Fruit Flies

[TheEdge]

Drosophila melanogaster is a species of fly (the taxonomic order Diptera) in the family Drosophilidae. The species is known generally as the common fruit fly or vinegar fly. Starting with Charles W. Woodworth's proposal of the use of this species as a model organism, D. melanogaster continues to be widely used for biological research in genetics, physiology, microbial pathogenesis, and life history evolution. This species is typically used because it can be readily reared in the laboratory, has only four pairs of chromosomes, breeds quickly, and lays many eggs. Its geographic range includes all continents, including islands. D. melanogaster is a common pest in homes, restaurants, and other places where food is served.

Flies belonging to the family Tephritidae are also called "fruit flies". This can cause confusion, especially in Australia and South Africa, where the Mediterranean fruit fly Ceratitis capitata is an economic pest.

Learn more about the fruit fly from your local library or Wikipedia page.

Is that fruit fly specific enough?

 

[bb21]

Where is that link from bananas to fruit flies? You can't jump topics, it needs to be natural thread drift like how you made it from fruit flies to bananas.

(One post left, tic toc, tic toc...)

 

[TheEdge]

In the attempt to annoy moderators it turns out the humble banana is actually a regular target of the fruit fly, along with the melon. Interestingly this is due to the fact they are normally stored in the open rather than in cupboards or the fridge. This makes them an easy target for the fruit fly to lay eggs on.

Although the website I discovered this on suggests washing the outside skin of a banana before eating it to avoid a fruit fly infestation. That seems rather OTT to me, I've never washed unpeeled fruit, banana or otherwise and have been free of fruit fly infestation. In fact the only fruit fly issue I have ever had was from rotten onions hidden at the bottom of a box I used to keep non refrigerated veg in.

 

[Cowley]

I found this fruit fly viciously attacking one of our bananas this morning.
I thought this horror was over but now I'm not so sure, this could go on for weeks.

 

[bb21]

I'll let these two posts slide.

To be fair, I did notice the infestation issue this year to be much reduced. No idea why, but I only rarely find one at the moment in my kitchen, or for the last couple of months, whereas last year I regularly had to chase them around the kitchen with a zapper.

 

[Cowley]

Where did you get a zapper from? I want a zapper. That would turn a problem into a fun game.

 

[DaleCooper]

Where did you get a zapper from? I want a zapper. That would turn a problem into a fun game.

I've bought them from eBay and QD Stores (I don't think you have them in your area) but you can also get them from Amazon, Maplin and Tesco among others.

 

[Cowley]

I've bought them from eBay and QD Stores (I don't think you have them in your area) but you can also get them from Amazon, Maplin and Tesco among others.

Are you sure that's not a ping pong bat that you've drawn on?

 

[bb21]

Pound shops sell them too.

 

[DaleCooper]

Are you sure that's not a ping pong bat that you've drawn on?

It's actually a snowshoe disguised as a table tennis bat painted to look like a fly zapper.

Pound shops sell them too.

What price?

 

[Cowley]

Pound shops sell them too.

I'll try and get one this week and then we can put this whole sorry saga to bed.
Is it possible to do the zapping with a bit of a flourish? Back handed volleys etc?

 

[TheEdge]

Is the the All England Fruit Fly Tennis Club a thing? Is that maybe something to form.

 

[DarloRich]

Such cruelty. Fruit flies have rights to.

I find the best way to stop them is simply not to eat fruit. I find chocolate a good substitute.

 

[DaleCooper]

Such cruelty. Fruit flies have rights to.

When their rights are put together with their lefts and middles they become a nuisance.

 

[TheEdge]

Such cruelty. Fruit flies have rights to.

I find the best way to stop them is simply not to eat fruit. I find chocolate a good substitute.

But then you'll just get chocolate flies instead.

But sir, you can be hoist by your own petard, for does removing the food of the fruit fly remove their rights? How can one claim to be for fruit fly rights when so opening calling for the destruction of their ancestral feeding grounds?

You disgust me.

 

[Cowley]

But then you'll just get chocolate flies instead.

But sir, you can be hoist by your own petard, for does removing the food of the fruit fly remove their rights? How can one claim to be for fruit fly rights when so opening calling for the destruction of their ancestral feeding grounds?

You disgust me.

Feelings are running high on here.
Just for variety I got attacked by horse flies yesterday and today. Horrible things, at least fruit flies don't do that.

Anyway I got home and found this. This one's clearly gone too far, it's off to the research lab for him after he's slept it off.

 

[TheEdge]

Technically he is just enjoying a nice glass of fruit juice.

 

[DaleCooper]

Feelings are running high on here.
Just for variety I got attacked by horse flies yesterday and today. Horrible things, at least fruit flies don't do that.

