September 22, 2009 Written by Lauren Johanson

Having problems with fruit flies in your kitchen this season? I did too!  I Googled the issue and found a comprehensive overview on “How to Get Rid of Fruit Flies”, which offered two main ways to address the problem:

1. Avoidance – if you keep your house clean & orderly, you shouldn’t get them to begin with; this solution takes the most effort, but has the best lasting results.
2. Flytrap – kill the flies that are already there; takes a little craftiness and the willingness to drown the little guys.

I got started with the “avoidance” technique on a Friday afternoon by laundering all my kitchen towels, removing all fresh fruit, veggies and flowers, etc. (see full list of tips here).  But as all good things take time, I awoke Saturday morning to a kitchen still full of fruit flies.   For whatever reason, I didn’t want to make a flytrap, but still wanted the flies gone – and quickly (as I had guests coming over soon)!  “There has to be another way” I thought, so I called my trusty eco-resource, Scott O’Brien, owner of The Green Life.

He recommended an eco-friendly spray called “Bugs ‘r’ Done”.  And because I live a few blocks down the street from his store, I immediately walked down, picked up a bottle, and happily sprayed throughout the day.

Bugs ‘r’ Done contains pure orange peel extract, which not only smells nice but is also nature’s own botanically-derived insecticide.  Scott says, “In combination with four other ingredients, all named by the U. S. Food & Drug Administration as ‘GRAS,’ Generally Regarded as Safe in human foods, Bugs R’ Done bears a warning-free EPA-approved label in EPA’s least hazardous category IV.”  In other words, you can safely spray it around food, children, pets and fish.  Just be careful because it leaves an oily finish, which when I sprayed on the floor nearly made me slip.  Apparently it’s also good for killing ants, roaches and fleas, but I can’t speak to that.

In the end, I’m proud to say my fruit fly problem has been kicked.  The spray was a perfect jump-start, followed up with good kitchen maintenance.

And I learned a few lessons:

1. If you have a problem/question, just Google it.
2. Proper maintenance of your home is usually the best solution.
3. When you need a quick fix, make sure to search for an eco-option.
4. If you don’t know what that eco-option is, call your local green shops; the storeowners and managers are usually very knowledgeable and helpful.  Thanks again to Scott at The Green Life!

Here’s a quick guide for other Los Angeles eco-shops who can help in a bind:

• Sherman Oaks:  Green & Greener
• Silver Lake:  Kelly Green & All Shades of Green (closing at the end of September)
• Culver City:  Living Green

Feel free to comment with any other stores or green pest products you recommend!

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