The best way to avoid fruit fly problem is to water wash all produce, especially bananas, as soon as possible. I put the wet produce on a kitchen towel or paper towel, blot it a bit, and let it sit out until its dries thoroughly. If I have a lot of produce, I use a large tray lined with a towel.
Fruit flies lay eggs on produce. The eggs hatch when the fruit and vegetables sits out on the counter. We usually have the problem when I forget to wash any produce or wait a day or two.
Use cider vinegar to trap fruit flies. I put some of the vinegar in a wide shallow bowl with a drop or two of liquid dish detergent for hand washing dishes. I don't cover it. You can smell the vinegar but we put up with it for a few days. At night, I put the bowl near the night light in the kitchen. Usually clears up the problem in a few days. Don't forget to keep any produce out of the kitchen until the problem clears up.
Source: My future son-in-law.
By it's.only.me from NE PA
Since I live in a part of the country where fruit is seasonal and I like to buy a lot of it, I am wondering if anyone can give me a tip on how to avoid fruit flies or, at least, control them.
This tip was sent in to our paper, The Saturday Star, in their tip section.