Does if really keep tiny fruit flies out?
1481060
Yes, it's a tightly woven mesh, and these help with this annoying problem. As long as you make sure there is no other uncovered food source for the displaced flies to go to, they will eventually die out.
1481061
Yes, it does. It must be very frustrating to all the flies that want to join the party uninvited.
1677014
Fruit flies definitely. I've had many cricket escapes. Not sure about the mantis. Um guessing a big mantis won't be able to escape.
238891
No. Fruit flies are not controlled with soap. They are probably breeding in some rotting plant material near your house.
2115939
I doubt it unless they luckily come in contact with the strings. Better yet, find out the cause of fruit flies in your house ( overloaded garbage or compost), rotting fruit that you thought was merely ripening
133664
I have opened it to find fruit flies fly out, but I don't know if they went in on the banana peels or found a way in when it was closed.
1652486
I think it would protect fruit from regular sized flies, but little gnats could possibly get through
802750
Yes. The tumbler comes apart within a couple months allowing flies to get in and odors out. At first it contains the smell but it doesn't last long.
1752478
Sure you could put no fruit at all in the box, but I recommend putting your veg/ fruit scraps in the box, then covering with a one inch layer of damp (not soaked) shredded paper, then putting a top layer of damp (not soaked) whole newspaper about 1/4 inch thick covering the entire top(edge to edge to the corners) to create a damp barrier preventing fruit fly access. You might check it every three days or so to make sure it hasn't dried out. I live in south east Texas - fruit fly central - and this method has worked well for me and should work for you as well. Good luck !!
1735395
Well, I'm not sure cause those fruit flies are so darn tiny I suppose they could slip thru the mesh, but if ya hit them they will be zapped'! I bought one as a Christmas gift for my son and he's successfully zapped flies and crickets (so far). One person told me it only stuns bees, but works great on other flying insects. My daughter and her partner are moving to Conn. in May and they bought one cause they were so pleased with how well it works and think it will come in very handy with all the flyin' bugs there! I know several people who have them and they are ALL pleased. Good luck!
693206
I do not have a problem with fruit flies because I keep the bucket in the fridge. I line the container with those compostable bags. I take the container out of the fridge when I want to add stuff. There's no smell or mess. I just lift out the full bag and take it outside to the compost bin. I am not sure why others keep their bin outside of the fridge -- it's just inviting fruit flies and odor. I just have a dedicated space inside my fridge for the container. It's pretty easy.
133660
It's not that the fruit flies get in. As I understand, the fly eggs/larvae are already present on the fruit peels. When I put banana peels in the OXO bin (or wherever...like a garbage can) flies hatch and feed on the peels. To limit them, I dump the bin frequently or keep it just outside the kitchen door. Some flies can escape when I quickly open the bin when putting in more food scraps. Those flies are most interested in the scraps, so don't hang out in the kitchen long. Just take out the compost/garbage (smaller bags?) as frequently as needed and it'll probably reduce your fruit fly issues. Also, to compare, my Mom has an open bin under her kitchen sink and the fruit flies wander around a lot more. The OXO bin is more effective than that method.
451356
There is a charcoal disc filter that fits in the lid. I figured this was more for odor control than any barrier to fruit flies. Perhaps the ones that got in there went in with the banana peels but there don't seem to be any hovering around the bin. It could be the filter blocks some of the attraction of the contents from the flies. Also, I do give it a daily dose of coffee grounds. That probably helps.
1325439
I had little luck with the little plastic screw-top traps. I had excellent results using the small bags. I do not know enough about flies to identify what I trapped, but many were tiny.
1131047
Find the source of the fruit flies and throw it out. I used the trap and 3 days later no more flies. We had a bag of potatoes under the sink that was the source. The trap worked!
921715
Fruit flies are not attracted to light as much as other flying insects. If the trap is close to the fruit it may help.
729107
I have not had a problem with Orange Guard attracting fruit flies, and it certainly would kill them on contact. Put a some water in a small container and add a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar and a couple drops of hand-washing dish detergent. The fruit flies will go there and get stuck (and die) because of the soap--after they are attracted to the vinegar. Spray any stray ones with the Orange Guard. I keep it handy inside and out all of the time.
1165544
Yes. The filter is encased inside the rim of the lid so it does not affect the fit. I, however, would be concerned of the fruit flies without it. It does come with a filter. The filter has not made clean up any different than without it since it is up inside the lid.