Magical Cat's Corner

Killing Bugs Never Tasted So Good

We've all had fruit flies in our house at one time or another... you leave some bananas on the counter until they turn black or leave a plate of spaghetti sitting on the counter for awhile (ahem), and BAM. Fruit fly infestation. Usually you get lucky... toss out the offending item and the fruit flies gradually disappear, but sometimes they are hesitant to leave. You catch them mating on the kitchen counter and try to smash them, but they fly away too fast. You get out the vacuum cleaner and start sucking them off the ceiling in the evening when they land up there to do whatever fruit flies do on the ceiling, but you still see them flying around your cereal the next day.

Well, I have stumbled upon a surefire way to get rid of those pesky fruit flies! Not only will it eliminate the problem, but it's also fun.

Step 1. Obtain a bottle of sweet, fruity wine (they seem to prefer white). The fruit flies at my house really like Traminette and Simmons' Winery Autumn Late Harvest (they have discerning taste, at least).

Step 2. Drink most of the wine (this is the fun part). Leave an inch or so of wine in the bottom of the bottle.

Step 3. Set the open wine bottle in the area where fruit flies seem to be congregating (kitchen, maybe?). Note: Be sure to use the bottle. A glass does not work as well.

Step 4. Wait.

You will notice less and less fruit flies buzzing around your food and more and more fruit flies floating helpless (and dead) in the wine bottle.

This absolutely works. Last summer we had a fruit fly problem and we tried everything to get rid of them... unsightly fly paper, the vacuum method, Raid, but nothing worked until I accidentally left a bit of wine in a bottle sitting out. The next day I counted 20 some fruit flies floating in the bottle. A couple of days later the problem was completely eradicated. I have used this method a few times since then (I guess we get a lot of bad bananas) when I notice fruit flies around, and it works everytime.

I wonder if I can have this idea patented.