Fruit flies are some of the worst household pests out there, made worse by the fact that they are seemingly impossible to get rid of.
Flies are attracted to fruit, other food and garbage and seem to take over any space once they enter.
Well now, a TikTok user has sparked a raging debate about the best means of exterminating pesky bugs after opening up about how her home has recently been invaded by them.
Sarah Molnar, a personal trainer living in upstate New York who posts under the username @happyhealthysarahh, took to the app recently to share a video of herself expressing her horror and disgust at the number of fruit flies she’s seen. has seen them buzzing around her house.
To add insult to injury, Molnar explains that she installed a plug-in LED trap.
The product had been “phenomenal” at catching the bugs, but no matter how many got stuck in it, she was still finding them elsewhere in her home, she adds.
“This thing is phenomenal,” she notes, holding up the trap to show dozens of fruit flies trapped inside. “But they’ve been flying all over my house.”
She adds: “I wash my bananas [but] I heard they live in your garbage disposal.â€
Her candid video — which she shared with the disclaimer, “Can we just talk about this openly and not be like, ‘Oh my god, what kind of house is she living in?'” — quickly went viral, garnering more than 223,000 views in a few days.
And it seems Molnar isn’t alone in her struggle, with several people commenting that they’ve experienced similar issues in their own home.
“YES!! They’ve been terrible this year!” said one person. Another added: “Yes! They are bad this year! One literally flew up my nose the other day?!â€
“I swear they’re coming from outside when I open my windows with screens on them — I’ve noticed the same thing this year,” added a third person.
Several TikTok users offered a number of possible solutions, revealing tricks they’ve relied on in the past to stop the influx of fruit flies in their home.
“I clean my sink with Dawn, pour baking soda down my drain and let it sit for 20 minutes,” one person suggested. “Then pour boiling water down the drain. I do this every few days. It works quite well.â€
“Boiling water in sewers to kill eggs in pipes,” cried someone else.
Another viewer asked Molnar to try something much simpler (and sweet-smelling): cinnamon sticks.
“Cinnamon Stick!! no fruit flies!!! just put them in your fruit bowl or next to the bananas!! game changer!!” the viewer wrote.
However, some responded that the flies in Molnar’s house weren’t actually fruit flies, but rather drain flies, which are more like moths and hang around garbage, drains, and drain pipes.
“Strain the flies. Keep the plug plugged in, regularly run boiling water down drains and drain and cover them when you’re not using them, one person advised. “They are hard to get rid of, but it is possible.”
“Drain the flies,” one user decided. “You should treat your canals every night before bed and then cover them with plastic.”
Another user offered another possible theory: The flies in question are actually fungus gnats.
“OMG! They were terrible for us this year! They’re not fruit flies, they’re fungus gnats!” the person wrote. “Once they hatch, it’s impossible to stop them. Cleaned everything, poured bleach down the drains, etc. They were finally gone within two weeks. But, girl, they scared the crap out of me!”
According to the experts at Arrow Exterminators, fruit flies often enter homes through gaps in walls and around doors or windows.
“Fruit flies often enter your home through cracks in walls, loose seals around doors or windows, or your eggs laid inside a product from the grocery store,” the company’s website states.
“Fruit flies can seem to come out of nowhere to invade your home, but that’s mainly because of how quickly fruit flies grow and develop.”
According to experts, “The best way to catch and get rid of fruit flies is to use apple cider vinegar and dish soap to create a powerful and irresistible trap.
“Fill a bowl or cup about halfway with vinegar and add a few drops of dish soap. You can also microwave the mixture for a few seconds to maximize potency and attractiveness. Cover with plastic wrap held in place with a rubber band and poke a few holes in the plastic wrap covering the mouth of the bowl or cup.â€
#Woman #Terrified #Fruit #Fly #Infestation #Home #Heres #Rid
Image Source : nypost.com