How To Get Rid of Kitchen Fruit Flies Quickly and Easily

This cute little yellow ball took care of our fruit fly problem. All natural! It is very rewarding to watch the fruit flies enjoying their banana while we enjoy ours without being bothered!

Initially, I didn't think The eek-o Fruit Fly Trap was going to work. I was kind of thinking it wouldn't after the packaging was talking about taking the fruit flies out to release them. To my amazement, I had killed about 10 after the first night. I would recommend this product.

I’ve tried numerous fly traps and this is hands down the best.

You can get The eek-o you-bait-it Kitchen Fruit Fly Trap from HERE

• WORKS WITH: With banana, apple cider vinegar, or your own concoction; your bait attracts them, eek-o captures them.
• ATTRACTIVE: An alternative for those who prefer not to have an ugly plastic wrapped jar hanging around the kitchen all summer.
• ECONOMICAL: Save 20% by buying the 5-pack.
• EFFECTIVE: eek-o's patented double chamber design makes it virtually impossible for bugs to escape.
• DISPOSABLE: Designed for responsible recycling after up to three or more uses. Made from 100% recyclable PET plastic (recycle code No.1).

How To Get Rid Of Fruit Flies Once and For All

These Fruit Fly Traps are AWESOME. They solved my kitchen fruit fly problem in under 24 hours. Even with a flat of tomatoes and two ripe cantaloupes on the counter, the fruit flies still went right for the trap. Best of all, they fell in and stayed in. I've made many homemade traps that attracted tons of flies, but allowed probably 85% to still escape again. Not so with this design. This is the fruit fly trap of DOOM.

The traps are empty, dry, little plastic containers, and you add liquid attractant to them--it comes in a separate dropper bottle in the kit. I suspect it's apple cider vinegar, but fairly pale and weak. Technically you can add whatever liquid you wanted into the trap, so I saw an opportunity for an experiment.

The first night I got these, I made two traps - one with the liquid attractant, and one with apple cider vinegar from my pantry. In this case, it was a fancy organic unfiltered variety from Whole Foods that had been in my pantry for at least three years. "Spectrum" brand.

Next morning: Trap with the manufacturer's attractant: 4 flies. Trap with apple cider vinegar: 19.


How long can you use them?

The design isn't exactly easy to rinse out. I guess the idea is that they last until the liquid is so full of flies that the trap ceases to be effective, and then you toss them and use another. But if you're willing to put a few minutes of messy work into it, it's possible to re-use them. Take a full trap, top it off with water, and shake it until most of the liquid (and flies) are out. Refill and repeat until all the flies are gone. Finally, shake as much water as you can out of it and then re-fill carefully with drops of fresh apple cider vinegar.

UPDATE: I've used these again and again for 2 years now.

Definitely get different apple cider vinegar though because it was MUCH more effective than the attractant liquid. I tried a couple of brands, and darker-colored apple cider seemed to work better than lighter. Throw out the attractant - it's uselessness is probably the reason for the 1-star reviews.

I also ran tests later with wine, balsamic vinegar, and fruit juice. Those baits worked a little bit, but didn't come close to how well apple cider vinegar performed. These work so well that I actually give them as gifts to chef friends.

You can get these Fruit Fly Traps from HERE.

The Best Ant baits Available in the Market!

I have been using Terro Liquid drops for about a year now, and it is absolutely the best ant killer ever. This product comes in various forms like clear ant trap trays, outdoor stakes, and my favorite - no-frills drops from a clear plastic bottle.

I like the clear drops best because it gives me the flexibility to put the bait right in the middle of an active ant trail. For indoor ant problems, I just put a piece of painter's tape across the and trail, and drop a couple of drops where the ants will find it. The stuff works instantly. Ants find the bait, eat it, and sound the alarm at the mound that a delicious meal has been found. Within a few minutes, the bait is surrounded by dozens of ants, these ants take the bait back to the queen, and the mound is neutralized after a single treatment. Once the ants are gone, I peel up the painter's tape with any remaining bait and clean the area with a household cleaner.

I uploaded a couple of pictures from the bait I set out today in my kitchen. You can see the circles of ants around a couple of drops of this bait on painter's tape. In one picture you can see tiny bits of debris around the bait. Believe it or not, this is food that the ants were carrying back to the mound that was dropped when they encountered the bait. In other words, the ants love the Terro so much, they drop the crumbs they found under my oven!

I have never seen this bait fail. Buy it, try it, you will not be disappointed!


Hints:

1. When ants find the clear liquid bait, they will immediately begin their feast. They will stick their heads into the bait and lie motionless while they eat their fill. Often this lasts for 5-15 minutes. Once they are full, they will return to the mound and signal that food has been found. Within about 30 minutes of the initial discovery, hundreds of ants will be eating the bait.

2. If you are not a bug person, be forewarned: This bait is going to attract hundreds of ants. The best thing to do is to leave them alone and let them eat. The goal here is to let the workers carry the bait back to the mound to kill the queen. Depending on the size of the mound, I have seen this bait work in as little as 2 hours, and as long as 12 hours. For big ant problems you will have to replenish the bait as the ants consume it. Eventually, no ants will be eating and you know that you are done with treatment.

You can this Liquid Ant Killer from HERE.

The Best Fence Raised Garden Bed

Bought three of these for our first ever raised garden beds. I was able to assemble both of them, singlehandedly, in less than 10 minutes. The only tools I used for the beds' assembly were a power screwdriver for the post caps and a rubber mallet to help get everything together sound & square.

