Conference 7.286::massachusetts

    
    	How about a piece of fruit that fell on the floor and/or rolled
    	under a cabinet or something?
    

  That's right, all it takes is one piece of exposed fruit to sustain them.
  Also, re "near the humidifier" rings a bell. Fruit flies like humidity.
If you could live without the humidifier for a few days (that is, shut it off
AND dry it out), you might get rid of the fruit flies (or reduce the popu-
lation).

    re .0
    >We can't figure out where they're coming from.
    
    You can tell if they're calling the houseplants home by cutting
    up small pieces of flypaper (try and find this in the winter...)
    and placing it around the houseplant stems.  Try and cover the
    soil (or whatever) with enough strips so that only the stem
    pokes thru.  If the strips become covered with ex-fruitflies,
    and you really want them gone, the houseplants may have to be
    sacrificed.
    .02 K

    
    Thanks for the advice.  In regards to the humidifier, I/we can definately
    go without it for a few days to find out.  I was
    thinking in the past that maybe there was a nest in it so that got
    completely cleaned out and nope, no such luck.  What I'm wondering
    though is if we shut the humidifier off where will the flies go?  Will
    they just attach themselves to my plants or what?  I can always spray
    them again to make sure but then what?  Do they nest?
    
    Thanks
    Deb
      

    If they're using the moist soil of the houseplants to lay their
    eggs, and you continue to water the houseplants, I doubt the
    humidifier will make any difference.  The fly paper trick will
    tell you if they're using the houseplant soil as their base of
    operations.  You also might want to verify that the spray you're
    using is actually fatal to them (other than by drowning).
    .02 K

    And here's a fact from that Genetics course I took at Northeastern U.
    many moons ago: fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) create a whole
    new generation every 8 hours. That's why they're so popular with
    Genetics lab instructors.

    Re: <<< Note 2095.6 by ENGPTR::MCMAHON >>>
    
    Did you ever consider getting a workstation and setting its node name
    to "ED"?  :-)
    
    jeb
    

    Well, my dad's name is Ed so I don't want to confuse the issue any more
    than it has been my whole life! 

    Are you really sure they're fruit flies?  The reason I say that is I
    had a similar experience a few years ago.  Whatever they were (and
    I'm certain they weren't animal fleas cuz I had no pets), they
    lived and obviously were breeding in my house plants.  Got rid of the
    house plants and got rid of the little buggers.  I was getting bit by
    the way, which everyone said was impossible, but I still have a couple
    scars to prove it!
    
    Oh yeah, after I threw out all my house plants, I also fumigated my
    house.  That did the trick.
    
    Good luck!
    
    Judie
                                                            

    
    HI Jodie,
    
    I'm assuming there fruit flies.  That's what I thought they always
    were.  I don't get bit by them either.  I do have pets and plenty of
    them but I know what fleas are.  These definately aren't fleas.  They
    fly and from my experience fleas only jump.  I do have lots of plants
    and love my plants.  I was just told to spray the plants with 1/2 ivory
    liquid and 1/2 water mixed.  I also got rid of the humidifier.  It's
    been 2 days and there's still some flying around.  It's hard to tell
    if anything is happening though because when the humidifier was going
    they were all over the wall.  I'm going to look for some kind of spray
    this weekend.  I can't remember who wrote the note but I read the label
    of the spray I used and it had everything but fruit flies.  Mind you
    to, I've seen in pet stores how they'll be flying around birds, which
    I have but not a one is ever near them.  It might be because I have 
    the mite thing hanging off the cage and they usually have clean cages.
    
    I don't know, but it's irratating.
    
    Deb
    
    by the humidifier before.  

could be fungus gnats that live in the soil of the houseplants.
Try Diazinon or Dursban granules (a teaspoon or so per plant) and
scratch it into the soil an inch and water in.

They would be symptomatic of overwatering houseplants, a common
tendency.

The FDCV14:GARDEN confernce probably has more info too.

>                   <<< Note 2095.11 by TLE::WENDYL::BLATT >>>
>                               -< fungus gnats? >-
>
>could be fungus gnats that live in the soil of the houseplants.
>Try Diazinon or Dursban granules (a teaspoon or so per plant) and
>scratch it into the soil an inch and water in.

A teaspoon of Diazinon or Dursban sounds like a LOT of insecticide,
especially for an indoor plant.

    
    I think it must've been the humidifier.  We took it down for about
    a week and most are gone.  Not all though.  I'll see one here and there
    but that's about it.  The humidifier is going again so I'll see what
    happens.  Hopefully that'll be the last of them.
    
    Thanks for all the advice
    Deb
    

Deb,

To determine if they are fruit flies, why not set out a piece of fruit or a 
banana peel nearby top where they are congregating.  If they are fruit 
flies, you'll know pretty quickly as they will be drawn to the fruit in a 
very short time.  My wife gets a tiny fly drawn to her African Violet plants
but these are not fruit flies.  

Jim