rid your place of fruit flies

Tropicdude says...
Watched the video clip, good to know that apple cider makes a good fruit fly bait.

at the following link there are plans for similar type traps, this site is an excellent source of information on organic control methods with many recipes.

http://www.oisat.org/control_methods/physical_methods/fruit_fly_traps.html

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Wayne says...
Kert, I noticed in the video that shreddio punches the holes in the cling wrap with a toothpick which makes me think that the flies he speaks of are those little black things that arrive on your kitchen bench etc, not the fruit fly that attack your fruit on the tree.

Diana says...
Hi virginny, Kert, and Wayne.

Midges are diptera too (like mosquitoes and flies), but the midges that are usually in the garden don't eat fruit or rotting fruit, the females suck blood (like mosquitoes). They are extremely small, only a mm or two and able to get through mozzie netting, and are sometimes called sandflies.

Vinegar flies (sometimes also called fruit flies) are in a different family to Qld fruit flies and midges. They are about 3-4mm long, often have red eyes and black on the body, and are attracted to the fruit bowl inside, or any fermenting fruit (including wine).

Queensland fruit flies are the size of house flies. The Qld DPI says "wasp-like, red-brown with yellow marks, and about 8 mm long. Fruit flies hold their wings outstretched in a horizontal position when walking. They flick them in a characteristic manner."

All the best,

Diana.

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kert says...
What family are vinegar flies?

Diana says...

Drosophilidae

http://www.ento.csiro.au/aicn/name_s/b_1449.htm

Queensland fruit flies are Tephritidae

http://www.ento.csiro.au/aicn/name_s/b_624.htm

Wayne says...
Don't know Brad, I thought they might be the vinegar flies but these are about the size of sandflies [midges] maybe a tad bigger, correct?. One squirt of spray and they're gone so I don't worry about them.