for the fruit flies. They hate strong potent smells like garlic, so I think they would hate the vinegar smell too.

So, using vinegar as an Aphid repellent ...I was thinking of spraying a plant with vinegar, to repel the aphids, like you would do with garlic that is blended. I reckon this will not be good for plants since vinegar is sour(acid) and it might also burn the leaves of the plant.

Hi Oscar,
Steven, its' funny because most herbal mosquito repellants here use citronella oil as one of the ingredients. I discovered this the hard way when i first got here. Put some mosquito repellent on and all the fruit flies followed me around all day long.  BTW citronella grass is very easy to grow. You can also buy citronella essential oil by mail. Most aromatherapy stores sell it. Here it is also sold at Home Depot as an insect repellent.

Here we do have much problems with mosquitos. There is a banch of essential oils...Camphor, Rosemary, Tea tree oil...etc Never seen citronella for sale...Maybe, in those shops that sell incenses and a bunch of other stuff. I didn't check out these places...simple reason The incense smell is over powering   Lemon grass grows quite well over here and i have one...Citronella sounds like an awesome plant to grow

Steven, be very careful as vinegar is commonly used as a herbicide. So if used straight on your plants could kill some of them. Citronella grass grows similarly to lemon grass and is also easy.

[Jackfruitwhisperer69]

Steven, be very careful as vinegar is commonly used as a herbicide. So if used straight on your plants could kill some of them. Citronella grass grows similarly to lemon grass and is also easy.

Hi Oscar,
Thanks for the advice I abandoned that ship...I didn't know about vinegar being uses as a herbicide Thanks for sharing Vinegar will definitely come in handy with them weeds...will trial this as a organic herbicide.

[BirdsAndTrees]

There's mine =D The bait is also vinegar. Learned it from a random googled website.

Fruit flies are really disgusting seriously

They started to ransack my food when I was washing the dishes. When I got to my seat, I saw two flies jumping around my spaghetti. I tell you guys it's really gross. Anyway that was months before. I only occasional build fruit fly traps when i see one. I did an experiment before. It was alternating baits. Oranges, banana peels, wine, apple. Yeah they're all attracted to food and not just vinegar.

[fruitlovers]

OK, but those teeny indoor flies are not fruit flies. Probably fungus gnats.

[Pancrazio]

Just a little suggestion; hang them a little away from your fruit tree. You want to attract the flies away from your trees, not just over your fruits.

[Jackfruitwhisperer69]

Just a little suggestion; hang them a little away from your fruit tree. You want to attract the flies away from your trees, not just over your fruits.

Hi Pan,
Good point!

[FarmBoy]

We have also been experimenting with fruit fly traps. I use plastic milk jugs and put holes on the sides, for the bait I have been using vinegar & a 1/2" of cooking oil.  The handle on the jug makes it easy to handle, also I use the cap to hold the string which hangs it off the branch. We also pick up ALL the fruit that hits the ground or step on it so that it will bake in the hot sun.
The problem is..... I need about 600 milk jugs to cover 60 acres.

Them fruit fly's gotta be part of the curse.....