We put chicken wire & weed guard on the ground before filling them with soil to ward against digging critters.

We've had the beds set up for a little over 4 months now with no problems whatsoever! I was concerned that the soil was going to seep out the sides with a good rain, but after several downpours, the soil has stayed put & drains down through the ground properly. They look great, veggies are growing beautifully and the critters haven't gotten to them :) We plan on buying another ywo for next season. Great buy!

You can get it from HERE.

The Best Varieties of Pole Beans to Grow in Your Garden

French beans, String beans and Snap beans, better-known Green beans, are the unripe fruit and the enclosing pods of different varieties of bean plants. They are harvested and consumed with their protective pods, usually before the seeds within have fully matured.

Green beans are classified by growth habit into two major groups, bush beans and pole beans.

• Bush beans are short plants, they grow to about 2 feet in height, They typically reach full growth and produce all of their crops in a short period of time, then stop producing.
• Pole beans also known as runner bean, The vine can grow to 3 m (9 ft) or more in length. which must be supported by poles or trellises.
  

Types of Pole beans usually grown in the home garden:

Blue Lake Pole: Is a robust producer, it produces stringless, round and long straight pods about 6".

Blue Lake beans are known for being juicy and sweet, They can be eaten fresh. And are a good choice for canning or freezing.

It take 63 days to reach Maturity, the planting season is Late spring to early summer.

Kentucky Blue Pole: This variety of pole beans combine the best of Blue Lake and Kentucky Wonder.

Kentucky Blue Pole beans grow to be round, smooth and straight. The dark green pods have a sweet flavor and grow to be 8-9.5" long. The vines are strong and produce a big harvest, over a long season.

It takes between 58-60 days to reach Maturity, the planting season is Late spring/early summer.

Kentucky Wonder Pole: This variety of pole beans has been popular since the mid 1800s. This old-timer is brown-seeded and a favorite because of its exceptional productivity, flavor, and wide adaptability.

Kentucky Wonder Pole grow to be approximately 7-9" long. stringless and slender when harvested young. The Pods are thick and meaty.

It takes between 55-65 days to reach Maturity, the planting season is Late spring/early summer.

Scarlet Runner bean: One of the oldest runner beans in existence. It was already a well-known variety of beans in 1735 according to The Gardener’s Dictionary by English botanist Philip Miller.

Scarlet Runner seeds can be directly seeded into warm soil after the last spring frost. Space your seeds 2-4 inches apart, and 1 inch deep. as the plant grow it will need to be supported with trellis to keep the vines off the ground.

It takes between 65 days to reach Maturity, the planting season is Late spring/early summer.

Golden Gate Beans: Have large, flattened, sunny yellow pods, which set off nicely by the vigorous, dark green plants. Making it easy to see and harvest the bean pods.

Golden Gate Beans pods grow to be approximately 25cm (10")long. They are tasty and stringless even when they mature, you can enjoy them sautéed in butter for a melt-in-your-mouth side dish.

Golden Gate Beans produces huge yields. And it takes between 10-12 weeks to reach Maturity, the planting season is Late spring/early summer.

Algarve French Climbing Beans: There flavor is fabulous, and give huge yields, and you can harvest them earlier than most other types of beans.

This variety of beans is very resistant to Common Bean Mosaic Virus. Algarve Climbing Bean have a vigorous and robust vine, it can grow up to 6 to 7 feet long over the course of the season.

Algarve Climbing Bean pods can grow to reach up to 10 inches long and 1 inch wide. They are Completely stringless.

How to Care for Roses in Summer

Shrub Roses look fabulous in the early summer, they become more colorful, more lush, and have more leaf growth. But, even the easy to care for Shrub Roses need some maintenance for them to stay healthy in the heat of summer.

Here’s what you need to know:

1- You'll need to water around the base of the rose deeply and frequently.

2- If your roses aren’t looking rosy, it’s time to prune your plants. Not like the major cutting back that's done in late winter, but a lighter prune to encourage new growth.

3- Fertilize your Roses once every 4 to 6 weeks, all through the summer, with Miracle-Gro Rose Plant Food. 

4- Apply Chelated Iron to your soil if the leaves start turning yellow. 

5- Trim faded roses to stimulate plant growth and encourage new blooms.

6- Clean up the debris under and around the plant, such as spent blooms, trimmings and dead leaves. These can incourage fungal diseases such as powdery mildew and blackspots.

Easy Ways to Maintain a Healthy Lawn in the Summer

Summer heat can take a toll on Lawns. Especially if you mow too low or ignore early signs of pests. Your lawn grass can become lifeless or die in small or large patches. Keep your lawn grass looking at its best all summer long by using these tips.

1- Make sure you are not using more water, then your lawn needs. By placing several empty jars on your lawn, after you water your lawn. Measure how much water in each can to know too much water you use, and if you are watering the lawn evenly. 2 to 3 inches of water every week, should be sufficient.

2- Fertilize the lawn every for to six weeks using a Slow Release Lawn Food.

3- Apply a Pre-emergent weedkiller to your lawn in early spring to prevent crabgrass and problem weeds all season long.

4- Mow your lawn regularly as soon as the new growth reach more than 1/2 inch. For varieties like Tifgreen Bermuda Grass you should mow at ½-1 inch, and common Bermuda grass at the 1-1 ½ inches mark.