How to Get Rid of Fruit Flies Fast

Fruit flies are common household pests attracted to extra or overripe fruits and vegetables that are fermenting. They are also drawn to trash bags, garbage disposals, drains, cleaning rags, cans, toiles, basements, mops, and empty bottles. Fermented liquor, beer, and wine will attract fruit flies. Generally, fruit flies are attracted to food waste and an always moist environment. The lifecycle of fruit flies can be anywhere from forty to fifty days.

How to Identify Fruit Flies

Fruit flies are small ranging in size from 2.5 mm to 4 mm long, they can be either Tan/yellow or light brown. These flies have bright red eyes and antennae made out of three segments with the last segment resembling a feathery bristle.

Fruit Fly Larvae Identification

The fruit fly larvae are worm-like and are white or cream color with no eyes or legs, but possess a hook-like mouthpiece for feeding. The female fruit fly lays her eggs on rotting fruits or vegetables, each female can lay as much as 500 eggs. These eggs hatch in larvae, which molt twice before becoming fully grown.

How do Fruit Flies get Indoors?

• These flies can either get indoors through open doors or windows.
• Damage window or door screens.
• They can be brought indoors hitchhiking on vegetables and ripened fruits.
• Vegetables and ripened fruits brought from outside may contain the eggs of the female fruit fly.

Signs that you have a Fruit Fly Infestation

Signs that you have a fruit fly infestation are seeing them in large amounts or swamming around fruits and vegetables left out on kitchen countertops, and around garbage bins and other receptacles where foods are disposed of.

Are Fruit Flies Harmful

Besides being a nuisance fruit flies are believed to be the carriers of bacteria such as E. coil, Salmonella, and Listeria from one food source to the other.

Natural Ways to Control Fruit Flies

There are several natural ways to control fruit flies, here are a few listed methods that have proven to be effective

• The use of apple cider vinegar and dish liquid soap is an effective way to manage fruit flies. To create this solution, fill a cup or bowl with the vinegar and add a couple of drops of dish liquid, next place a plastic wrap held in place with a rubber band over the bowl or cup. Now poke a few holes in the plastic wrap covering the moth or the cup or bowl., Once the fruit flies are lured into this homemade trap they will die.
• Avoid leaving fruits, especially ripened fruits on countertops for a long period.
• Before disposal rinse the can of canned fruits and vegetables.
• Once you’re done with mopping rinse and dry out both the bucket and the mop head.
• Make sure and clean up any spills.
• Ripe fruits should be kept in a bag or placed in the refrigerator.
• Inspect for potential breeding areas such as standing water and dirty washcloths.
• Fruits and veggies that is brought home from the grocery store should be washed immediately to remove any existing eggs or larvae.
• Place a bit of vinegar and a couple of pieces of chunks of ripened fruit in a jar, roll a piece of paper into a cone shape like an ice cream cone, and place the narrow end of the cone in the jar with the wider end sticking up out of the jar and your home-made fruit fly trap is set to go.
• Inspect broken tiles.
• If your indoor potted plants have attracted fruit flies simply take your plant outside so the soil can dry out then return plant/plants indoors.
• Inspect dirty sponges.
• Drains.
• make sure that recycle cans, bottles, and garbage bins have tightly closed lids.
• Besides keeping your area sanitized to keep fruit flies at bay, exclusion is another natural method that will keep fruit flies out. The use of fine mesh wire will prevent fruit flies from coming indoors. Also, make sure that doors are not kept open for too long.
• Regularly dispose of trash.
• Garbage disposals and drains should be kept dry as much as possible.

Other Methods to Control fruit flies.

• Fruit and drain flies will lay their eggs where there is a buildup of organic matter in the drain,  there is a fruit fly killer for drains. This product contains citronella, during nighttime pour about 8 ounces per drain.
• Pouring draino or mixing drain defense with water and pouring down the drain will help to clear away the organic buildup.
• The use of fruit fly traps will attract and trap fruit flies.
• The use of Zevo Flying Insect Trap is effective against fruit flies.

Additional information

• One of the most effective ways to safeguard against fruit flies is to ensure at all times that your kitchen countertop, as well as other areas, are wiped down with a towel that was tipped in water and dish soap liquid.
• If there’s a serious outbreak or infestation then consider calling in a professional pest control company to deal with your fruit fly issues.

Conclusion

Fruit flies can become a nuisance besides being considered a disease carrier, the good news is even if you have an infestation these proven methods will work for you, or better yet why not deter them or keep them at bay by following this guide? You will be happy with the results as these flies are brought under control providing an environment that is free of these flies.