I'm sure this is not a new trick, but it's the best I've come up with in the last few years. (Are the ones at your house the big-daddy-black ones now?) I had been covering the fruit with a big bowl, but it got really sweaty inside. And the little sneakers crawled under the rim. Adding a layer of plastic wrap didn't really help the situation. With this little set-up, we still have flies around the sink and dirty dishes, but the thick paper bag keeps them away, and keeps the fruit fresh and happy and clean inside. I've heard of doing this to hurry along the ripening process, but it works great to keep the flies off too. (I'm hoping it doesn't hurry along the process too quickly!)
I should have flipped the bag over before filling it so I could show my fierce loyalty to the store I got it from ... Safeway. I love that place, I really do. Don't judge me.
Niiiiice!!!
ReplyDeleteI rigged a fruit fly trap and got rid of all those nasties in a couple of days. That and putting the fruit in the fridge, and being a clean kitchen nazi till they were all dead. The fruit fly trap worked really well though -- just a core / rotting banana in a cup, covered with plastic wrap and secured tight with an elastic. Then a couple of small punctures in the middle of the wrap -- not near the edges because they circle around the inside rim trying to get out. I used the end of the thermometer from our espresso machine for holes just the right size so they could get in but not back out. We had sooo many fruit flies so fast and it was maddening because I had fresh flowers and they had to go outside too -- the fruit flies were finding a meal there. So sad.
ReplyDeleteThe paper bag trick looks like a good invention too. Do they circle around it, trying to find a way in?
Love the new blog. I love green.
That should read "fridge".
ReplyDeleteI love the fruit fly idea. I will have to try that. I gave up and was keeping everything in the ridge but I dont always like to do that. We had them really bad a couple of weeks ago. I put a small bowl with balsamic vinegar and dish soap and that seemed to kill them.
ReplyDeleteAs a side note: Thank you for supporting your local Safeway.
Yes, we've had traps all summer, but they just keep coming back! They appear out of nowhere. I've only seen one or two on the outside of the bag. I think it's so thick that they can't smell the contents.
ReplyDeleteI've also tried to buy fruit that is nice to keep in the fridge, like grapes. I don't like really cold fruit. I have also kept some stuff in the microwave to hide it from the flies.
ReplyDelete