I have been blessed with a bounty of fruit flies this summer, through means I cannot discern, and though they're not too bad I'd still like to be rid of the pests. Anybody got cheap suggestions for getting rid of them? My usual method is to get them with a vacuum. Every time I see a group of them - and they always seem to go to the same area, around the sink - I pull out the hose and start sucking them up. It's by far the most efficient way to kill the individually, but I'd rather cut them off with more passive means. I've tried sugary liquids mixed with bleach and other poisons before, and though these work to an extent they're not as great as I would like. I find the kind of traps that work well on bees - namely, capturing them inside a receptacle - don't seem to fool fruit flies, for some reason.
I've use this many times and have had great success in getting rid of fruit flies. Get a tall glass and fill it about 1/3 full of apple cider vinegar. Then take a paper and roll it into a cone shape. Tape it and cut off the bottom so that it makes a funnel. Place the paper in the tall glass and watch the fruit flies come. They end up going into the apples cider vinegar and can't get out. If you want to ramp it up add a piece of old fruit to the glass. It will really attract the fruit flies. In about 2 days you should see the number of fruit flies drastically diminish. Look in the glass and you will see hundreds of them in the apple cider vinegar. Good luck.
For me, fruit flies generally gather only around areas where I have fruits, especially bananas! The riper they are, the more flies they attract. Not all fruits attract them though. I have a feeling it has to do with the scents or esters that the fruits release. I would suppose getting rid of the source attracting the flies is more important that getting rid of the flies themselves since they reproduce and grow really fast! In the summer, keeping your fruits in the fridge might help and also will keep them fresher for longer. Could they be gathering near your sink because you dispose of your fruit peels etc. nearby? Try removing that instead or use a covered bin.
