Do you hate those pesky flies? Maybe, you might be asking how to control fruit flies. Well, you’re not alone. Millions of people deal with these pests every year. While they may be small, fruit flies can be a big nuisance. Not to mention, they can also contaminate your food. In this blog post, we will discuss how to control fruit flies and keep them away from your fresh produce!
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Fruit Fly Infestation
As anyone who’s ever dealt with a fruit fly infestation knows, these tiny little pests can be a big problem. But what exactly are they, and where do they come from?
Fruit flies are small, winged insects that are attracted to ripened fruits and vegetables. They lay eggs in the soft flesh of the fruit. The fruit fly larvae hatch and feed on the fruit as well. This not only damages the fruit, but can also contaminate it with bacteria.
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Fruit flies are often found in homes during the summer months, when ripe fruits and vegetables are plentiful. To get rid of fruit flies is important to keep your kitchen clean and free of rotting food.
You can also use fruit fly traps to trap fruit flies, or use pesticides if the infestation is particularly bad. No one likes dealing with fruit flies, but with a little effort, you can get rid of fruit flies for good!
Life Cycle And Biology
These pests’ life cycle can be completed in as little as seven days in ideal conditions, and multiple generations can be completed per year. Female fruit flies of both species are capable of laying up to 500 eggs. Melanogaster female fruit flies lays its eggs on or near the surface of fermenting fruit and other moist areas, as previously described, whereas SWD ovipositive into healthy soft-skinned or slightly damaged thick-skinned fruits.
The D. melanogaster can breed in your home all year, but SWD populations peak in August and September, and the adult fruit flies overwinter outside.
Within about 30 hours, the eggs hatch in their respective homes, and the fruit fly larvae feed there, completing three instars in as little as four days before dropping to the soil to pupate. D. melanogaster pupates in fruit or wherever the larvae feed.
In general, it takes less than a month per generation to transition from a fruit fly eggs to reproducing adult flies.
Why Do You Have Fruit Flies In Your House?
They are attracted to ripe, rotting, or decaying fruit. Also, they are lured to a food source such as fermented goods like beer, liquor, and a wine bottle, according to the experts in the green bar sustainability summit. They can also live in trash cans and garbage disposals if there is enough food there, which is why you might have them in your kitchen sink drains.
Take these steps as a long term solution to get rid of fruit flies around your home. These steps teach you to cut them off from their food source and keep them from coming into your home.
- Throw away food that has gone bad, especially fruits and meat.
- Put fruits and vegetables in the refrigerator.
- As soon as you get home, wash the food to get rid of fruit flies’ eggs or larvae.
- Take the trash out every day.
- Clean up spills right away, especially fruit juice or isopropyl alcohol.
How To Remove Fruit Flies
Find Out The Source And Clean Them.
You need to figure out where the flies are coming from first. If they are hanging out near open food, throw out the food and clean the area. You can clean the area with any kind of cleaner. Sometimes, taking away their “home” is enough to get rid of fruit flies.
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If the fruit flies are in a public space, like at work or school, you’ll need to clean the area. The best way to do this is with a vinegar trap. Fill a small bowl with equal parts water and vinegar or malic acid. Then, add three drops of dish soap. The dish soap will break the surface tension of the water so the flies can’t escape.
You can make it harder for these flies to breed by keeping your kitchen clean, sorting through ripening fruits often, and putting produce in the fridge if you can.
Chilling also slows or stops the development of larvae, giving you time to cut away any damaged parts of your harvest and process the rest.
Pick Ripe Fruits Often
Pick ripe fruits and vegetables often, and don’t let old or broken ones stay on the stems or fall to the ground, where they will attract flies. SWD will spend the winter in and around old fruit, so make sure to clean up well at the end of the season.
Don’t put anything you think has been damaged by fruit flies in the compost or bury it, because pesky pests in their early stages of development can survive being buried up to 18 inches deep.
Make Sure That All Trash Cans Have Lids
Make sure that all of the trash cans have lids that fit tightly. Don’t let them get cold. Keep the inside and outside of your cans clean, as well as the edges around the top.
