Gnats from the bananas

[flutterbee]

I used to have this problem with bananas from Kroger, then it stopped. It's started again. The last 3 times I've bought bananas from Kroger, I've ended up with gnats after about 2 days. They are not over-ripe. They were a bit green still when I bought them. It's not a lot...just a few gnats...but, it's so annoying.

Any suggestions?

 

[GoingNorth]

They're not gnats. They are fruit flies, and they are really annoying.

Harmless, but obnoxious.

The eggs come in on the fruit and hatch, pupate and turn into flies all within a few days.

The adult flies do not eat. They live in order to reproduce.

All you can do is make sure you have no fruit left out, and oddly, nothing with BEER in it.

Some people swear you can get rid of the adults by leaving out saucers of beer (like for slugs). The adults are attracted to it and drown while attempting to lay their eggs.

 

[Abbey]

Paper bags. Put any non ripe produce in a simple paper bag on the counter to rippen. No fruit flies. It takes a day or two, then they're good. (That's why my customers love me...good tips.)

Abbey

 

[TerryJ2]

Ew. I hate it when that happens. We haven't had it happen this yr.

I used to eat them really fast b4 I saw more flies. If you can't see them, they're not there, right?

Maybe that explains why I have so many digestive issues ...

 

[Marguerite]

Don't worry about them. They are not dangerous, they are not an indication that your home is unhygienic - they mean nothing.

We used to study them at uni. All I got out of it was being able to distinguish which were the males and which were the females... a cute party trick.

Marg

 

[TerryJ2]

Uhhh, I'm afraid to ask. How DO you tell?

 

[Marguerite]

You probably need a magnifying glass, at least until you get the knack. To REALLY see the important bits you need a microscope. But other features also found almost always - the females are slightly larger and have stripes on their abdomen all the way along. The males are striped a little but the rest of the abdomen to the tip, is black.

We were studying Drosophila genetics - eye colour is sex-linked. Red is dominant, white is recessive. Very simple, very useful for beginning students. So if any neighbours or family comment on your fruit flies and say, "Ew! Gross!" then tell them you're breeding them for a lesson in genetics and sex links, for difficult child.

Our entire home is a laboratory...

Marg