If the commenter in my last blog was repulsed by references to phlegm ..wait till he (or she) gets a load of this.
Linda and I are at war; not with each other..but with a devilish little foe that invaded our home while we were gone for ten days.
Behold the enemy!
Okay, I admit that this picture has been enlarged a gazillion times..but multiply him (or her) by a couple hundred and you can see we are vastly outnumbered in this battle.
The Google says they are fruit flies. At least I hope that’s it rather than the other possibilities such as Drain Flies, Blow Flies, Picture Wing Flies or Fungus Gnats.
Apparently they thrive around unrefrigerated fruit sitting out on the counter..or vegetables like potatoes or onions that are kept in the kitchen or pantry. They also could be feasting on and breeding around bits of food stuck in the disposal..the drain pipe or garbage can. Yuck!
These little buggers are too small and illusive to effectively be eliminated with pesticides or a conventional fly swatter so I’ve been desperately trying other means.
I’m sure the neighbors or anybody who drives by at night and looks into our windows must think I’m practicing some sort of Spanish Flamenco dance as I prance around the house clapping my hands when in fact I’m in air to air combat with fruit flies who gleefully dodge in and out of my sights avoiding my poor attempts to crush them in my mitts.
Oh, they’re good alright..but my persistence occasionally pays off when I look down to discover a speck on my palm that, upon closer examination and much to my surprise, are the pulverized remains of my worthy opponent.
I actually managed to snatch two this afternoon. As proof, I took this photo of their mangled bodies through a magnifying glass.
WARNING: MIGHT NOT BE SUITABLE FOR SENSITIVE VIEWERS.
The trouble is..even if I get really good at killing fruit flies mano en buggo..maybe become an ace..there are still way too many of them so I’m bringing out the big gun..which in this case is a homemade trap. Make a paper funnel and place it in a glass containing a little orange juice or cider vinegar or chunk of fruit. Then put it where the little pests are most predominant.
Tape the funnel and make sure it’s tight around the glass. They apparently can get in but can’t get back out.I just checked and, so far, no fly has taken the bait but I’m sure it will work because I read about it on the internet and if it’s written down it must be true.I’ll let you know.