Annoying fruit flies

Every year at this time it happens.  It starts with noticing a few tiny insects flying around the kitchen and before you know it, they're all over the place.  I'm talking about fruit flies, vinegar flies, drain flies, gnats...whatever you call them (and they are different species) they are annoying. 

How can you get rid of them?  If you look on Pinterest, you'll see several different "recipes" for ridding your kitchen of the little guys.  Most are a combination of vinegar and sugar.  I tried following one of the "cures" and caught a few but in general, I wouldn't call it a success.  I then bought some old fashioned fly strips and again the same thing.  A few flies were caught but most just skirted around the traps and went on their merry way, reproducing and flying around my kitchen. 

In my opinion, there is only one way to get rid of fruit flies and other critters in the house.  That way is keeping your house (especially the kitchen) scrupulously clean.  Living creatures need food to survive and when you eliminate the food source, you eliminate the creature.

I'll admit, I sometimes leave a few dishes in the sink before washing a whole load.  Or I get called away before getting the kitchen cleaned after dinner.  When I do this, I keep the cycle alive.  By disciplining myself and making sure that there are no obvious food sources, the flies die. I am glad to report that my home is now fly free.  :)

Pretty soon it will be winter and all those nasty creatures will go into hibernation, dormancy, or die off.  In the meantime, keep your kitchen clean.