Summer time calls for sun, beaches, and seasonal fruits and veggies. Along with the ripe fruits and veggies in the house comes some of our unwelcomed friends, ants and fruit flies. No matter how new, clean, or upkept your home is these little guys sneak right in. As much as I don’t mind seeing the little criiters on the side walk, I just don’t want them roaming around my kitchen. Some of these natural remedies will provent these bugs from getting in and others will end the growth of the colonies or swarm of flies.
For the ants:
For the flies:
1. Red wine
Leave a little bit of red wine at the bottom of the bottle and let it sit out. The flies will flock to it, and die a very merry death. Putting a little red wine in a seperate container with plastic wrap ontop with small holes works too.
2. Lemongrass Spray
-10 drops of Lemongrass essential oil
-A clean spray bottle
-2 ounces of hot water
In a spray bottle add 10 drops of lemongrass essential oil to 2 ounces of hot water and shake well. Spray along windowsills and doorways or directly on flies. This spray will prevent them from coming in if they haven’t already and prevents them from flying around the fruits. It leaves a nice refreshing scent as well.
3. Unfiltered apple cider vinegar
Remove the cap from the bottle (it doesn’t have to be full — nearly empty will also work). Cover the opening in plastic wrap and secure with a rubber band. Then, poke a hole for the fruit flies to enter. They can’t resist the scent of vinegar, and they won’t be able to exit once they’re inside.
Here’s to a less buggy summer…at least in our homes!