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Is there a way to buy bananas without having a congregation of fucking fruit flies inviting themselves over?

AuthenticM

AuthenticM

Son Altesse Sérénissime
The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
30,369
gettyimages-459761948.jpg


Whenever we buy bananas, it takes between 24 to 48 hours before the apartment starts seeing fruit flies set up camp in their best immitation of insurrectionist truckers.

We've set up a pot with some apple cider vinegar and soap in it as a trap, but that doesn't seem to be enough. Do any of you have any idea how to mitigate that? Ideally, I would want a way to prevent the flies from coming over instead of having them come over and then dealing with them.
 
Runner

Runner

Member
Nov 1, 2017
2,749
you can put bananas in the fridge. they say you cant but you totally can. the outside goes brown but the inside stays at the same ripeness it was when you put it in for a while.
 
Apoplectoad

Apoplectoad

Member
Mar 15, 2019
138
Leave out apple cider vinegar mixed with dish soap, they get drawn to it then get trapped when they can't break the surface tension of the mix.
 
OhSatan

OhSatan

Member
Mar 15, 2018
15,813
The Door to the Tenth Sub Level of Suicide
AuthenticM said:
We've set up a pot with some apple cider vinegar and soap in it as a trap, but that doesn't seem to be enough. Do any of you have any idea how to mitigate that? Ideally, I would want a way to prevent the flies from coming over instead of having them come over and then dealing with them.
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What works is fill a tall pot with a banana peel and put food film over the opening and tight it with a rubberband, poke a lot of tiny holes on it and leave a couple of days to work its magic.

The more fruit you put inside the better.
 
The Albatross

The Albatross

Member
Oct 25, 2017
39,213
Honestly never get fruit fries from bananas, but probably because I'm buying those GMO bananas that poison the fruit flies. Also I live in the great white north of the US where are insufferable winters kill off all organisms going from the supermarket to your house.
 
LinkStrikesBack

LinkStrikesBack

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 27, 2017
16,463
Apoplectoad said:
Leave out apple cider vinegar mixed with dish soap, they get drawn to it then get trapped when they can't break the surface tension of the mix.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

If you really want to catch and murder the buggers, put cling film (Saran wrap I think is the American name?) over the glass or container you put the apple cider vinegar in, and make small slits with a knife. The dumb idiots will walk in and then even if they realise it's a bad idea, they can't get out again and the sweet embrace of death is inevitable for them.
 
Bakercat

Bakercat

Member
Oct 27, 2017
10,154
'merica
Last year I bought some and for the entire summer I had a fruit fly infestation that I couldn't keep under control. I'm not buying anymore bananas after that, was so frustrating.
 
Ferrio

Ferrio

Member
Oct 25, 2017
18,126
LinkStrikesBack said:
If you really want to catch and murder the buggers, put cling film (Saran wrap I think is the American name?) over the glass or container you put the apple cider vinegar in, and make small slits with a knife. The dumb idiots will walk in and then even if they realise it's a bad idea, they can't get out again and the sweet embrace of death is inevitable for them.
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This plus fly paper if it's really bad
 
FinFunnels

FinFunnels

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
5,610
Seattle
We keep our bananas in the fridge.

The peels turn brown quickly when refrigerated, but the bananas inside are usually good for about a week or so.
 

SRG01

Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,029
The Albatross said:
Honestly never get fruit fries from bananas, but probably because I'm buying those GMO bananas that poison the fruit flies. Also I live in the great white north of the US where are insufferable winters kill off all organisms going from the supermarket to your house.
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Where are you buying these magic bananas from? I've never seen them here in Canada...
 
BennyWhatever

BennyWhatever

Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,831
US
I had this one time when I bought bananas from the Organic section. Went back to buying regular bananas and never had a problem again. Could have been total coincidence.
 
The Albatross

The Albatross

Member
Oct 25, 2017
39,213
SRG01 said:
Where are you buying these magic bananas from? I've never seen them here in Canada...
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I figure that most bananas sold in the Northern hemisphere during cold months that are Crayola-electric-yellow and stay good for ~10 days are so genetically modified that natural organisms haven't adapted faster enough to eat them.

So, Shaws Supermarket :D

I really just don't get fruit flies between like ~nov and april usually.
 
RetroMG

RetroMG

Community Resettler
Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
6,763
Apoplectoad said:
Leave out apple cider vinegar mixed with dish soap, they get drawn to it then get trapped when they can't break the surface tension of the mix.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

LinkStrikesBack said:
If you really want to catch and murder the buggers, put cling film (Saran wrap I think is the American name?) over the glass or container you put the apple cider vinegar in, and make small slits with a knife. The dumb idiots will walk in and then even if they realise it's a bad idea, they can't get out again and the sweet embrace of death is inevitable for them.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I've never had any success with either of these remedies, but I bought one of these traps off Amazon to catch mosquitos last year and it also worked like a charm on fruit flies:
Only downside is that it has a blacklight, which can be annoying. (We set one up in our bedroom to catch mosquitos and the light being on made it tough to sleep.)
 
Apoplectoad

Apoplectoad

Member
Mar 15, 2019
138
RetroMG said:
I've never had any success with either of these remedies, but I bought one of these traps off Amazon to catch mosquitos last year and it also worked like a charm on fruit flies:
Only downside is that it has a blacklight, which can be annoying. (We set one up in our bedroom to catch mosquitos and the light being on made it tough to sleep.)
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I have two of them, they're awesome. I have a reptile and amphibian room that's super humid so I got them as a precaution. They do work better than just leaving a cup out.
 
SimplyComplex

SimplyComplex

Member
May 23, 2018
4,059
it's strange, ever since i moved into my new apartment, i've never had an issue with fruit flies on any food.
 
onyx

onyx

Member
Dec 25, 2017
2,539
The fly larvae are on the fruit. I put mine in the fridge and never had this problem.

Some people wash their bananas when they get home.
 
MrMattatee

MrMattatee

Member
Oct 27, 2017
657
Texas (aka, the upside down)
OP, do you see any fruit flies in your store's produce section? If ever you do, expect larva in any produce you buy there, as they are just mating, eating into fruit and placing their spawn eggs inside soft mediums (like a banana) for the larva to feast and grow on.

We eat larvae all of the time. The good news is that we don't notice it, so then clearly it's not all that bad then eh?
 
El-Suave

El-Suave

Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,832
The larva are not in the bananas but on or in the outside peel I think. I read since are kept cold during the supply chain the larva are inactive and they "wake up" when they are in warmer temperatures inside the consumers home.
 
bionic77

bionic77

Member
Oct 25, 2017
30,900
NinjaScooter said:
I've never in my life had this issue. Is this relative to where you live/climate?
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Do you finish your bananas quickly?

This happens to us if we leave two banana in the fruit bowl out too long. Which doesn't happen often but every once in awhile it does happen and then we have some shitty fruit flies for the next few days.
 
bionic77

bionic77

Member
Oct 25, 2017
30,900
NinjaScooter said:
Frankly I don't think that's any of your business
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If you are going to post in this thread about bananas in good faith then you better man up and tell us about the bananas.

And if you don't I am going to post a passive aggressive thread when you least expect it complaining about people that come into a thread about something serious and then don't even bother to give the details we need to help them. These rubes won't know its about bananas but YOU will.
 
Ra

Ra

Rap Genius
Moderator
Oct 27, 2017
12,294
Dark Space
This isn't an issue in NE Ohio. Must be a region/climate thing because I keep a stock of bananas by the week.
 
mute

mute

▲ Legend ▲
Member
Oct 25, 2017
25,278
By not living where OP does, this has never happened to me.
 
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