All of the containers you plan to recycle should be washed well, especially fruit juice bottles and soda cans.
Check your recycling bins to see if there are any signs of fruit flies. Rotting produces fruit flies infestation. Flies tend to lay their eggs in trash cans, which makes the problem worse.
If they are swarming around your trash can or you want to stop this from happening, take out the trash and clean the can with a strong cleaner like bleach. Before you use the cans again, make sure they are completely dry.
Drain Flies And Bugs Coming Out Of A Sink Drain?
Check the drain in your kitchen sink after you’ve found the source of the problem. Now is the time to take care of it if it’s clogged or needs a good cleaning. Fruit flies like to live and have babies in places that are warm and damp.
Cover it with plastic wrap and check for drain flies in the morning. Natural drain cleaners are a good way to keep drains clean and free of organic material. Run garbage disposals frequently.
Using the same amount of baking soda and salt, and then the same amount of white vinegar, The Department of Entomology at Iowa State University says that pouring bleach or ammonia down a drain to kill these insects that look like fungus gnats doesn’t work.
Use The Fermenting Fruits To Get Back At Them.
You can set a trap with things you may already have in your kitchen if you still see them. This includes any food that has gone bad or rotten fruit is open and draws fruit flies. Do these things:
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- Put the decayed fruit or opened food in a disposable container so you don’t have to throw it away.
- Use plastic wrap to cover the jar. Use a rubber band or scotch tape to firmly hold the cover in place.
- Make a few small holes in the wrap, put it where fruit flies gather, and wait.
- The flies should rush into the trap in large numbers. Then you can get rid of them however you want. Repeat this step until there are no more fruit flies.
Mix And Apple Cider Vinegar Solution
It can be very effective to make one or two homemade apple cider vinegar traps and put them around areas where food is stored or prepared. This is how:
Method 1:
Make a cone out of a large file card or half sheet of paper, leaving a small hole at the bottom, and put it in a jar with half an inch of apple cider vinegar. The flies go down the cone toward the apple cider vinegar, but once they’re inside, they can’t find their way out.
They circle the rim of the jar, wondering how they got there in the first place. Make sure that the cone seals at the jar’s rim (we rub the lip with oil which seems to capture fruit flies trying to squeeze through).
Method 2:
Fill up a container that can be thrown away with water. Mix together a few tablespoons of vinegar and sugar with the water. Just add a few drops of dish soap and stir.
After you’ve mixed your solution, put the container where fruit flies like to hang out. They should be drawn to this solution, but as soon as they touch the water, they will drown. Use this method until there are no more fruit flies.
Try Wine Or Stale Beer.
This is another DIY solution. Place an old bottle of beer or wine near where the fruit flies were seen. They’ll be drawn in by the smell of the old drink, but the narrow neck of the bottle will keep them from getting out.
Use Plants To Keep Flies Away
Flies can lay their eggs in water trays that are put under house plants. After dumping the water runoff, clean them. Putting in very small-mesh window screens can help keep pests from coming in from the outside.
It has been shown that lavender keeps away. Basil, mint, and thyme, on the other hand, seem to attract fruit flies more than banana slices do.
Try A Store-bought Fruit Fly Traps Or A DIY Fruit Fly Trap:
To make your own DIY traps, start by cutting a small hole in the lid of a jar. Next, add some bait to the jar. You can use lure like meat overripe fruit or vegetables, honey, sugar water, or even old wine.
If a homemade fruit fly trap isn’t working for you, visit your local hardware store and purchase a sticky fruit fly trap. These traps work on common fruit flies.
Place the trap in the problem area and dispose of it once the sticky area is full. You can replace the trap as necessary
Hire A Pest Controller.
If you have serious fruit fly infestations, you may need to resort to chemical control. There are many products on the market that will kill fruit flies. Be sure to follow the directions on the label carefully.
You should only hire an exterminator as a last resort for pest control. Even though this usually works, it can be expensive. The chemicals used for pest control could also make you or your pets sick.
If the common fruit fly comes back after your house has been treated, the company may treat it again for free or at a lower price.
If you are dealing with horrid fly infestation, check out our store for the best fly traps to help you rid of the problem!
