There are several ways to get rid of them, but this post is for you if you need a quick solution. In this article, we go over the quickest way to get rid of fruit flies – from best to good.
Everybody wants a safe and clean home. But from time to time, there’ll be some fruit flies flying around. They’re neither terrifying nor harmful. Still, they’re irritating and embarrassing and can transfer harmful bacteria, posing a hidden danger people are often unaware of.
You certainly don’t want them flapping around your house..However, once these pesky bugs find their way into your home, getting rid of them can be daunting.
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1. Quickest Way to Get Rid of Fruit Flies – Cover up or Rinse Your Fruit
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The best way to get rid of fruit flies is by covering up your fruit or washing it immediately you bring it home. Fruit flies thrive where there’s moisture, such as a decaying fruit. They feed on it and use it as an egg-laying ground.
Therefore, rather than leave your fruits out on the counter, cover them up with bowls or store them in bags to keep fruit flies at bay.
Also, wash and dry fruits you leave exposed, like apples and bananas, to help eliminate fly-attracting substances or fluids.
You can use plain water or a fruit and vegetable wash to rinse fresh produce from the market. Alternatively, you could use vinegar, in which case you’ll mix water and vinegar in a ratio of 2:1. Besides keeping fruit flies off, this solution also kills some bacteria, keeping food from rotting for longer.
Something else to remember is that after using a vinegar solution, rinse off once more in water to remove the vinegar scent and flavor.
2. Make a DIY Fruit Fly Trap
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Another effective method of eliminating fruit flies is a fruit fly trap using liquids such as apple cider vinegar, old beer or wine, and fruit juices to attract, capture, and kill mature fruit flies.
All you have to do is pour a few drops of any of the substances mentioned above into a glass and leave it uncovered. It will attract the fruit flies, and upon hitting the liquid in an attempt to feed, they’ll drown.
If you opt to go the old beer or wine route, leave the bottle open. The narrow neck will keep the flies trapped as they can get in but not out.
Another way to go about it is to use a bowl in place of glass. Pour the liquid into a bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Now poke some tiny holes on the cover, which will allow the flies to get into the trap. Once they’re in, getting out is next to impossible.
Placing a few such bowls around your house in strategic spots, such as cabinets, sinks, or trash, is essential if you have an invasion. It’ll guarantee a wipeout of these bugs within no time.
3. Clean your Kitchen Sink and Empty the Trash Frequently
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Sometimes a drain or garbage disposal can highly contribute to a fruit fly problem. To solve this, consider using a safe drain cleaner or garbage disposal cleaner to get rid of the flies’ potential breeding grounds.
Emptying the trash daily or more often is also essential, at least until you gain control of this problem.
It’s also important to note that the smallest pieces of vegetables or fruits or leaks from the bottoms of containers or the trash is a potential source of fruit flies. Therefore, always use a bag or liner in both your bathroom wastebaskets and kitchen trash to contain everything.
Another culprit is recycling bins. So ensure you use a liner here, too, and, in addition, wipe it every time you empty it.
4. Quickest Way to Get Rid of Fruit Flies – Try a Store-bought Repellent
Several insect repellants and sprays are available in the market, which you can spritz around your home to repel fruit flies. There are also plastic strips and sticky flypaper, which are also very effective. Spectrum Hot Shot No Pest is one example of such a product that can work well for you.
The strips produce colorless vapor over four months of regulated release. These cause the fruit flies nearby to leave and also discourages new ones from coming in. But there’s a caveat to these strips. The vapor they emit is toxic. For this reason, hang the strips in areas such as crawl spaces, basements, and other places where there are no people.
5. Burn Incense
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Burning incense is a cost-effective method of eliminating fruit flies as it doesn’t cost much.
Interestingly, people from all corners of the world have been using incense to control bug infestations for centuries.
What happens is that the smoke produced from burning the incense eventually suffocates the flies. They’ll either die or quickly vacate the area. A bonus of using this method to eliminate fruit flies is it leaves your house with a sweet-smelling scent.
6. Quickest Way to Get Rid of Fruit Flies – Call an Exterminator
Fruit flies will always exist as long as there are favorable conditions, and they multiply super-fast.
With the females laying hundreds of eggs on a single piece of fruit and the eggs hatching within no time, it means you’re dealing with flies that are multiplying at a rate that’s difficult to control.
If you find yourself in such a situation, it’s time to call in the experts.
What Causes Fruit Flies?
Fruit flies thrive where there’s ripe, rotting, or decaying fruit. Fermented items, such as liquor, beer, and wine can also act as breeding sites for fruit flies.
A female fruit fly lays approximately 500 eggs at a time. And, surprisingly, these eggs hatch very fast – within 24 hours.
Fruit flies are “enemies” to clean environments. Therefore, keeping your kitchen clean plays a crucial role in keeping them away.
Why Are Fruit Flies Hard to Kill?
Getting rid of fruit flies is no easy task for the following reasons:
They’re Tiny and Nimble
Fruit flies are 3 to 4 mm long, wings included, meaning they’re very tiny. Due to their small size and quick and light movement, they pose a significant challenge in eliminating them.
They Multiply Quickly
The speed at which fruit flies multiply very much adds to their being a nuisance.
As mentioned earlier, they hatch within 24 hours from the time of laying the eggs. The newborn larvae then feed on the rotting waste before they can blossom into mature fruit flies.
This super-fast rate of multiplication makes it hard to get rid of them as, within a short while, they’ll be all over your home.
Quickest Way to Get Rid of Fruit Flies – Take Away
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Now you understand more about getting rid of fruit flies quickly and why it can be challenging to eliminate them. It’s best to exercise caution to avoid letting them appear in your house in the first place, as once they do, it can take days or even weeks to eliminate them. However, by using the methods mentioned above, you can effectively get rid of these annoying bugs. You could even employ multiple techniques simultaneously to speed up the elimination process. Just remember not to underestimate the importance of a routine drain cleaning done thoroughly. By following these tips, you can enjoy an environment free of fruit flies.
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