Wednesday, July 6, 2011

I'd Like to Order Fewer Fruit Flies and Ear Infections, Please

We've learned all about the fruit fly life cycle.  They are fertile 12 hours after they become an adult, and are endlessly fertile and can store sperm for life (HOW is that possible?) to make millions more babies.  More to fly around your kitchens and bathrooms.  We've been invaded, hence the research.

I have now become an expert in not cohabitating with them. : ) (Sorry, Amy)  We've tried all methods now (after smacking them wasn't working):
1)  Set out fruit juice with a small amount of dish detergent (too lessen surface tension, so they fall in and drown)  *Bonus points if you put it in a bottle (cut top off and tape it, upside-down, over the bottle top, so they can fly in..but not out.)
2)  Leave out an opened wine bottle (same as above, they drown, and it's harder to get out, since they can't climb up the walls very easily.) I also learned that wine releases carbon dioxide, and it is heavier than oxygen, so it sits right above the wine, and that kills them too.
3)  Finally, my favorite.  Keep your vacuum hose handy.  As you see them land, just creep up on them with the hose on, and suck them up.  Even if they start to fly away, you catch them in the airstream.  Brilliant!


Number three is how we finally defeated them. I was getting really worried-they were everywhere and totally overwhelming.  I think we found the source of our problem.  We have a very sweet friend, Sandra, who loaned us her cool Zoku ice pop maker, and we made orange cream pops (yum!), and our boy Clay loved them so much, he ate the last three.  The very last one, it seems, he consumed in his room.  This wasn't so much the bad part...except he left the wet, sticky handle laying on his bathroom counter!  Mix that with the banana peel in his bathroom trash (supposedly covered in fruit fly eggs?), and you have babies, food, and BAM!..a new fruit fly population.
He also failed to mention the swarming flies for two days.  Ahem.  Out.  Of.  Control.


So..we've cleaned top to bottom (I'd repaint if I thought there were eggs on the walls!), and we are sucking them up one-by-one.  I finally feel in control of my house again.  Mostly.


Mary Claire is running high again.  If you are following our illness history (hopefully not!)  she and Ethan have both had ear infections, doctors appointments, prescription antibiotics, ear infections didn't clear up, doctors appointments, prescription antibiotics, ear infections still aren't cleared up, and we are back to square one.  Ethan still has one p.e. tube in, so he isn't ready for another set, but maybe she is?  The reason we put them in place at age four, was to prevent all these antibiotics!  It adds up to about one every three weeks. (Ethan has had nine antibiotics this year!)  I hate it, and the blood sugars always tip us off. : (  Here we go again.


*Ok, and the mucus was an afterthought I should've kept to myself yesterday.  Ha!  I'm mid-cycle (if you don't understand, it's okay), and don't have the best mucus, so my computer history is filled with too many Increasing Mucus searches.  I think I'll leave it at that..I hate to overshare. : )  (Only if you use NFP or have had to work on your fertility would these things mean anything to you!)

7 comments:

Kendra said...

Hi Holly!! I've just caught up on your posts girl...love your blog! I am most impressed with the wax one...Go Holls!! :)

Luke has had an ear infection too, they are the pits during the summer when all the kids want to do is swim. :(

I always learn something when I read your posts...how to make something OR all about the fruit fly sperm. LOL!!
Hugs! Kendra

Unknown said...

OMGoodness!!! I am so thankful for your fruit fly killing skillz and information. They drive me NUTS...in August...that is when we see them up here.

I am sorry I have been outta the loop. My Step Dad is really sick ... last minute trip to say "goodbye" and now we are on vacay. LOVE YOU HOLLY!!! xoxo

Amy said...

Good to know about the fruit flies! I hear ya about food lost in bedrooms. I have been on my 13yps case to bring her juice cups to the sink. Maybe I should have her read this post (up to the mucus part ;)) and that might scare her into cleaning up.

Denise aka Mom of Bean said...

Ugh, hate those darm fruit flies! Thankfully they aren't very prevalent around here, but they do pop up from time to time. Will keep your tips stored for those occasions!
Totally stinks that the ear infections aren't going away...and that they are there in the first place!
Oh, and you are cracking me up between the waxing story and now the mucus update...HILARIOUS!! ;)

Hallie Addington said...

UGh! Fruit Flies! Sweets would be FREAKING OUT! She hates bugs!

The mucus is killing me! I read "Taking Charge on Your Fertility" and followed their guidelines when working on Sweets - so I know exactly what you are talking about! :)

Hope those ear infections go AWAY!

Cherished Children said...

Thanks for finding my blog, so I could "find" yours! It's nice to meet you. Your kids are adorable. And, I hear ya about the ear infections.

Somehow, my kids have never had one, but I grew up with major ear infections as a child. I needed speech therapy because my hearing was so poor. I went through three sets of tubes by the time I was six. It's fun when the doctors look in my ears now. They always mention the scarring. But, there's hope because I have no speech problems now and I haven't had a single ear infection in all my adult life!

I'm sure Diabetes throws quite a kink in it, just as all infections wreck our kids' BGs. Keep your chin up, Super D-Mama!

SideNote: My verification word is "abled" and I thought "Hmm, how appropriate." If you ever listened to Psalty as a child (christian singing songbook), he used to say "In Him, we are more than abled"!

Holly said...

Kendra-So glad you are computering again! I missed you! : )

Reyna-I'm so sorry about your step-dad. I hope he's at peace. <3 Thinking of you. xoxox

Amy-ANYthing to get them to stop eating in their rooms!!

Denise-wish they were more scarce up here-maybe since it's so c-o-l-d up there?? ; )

Hallie-I'm trying to take charge of it, but it's telling me IT'S the BOSS!! : ( Boo!

Cherished-we are Abled! : ) It's hereditary-my husband as awful ears and scar tissue-he had his ear drum reconstructed after our first son was born! : (