Article 50 of rec.food.preserving:
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From: hamilton@umbc.edu (Diana Hamilton)
Newsgroups: rec.food.preserving
Subject: Easy Fruit Fly Trap
Date: 31 Aug 1994 09:22:06 -0400
Organization: University of Maryland, Baltimore County
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Given that a lot of people here might be working with fresh fruit, here's
an excellent way to keep the kitchen fruit fly population down. I learned
this from my brother, who works in a research lab where escaped fruit flies
are always a problem.

*Fruit Fly Trap*

Materials: 1 glass jar, 1 piece of paper and a piece of tape, a little
*cider* vinegar (not white vinegar), a couple of drops liquid soap or 
detergent.

Procedure: Tape the paper together to make a funnel shape that will rest
inside the mouth of the jar, but have a fairly broad opening. Put cider
vinegar in the bottom of the jar (1/4 inch or 0.5 cm or so). Add a couple
of drops of detergent to the vingar. Place the paper funnel on the jar.
Set on the kitchen counter near the fruit.

How it works: Flies are attracted to the cider vinegar, which they interpret
as decaying fruit. They go into the jar (the funnel makes entry easier than
exit) and either fall onto or land on the surface of the liquid. The
detergent decreases the normal surface tension, so they sink and drown.
Easy and cheap, and no zaps!

We tested this last fall at our parents' house when the apple crop came in.
A single trap caught >100 flies in 2 days. 

Diana


Article 484 of rec.food.preserving:
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From: hamilton@umbc.edu (Diana Hamilton)
Newsgroups: rec.food.preserving,rec.food.cooking
Subject: Easy fruit fly trap [repost]
Date: 3 Oct 1994 15:50:43 -0400
Organization: University of Maryland, Baltimore County
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Xref: bigblue.oit.unc.edu rec.food.preserving:484 rec.food.cooking:97217

Given that people here might be working with fall's fresh fruit, here's
an excellent way to keep the kitchen fruit fly population down. I learned
this from my brother, who works in a research lab where escaped fruit flies
are always a problem.

*Fruit Fly Trap*

Materials: 1 glass jar, 1 piece of paper and a piece of tape, a little
*cider* vinegar (not white vinegar), a couple of drops liquid soap or 
detergent.

Procedure: Tape the paper together to make a funnel shape that will rest
inside the mouth of the jar, but have a fairly broad opening. Put cider
vinegar in the bottom of the jar (1/4 inch or 0.5 cm or so). Add a couple
of drops of detergent to the vingar. Place the paper funnel on the jar.
Set on the kitchen counter near the fruit.

How it works: Flies are attracted to the cider vinegar, which they interpret
as decaying fruit. They go into the jar (the funnel makes entry easier than
exit) and either fall onto or land on the surface of the liquid. The
detergent decreases the normal surface tension, so they sink and drown.
Easy and cheap, and no zaps!

We tested this last fall at our parents' house when the apple crop came in.
A single trap caught >100 flies in 2 days. 

Diana


