How to Get Rid of Fruit Flies (Before Getting Rid of Your Fruit!)
Meet the Pest
Fruit flies are one of those pests that start with one pesky bug. Then somehow, that one bug turns quickly into a serious annoyance of a dozen or so tiny little pests hanging around the kitchen or eating area. Fruit flies are tiny, flying pests that live about 25 days. Unfortunately, this is an extraordinary amount of time to be stuck with these fruit-loving insects.
Fruit fly populations tend to be the highest in warmer months, but in general, they can survive indoors year-round. Fruit flies lay their eggs in organic matter, typically ripened fruit or other naturally sugary areas. However, at the rate of 400 eggs being laid at a time by a single fruit fly, there is definitely a reason to be concerned when you spot even one fly circling the fruit bowl.
Bed & Breakfast
Ripened fruits and vegetables are the main source of food for fruit flies, as their name implies. Other places where fruit flies have a tendency to gather are drains, compost bins and garbage piles. Fruit flies love to eat organic material that is near a water source. Fruit flies aren’t limited to pestering sinks and fruit bowls; they also enjoy the outdoors where fruit trees can become a giant fruit fly supermarket. Fruit flies don’t mind if the fruit is still hanging or laying on the ground.
Quit Bugging Me!
Getting rid of fruit flies quickly begins with understanding where they are coming from. Fruit flies aren’t the smartest insects and tend to hover around their food of choice. This makes the fruit fly an easy target to swoop up the adults and the eggs versus many other insects, where it’s a definite game of hide-and-seek to capture an infestation.
Some easy tips for do-it-yourself homeowners that can help keep fruit flies at bay include:
- Have a bottle of Windex or other cleanser on hand. The fruit flies don’t seem to live long once they’ve ingested the chemicals. However, don’t spray the fruit you plan to consume, just the fly!
- Keep rotting fruit in the garbage or the compost bin.
- Refrigerate easy fruit fly targets such as apples, bananas, pears, tomatoes, cherries and figs.
- Run the garbage disposal every day. Often, the disposal is a perfect home to organic matter that is the perfect attractor for fruit flies.
- Get rid of the source as soon as possible. Whether it’s the garbage or the batch of fruit you just brought home from the farmer’s market, the population won’t go away until the source is disposed of.
- Clean the surface area thoroughly with ammonia or bleach-type products. Whether it was a banana peel that got left in the car or a crate of apples that was forgotten in the cellar, completely cleaning the area with an anti-bacteria product can reduce the spread of any potential germs and kill any remaining eggs.
The idea of fly eggs being embedded in the fruit you are about to eat should encourage all homeowners to thoroughly wash fruit before consuming it. By staying on top of the source of fruit flies, homeowners can keep fruit flies from infesting their homes.
Good Riddance
Getting rid of fruit flies and exterminating them long-term involves a plan of attack for the initial problem, as well as a regular process for handling fruit and vegetable purchases that are being brought into a home. It is not unusual to have fruits and vegetables already infested while they are sitting on the shelves at the store or in the farmer’s market bin. It is important to remember that fruit fly eggs are generally buried beneath the skin of the fruit, so just because one is not flying about, doesn’t mean that a problem might not be looming.
The minute the produce is in your house, the fruit fly problem can expand quickly. Knowing how to get rid of fruit flies as soon as possible can be the difference between one or two flies and an annoying fleet of flying pests. Washing fruits and vegetables immediately after being brought home can help to reduce the potential for a fruit fly problem, but adding an organic cleanser to the process can be even more effective.
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