November 1, 2021

some flies you catch with vinegar rather than honey - (tiny) experiment

Wow, that's been wayyyyyyy too long! Again... 😊 Buttt... I didn't forget about this place, in fact, I've really wanted to post stuff, but same old story. And you know how I like to find ways to do something without needing much, soo..

.. a while ago I thought of something that translated into something miniature that's simple and doable for me and maybe interesting enough and worth sharing. To me anyway. Took a lot longer to be able to photograph and it's not even summer anymore, but it's spring in our southern hemisphere and isn't that like summer's foreplay? ;) And I think it's just fun, if only to see some of my treasures displayed in a scene and maybe also for anyone of you still around 😇.

it's about the fly catcher as you may have guessed from the title

Long story short: I accidentally discovered that apple cider vinegar attracted and drowned a large amount of fruit-flies I had hanging around. Maybe this is common knowledge, but if so that never reached me in my almost half a century of living (yes, yes, I'm old 😏). I though this was a great and cheap solution and changed the vinegar and put it into more places to get rid of the rest. 

Fun fact and lesson: this might actually create them, because I now have a ridiculous amount of them lol 😁. They had been gathering around it a lot without taking a dive, which may have given them time to procreate, I don't know. In any case, because of that I thought it would have been better to have used a bee-trap type thing instead of an open bowl (but hey, it had worked perfectly and quick before, how could I know they'd be on to the trick so fast, right?), so they wouldn't have had time to make more of themselves. Which reminded me I have a glass miniature one of those! I also realized a fruit-fly might be a great size to pass for a normal fly or bee-like creature to make that object more realistic, to actually be used as a miniature trap. And think about it: if a fruit-fly is annoying in its tiny size for us, can you imagine how annoying it is 12 times that large for a 12th scale person? 😅 

for anyone curious/interested in one, I don't remember where I found this fun miniature object, sorry; maybe online,
but it could also be made by Leo Reinders, in that case I bought it at a (Dutch) miniature fair years ago..


a close up when I forgot the fly catcher 😁, and I coudn't get the cutlery in focus after, so there

from salad to appetizers ;)

how amazing is that plate of food? I don't remember the creator.., this one I know for sure I bought at the miniature fair (I believe in Apeldoorn) in 2017. The nuts on the wooden plate I think is from Swan House Miniatures.. jeezzz I'm rusty ;)

So I figured I could make it into a nice (tiny) experiment. To see if my miniature fly(bee)-trap would be able to catch a fruit-fly or two. I filled a syringe with some of my apple cider vinegar to fill the trap and it actually worked! And I do not enjoy any kind of trap btw, I just haven't found a better (ie more humane) way to get rid of fruitflies and they are a real plague around here (I've heard from others, much more than usual), they're even in my bedroom always bugging me in my face lol.

sorry little ones.. but let's be honest, there's plenty of fruity stuff outside, why do you want mine?

Oh and I always forget to make photos of my hands or life-size objects, not only because I like to do that but also because I sometimes wonder with others if what I see is really miniature or not 😉. I had disposed of the 'bodies' already though, it was a beautiful sink-goodbye.

As a final note: several months ago I finally found some NEW tiny lead balls for my in-progress working miniature blender with a micro-engine !! You may remember I had no clue where the ones I already had 'rolled of to ' (I had put them somewhere I would surely remember, uhuh) and I need those first before I can get on with that; to add weight to the base so it will stand more sturdy and I figured it will also feel more realistic when picking it up. So I've been very excited since then about finally being able to proceed on that once I have the opportunity (and yes, I have put them with everything for the blender, won't loose them again or I will have lost all of it haha!). Before or after I finished the scene the chair is meant for, not sure yet BUT I'm really curious to how the blender will turn out and if I can actually make a miniature smoothie with it, wouldn't that be fun?! So I guess it's not really a question after all 😉. Have a great day!

12 comments:

  1. That’s the coolest little fly trap! Love your inventiveness!

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    1. Thank you Susan! And it's so lovely to hear from you :D

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  2. What a great idea, and a beautiful vignette. It's good to see you back.

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    1. Thank you Polly, that's so kind of you to say. And it's nice to hear from you too :D

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  3. Hi Monique! It's great to see a post from you again! (So many blogs are quiet these days....) And that is a fascinating little "fly trap"! LOL! The glass is so tiny and perfect... those flies are huge in that scale! And Yucky so close up! :( But your experiment is interesting... vinegar is just fermented apple juice... so it does make a kind of sense that the fruit flies would love it! :) I hope you are having fun with the tiny blender project.... no matter how long it takes, I am always fascinated by your mini perfect creations! :):)

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    1. Hey sweetie, lovely to see you too! Ah.. that's a shame, that it's so quiet in blogland.. Haha, yes I thought so too, forgot all about it until I had a plague of those tiny buggers ;). And yes they are indeed :D (but have you ever seen a picture of the head of a cute little butterfly under a microscope? That's just plain scary hahaha:D) Ah yes, you are so right about the apple juice, makes perfect sense. I'm sure I will, thank you for your patience and ever kind and encouraging words!

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  4. It is always fabulously wonderful to read yet another post from you Monique.
    Very curious about the working fruit=fly trap. I am kind of glad you had already emptied the trap before taking those last pictures - those monsters would have ruined an otherwise beautiful scene.
    Good luck with the blender project.
    Anna X

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    1. Thank you Anna, that's such a wonderful compliment :D. Haha, you're right, they so would have.. ;). And thanks! It's not too hard (I think) but maybe one of the most fun ones I will ever do because it's meant to actually be able to make a miniature smoothie :D :D.

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  5. Hi, wonderful display. Everything is perfect! So glad to see a blog post and hear of your challenges with the fruit flies! They are determined little insects.
    If you posted on Instagram we would miss all those details you shared with us.
    Regards Janine

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    1. Hi Janine, so lovely to see you again too! Thank you for your kind words and haha, they sure are :D. You're right, but since you mentioned it: Instagram might still be a good idea to post just for the nice pictures and doubling as a teaser, never thought of that actually. But I'm a bit of a fossil haha, always one of the latest (if ever) to be on whatever kind of wagon ;).

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  6. Still here, and so glad that you, too, are still here. Thank you for continuing to share your talent with us, Monique.

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    1. Hey sweet lady, thank you, so glad you are too. And thank you for your kind words!

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