i got microflies in my condo

OBLAMA2009

Diamond Member
Apr 17, 2008
6,574
3
0
i left a banana peel out and it spontaneously generated mini flies and now theyre all over the mirrors and monitors in my condo. anyone know how to get rid of them, id rather not spray all over my furniture and stuff
 

brainhulk

Diamond Member
Sep 14, 2007
9,376
454
126
fly-trap.gif
 

OBLAMA2009

Diamond Member
Apr 17, 2008
6,574
3
0
lol. these damn things are everywhere. in one day my condo became full of them. i just tried to tie up the garbage bag and a couple hundred flew off the banana peel and into the air
 
Last edited:

Crono

Lifer
Aug 8, 2001
23,720
1,502
136
They sell little fruit fly traps at the supermarket I frequent. I haven't tried them, but they might be worth a shot.
 

OBLAMA2009

Diamond Member
Apr 17, 2008
6,574
3
0
They sell little fruit fly traps at the supermarket I frequent. I haven't tried them, but they might be worth a shot.

ive never seen those. i thought of fly paper but they seem to like the mirrors and computer screens
 

Murloc

Diamond Member
Jun 24, 2008
5,382
65
91
banana peels attract them pretty good because they're smelly and humid.

You should have a green waste container with a cover (like a sugar pot or something) if you don't want to throw it in the compost heap every time, or your kitchen will be full of drosophila every time.
An open trash container under the sink is a bad idea because they can get in there too.
 

OBLAMA2009

Diamond Member
Apr 17, 2008
6,574
3
0
banana peels attract them pretty good because they're smelly and humid.

You should have a green waste container with a cover (like a sugar pot or something) if you don't want to throw it in the compost heap every time, or your kitchen will be full of drosophila every time.
An open trash container under the sink is a bad idea because they can get in there too.

thats exactly what they are, drosophila, those stupid liitle flies with the different colored eyes that you count in college bio lab. theyre crapping on my monitors, there are black specs on the screens. i ended up flushing the peel down the toilet
 

Crono

Lifer
Aug 8, 2001
23,720
1,502
136
makes sense fruit is definitely what causes this problem.

Yeah. Bananas especially. I have a couple flying around right now. Dry winter air prevented them from proliferating for a while.

I think I might buy a few venus fly traps and pitcher plants.

EDIT: Apparently sundews are good at catching them.

8198914850_99dc1a4346_z.jpg
 
Last edited:

Farang

Lifer
Jul 7, 2003
10,913
3
0
In my experience, just be conscious to remove food sources for them and they die off quickly. Think their lifespan is like 48 hours
 

lagokc

Senior member
Mar 27, 2013
808
1
41
The best thing I've found for catching/killing them is a glass with 1/2" of red wine in it. They are attracted by the sweet smell but get too drunk to fly out and drown.
 

lxskllr

No Lifer
Nov 30, 2004
60,248
10,690
126
I just wait. I take my compost out to the pile, and they're gone in a day or two. Not worth wasting time on.
 

OBLAMA2009

Diamond Member
Apr 17, 2008
6,574
3
0
these miniflies are really messing me up. i waited a day and there are more of them that ever. i cant even sit at my desk and do things without them flying in my face. so i decided to fish out all the banana peels from the trash and flush them down the toilet ( i was careful to tear them in pieces). then later i noticed one of my toilets would flush really slowly. i think one of the banana peel is stuck in the pipes. i tried to plunger to no avail, although the water did eventually drain down. how do you get a banana peel to biodegrade in a toilet pipe? what chemical can you pour down a toilet safely to get the banan peel to dissolve and go down?
 

edro

Lifer
Apr 5, 2002
24,326
68
91
Small dishes with vinegar and dish soap mixed.
It has worked for us numerous times.
 

Craig234

Lifer
May 1, 2006
38,548
350
126
thats exactly what they are, drosophila, those stupid liitle flies with the different colored eyes that you count in college bio lab. theyre crapping on my monitors, there are black specs on the screens. i ended up flushing the peel down the toilet

That was a mistake. Composte it or throw it in the garbage outside.
 

Craig234

Lifer
May 1, 2006
38,548
350
126
these miniflies are really messing me up. i waited a day and there are more of them that ever. i cant even sit at my desk and do things without them flying in my face. so i decided to fish out all the banana peels from the trash and flush them down the toilet ( i was careful to tear them in pieces). then later i noticed one of my toilets would flush really slowly. i think one of the banana peel is stuck in the pipes. i tried to plunger to no avail, although the water did eventually drain down. how do you get a banana peel to biodegrade in a toilet pipe? what chemical can you pour down a toilet safely to get the banan peel to dissolve and go down?

I posted before seeing this, but it pretty much makes my point. Get a plumber?
 

nickbits

Diamond Member
Mar 10, 2008
4,122
1
81
When I had that problem once I removed the source of the files, they went away on their own.