Well kiddos, sorry for the radio silence over here the past few weeks.  Prior to the beginning of this week, I was soaking up every minute of my forced summer vacation, and relaxing like I’ve never relaxed before.  I must say, it was pretty nice.  But, alas, I got a new job and returned to work this week.  So I’m back in the routine of being a real person now, which means that the blog may or may not be making a comeback onto your computer screens.

Let’s transition to what this post is actually about, shall we?

I don’t know about you guys, but this is the time of year when my countertops are generally overflowing with summer produce.  Tomatoes, summer plums, peaches, melons…  I hoard them and eat them by the dozen.  All this fruit ripening away on the counter though generally means that at some point or another we get overrun with fruit flies.  And it’s really not so appetizing to grab a nectarine from the fruit basket and immediately see a swarm of gnats start buzzing about.

I don’t like the idea of spraying a bunch of chemicals near the fruit I eat, (I mean, I try to avoid pesticides in my food before I buy it, so why would I want to add some after the fact?) so I did a little research on how to deal with the fruit fly problem naturally.  After a bit of googling and a trial run, I found the perfect natural solution.  Here’s what you’ll need:

• small bowl or container (I used a small mason jar)
• apple cider vinegar
• dish soap
• plastic wrap
• rubber band
• small sharp knife

1. Place a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar into the bowl or container you’re using.  Add a squirt of dish soap, then cover the top with plastic wrap.
2. Secure the plastic wrap around the edge with a rubber band, then take a small knife and cut a few slits in the top of the wrap.
3. Place your contraption near where the flies are congregating and let it sit for a few days, and that’s it!

The fruit flies will be attracted to the smell of the apple cider vinegar and will fly into the container through the slits in the top.  Once in there, they will be trapped by the plastic wrap.  Also, the dish soap changes the surface tension of the water, making it so that the flies drown if they land in it.

Easy right?  Problem solved!