By ERIN TURNER
It’s summer and with it comes an array of pests. Much of Missoula has been plagued with mosquitoes for many weeks, although they are slowly dying off with this heat.
But this last week, I casually reached for a banana sitting in our fruit basket on the counter top and ugh….a cloud of fruit flies encircled the area!
While I love having the fruit sitting out and accessible for a quick walk-by snack for the kids, I don’t enjoy the multiplying fruit flies in and around the basket of fruit.
I want the kids to have easy-access to fruit snacks without the hassle of fruit flies!
Putting food away and keeping your counters cleaned off will help reduce the amount of fruit flies. While I could just put the fruit in the refrigerator and eliminate the problem, I am dead set on not letting those pesky flies get the best of my good nutrition intentions. So, I tried an easy and effective method of trapping them. Plus, it was super cheap and didn’t require any items which I didn’t already have in the house.
Here are the instructions:
1) Take a used plastic container (e.g. cottage cheese or yogurt) and fill it 2/3 full of apple cider vinegar.
2) Add a few drops of Dawn dish soap (or any dish soap).
3) Cut a thumb sized hold in the lid of the container. (You can also use plastic wrap if you don’t have the lid to the container.)
4) Place near your basket of fruit, garbage can or area where the fruit flies gather.
5) After just a few hours, you will begin to see the flies in the bottom of the container. Ick!
6) Empty and refill once a week (or more if necessary).
Add a few drops of Dawn dish soap to a container with apple cider vinegar.
I really have had good luck with this method and strongly recommend it as a way to avoid the infestation of fruit flies in your house this summer.
With fresh fruit and vegetables coming into your kitchen this time of year, you are bound to experience a few clouds of these critters. Using this method is safe, toxic-free, kid-friendly and budget friendly.
But most importantly, it is effective! I get to keep my fruit out on the counter which makes it more tempting for my boys and when there aren’t fruit flies flying out of it, they are more prone to depend on this easy, no effort and fresh snack. That’s a good thing!
*****
Erin’s got tons of tips for saving money, couponing, sticking to a budget, and living sustainably in her blog archive. And Check out our new Coupon section.
*******************
Erin Eisenman-Turner is proud to be a native Missoulian. Along with her husband and three sons, they raise chickens, pigs, rabbits, and vegetables at Turner Family Farms in the Orchard Homes area. When the farm chores are done, the coupons clipped, and the blog written, you can find Erin exploring Montana, collecting antiques, and trying to maintain a well-run, happy, and organized home for her family.
Like this blog? Don’t miss another one. Sign up for our E-Newsletter. It provides you with a list of all the week’s stories/blogs and is delivered to your inbox every Tuesday morning.