Anyway I got home and found this. This one's clearly gone too far, it's off to the research lab for him after he's slept it off.

Collect a few more and you can make a Garibaldi biscuit.

 

[trainmania100]

I fancy a bug zapper but buying batteries is always expensive

 

[edwin_m]

I fancy a bug zapper but buying batteries is always expensive

With an old-fashioned flyswatter you can save money by doing the battery yourself.

 

[Cowley]

With an old-fashioned flyswatter you can save money by doing the battery yourself.

I considered firing up the strimmer earlier and just waving it around the kitchen.
It felt a little reckless and unhinged though.

 

[DaleCooper]

Is it possible to do the zapping with a bit of a flourish? Back handed volleys etc?

I broke mine that way, luckily I had a spare and today I repaired the broken one. If only all of life's setbacks could be resolved so easily.

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

I don't know about fruit flies, but I keep getting lots of very small moths in the house at the moment, I can get them sometimes, but need to see if it is possible still to get mothballs, but non smelly ones, the old ones used to smell strongly of camphor.

 

[DaleCooper]

I've just found this, it's not the most reliable of sources but it might be true. Cowley - take particular notice of the last sentence.

http://listverse.com/2017/08/25/10-disgusting-facts-you-never-wanted-to-know-about-animals/

Fruit Fly Swarms Are Really Just Massive Orgies

If you’ve ever swatted your hand through a throng of fruit flies swarming over a random point in your house, we’ve got news for you. To those fruit flies, you were a bigger buzzkill than you realized. You broke up their orgy.

Those big, chaotic fruit fly swarms are basically swinger parties, and they’re crazy. The fruit flies pair off and start building up the mood with what animal experts describe as—and we apologize in advance for this mental image—“oral sexual foreplay.” Once they’ve built up a little romance, they get right into it. Two fruit flies, who only live for 40 days, will make love for an impressive 20 minutes.

But it doesn’t end there. After they’re done with their first partner, the female fruit flies will try out a few of the other males there. With their biology, the last male she sleeps with is going to be the one who gets her pregnant, so they actually have these orgies to test out different lovers before settling on a baby daddy.

So, if you’ve ever swatted your hand through a fruit fly orgy, you might want to wash it.

 

[Cowley]

Hmm. So not only are they savaging any available fruit but they're clearly having more fun than anyone else.
I feel dirty all over. I'm off for a shower.

 

[DaleCooper]

Here's a couple of ideas for fruit fly traps.

https://www.thebalance.com/get-rid-of-fruit-flies-1388144

How to Make a Homemade Fruit Fly Trap

Battling a swarm of fruit flies in your kitchen or bathroom? Get rid of them quickly with this simple, homemade trap:

What You Need:

• Apple cider vinegar
• Dish soap
• A jar or small bowl

What You Do:

1. Pour a cup of apple cider vinegar into a jar or small bowl.
2. Add a couple drops of dish soap to the jar.
3. Place the trap in the area where you've seen the fruit flies, and wait for it to do its job.

Why This Works:

Fruit flies are attracted to the smell of the vinegar, and will attempt to land on its surface.

However, they're in for a surprise – since the dish soap breaks the surface tension of the vinegar, the fruit flies fall in and drown. Say good-bye to that annoying swarm!

Benefits of Using Vinegar:

• no harsh fumes
• inexpensive
• environmentally-friendly

Tips and Warnings:

1) Keep out of the reach of children
2) A bottle with a small neck can also be used
3)Keep a fruit fly trap on your kitchen counter, even after you've trapped your fruit flies. It'll prevent future infestations from occurring. I keep mine in a pretty container, so it doesn't stand out. The vinegar evaporates over time, so I just top it off whenever I notice it's getting low.

https://entomology.ca.uky.edu/ef621

A better approach, however, is to construct a trap by placing a paper funnel (rolled from a sheet of notebook paper) into a jar which is then baited with a few ounces of cider vinegar. Place the jar trap(s) wherever fruit flies are seen. This simple but effective trap will soon catch any remaining adult flies which can then be killed or released outdoors.

 

[Cowley]

I'm going to make one of those later, there don't seem to be as many flies as there were so I'll have to make some bait too.

 

[Cowley]

I think I'm going to try it with some smaller bait next.

 

[DaleCooper]

I think I'm going to try it with some smaller bait next.

There's something wrong, the whole point of the paper funnel is to stop the banana escaping. Perhaps you need to stun the banana before putting it in the jar. Let us know if that works better.

Another idea - use banana proof paper.

 

[Cowley]

Where am I going to get banana proof paper on a bank holiday weekend? I'll try and stun it instead. I've put vinegar and wine in it for the moment.

Edit - I just nearly caught this cat while I was writing this.