You may have seen fruit flies teeming in your kitchen many times. But, the question is how do they appear out of nowhere? These little insects can multiply in numbers very quickly. And, it is quite difficult to get rid of them after they have made their presence in your home.
So, where do fruit flies come from and end up to infest your home? Here’s a little hint: Fruit flies aren’t a result of spontaneous generation. Continue reading the article to find out more fascinating facts about these little insects.
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Where do fruit flies come from?
What everybody knows as fruit flies’ are a number of tiny flies that come from the family of Drosophilidae. The two species are the Asian fruit fly (Drosophila suzukii), and the common fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster). These nuisances are very tiny in shape, about 2 to 4 millimeters long.
They have varying colors that range from clack to brown to yellow. You can find them everywhere in the world. But, these insects are very common in the tropical regions that have humid climates. These stealthy little insects have the natural capability to smell ripe fruits and vegetables from miles away.
Fruit flies don’t appear from the fruits itself, but rather comes from outside. Although small, they can perceive the smell from a distance away. Hence, if you have a fruit bowl on your kitchen countertop, chances are that fruit flies would look for ways to get inside and get their hands on it.
You may wonder how they could possibly come inside your home despite closing all your windows and doors. Because fruit flies are very tiny, they can get through the crevices surrounding your doors and windows, or through the windows screens with ease.
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Ripe Fruits Are A Magnet For Fruit Flies
When the fruit gets overripe or appears to go bad, they tend to ferment and produce alcohol. This scent attracts fruit flies. Once they are inside your home, they lay plenty of eggs on those fermented or overripe fruits. You would be surprised to know that it takes mere hours for the eggs to transform into larvae.
The infestations need to start somewhere in your home. Fruits flies tend to move to your kitchens, basements, or bathrooms once they have sensed a food source. Any kind of fermenting matter in the drains, overripe fruits on the kitchen counter, and trash bins around your home seem to appeal to them.
They reproduce fast, and before you discover that, you got a kitchen of fruit fly infestation. Sometimes, you bring those fruit flies to your home from the grocery stores. Yes, the bananas you just brought from the store may contain a new generation of these flies.
When you let the tomatoes on the vine to ripe before picking them, there are chances that you may be garnering the eggs of fruit flies along with the crop. Remember that all unrefrigerated vegetables or fruits, whether in the garden, displayed on the stores, or sitting idle in a bowl at your kitchen counter top, attracts fruit flies.
How fruit flies become quick infestation?
Fruit flies are popular for their fast life cycles. It’s pretty to amazing to learn that these tiny insects can go all the way from an egg to an adult stage in a matter of only eight days. Now that means, when you left an overly ripe tomato in your kitchen for about a week, this can give rise to a fruit fly swarm.
Fruit flies are very persistent once they are indoors. Although an adult female fruit fly has a life of about one month, she is capable to lay around five hundred eggs in that short span of time. These small insects lay their eggs on the rotting vegetables or fruits.
In a mating season, these flies can produce about 500 offspring. The entire procedure takes only a week to conclude. This way, their population gets out of hand pretty fast. On top of that, these insects sometimes don’t need fruits to keep reproducing. They lay eggs inside drains that aren’t kept clean always.
These tiny insects can breed in the muck layer inside a drain or a sour mop or sponge. This is the reason why you can find the fruit flies in your home even when you discard the rotting vegetables or fruits.
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The scent of decomposing produce and ripening fruits attracts these little insects. Fruit flies are one of the biggest pest problems in every house throughout the year. These flies live in your home as inside pest during the summers and in winters, if there is sufficient food.
Do these tiny insects die during the winter months?
There is a popular belief that adult flies die during the winter. And, the unhatched eggs are preserved for the following spring. However, this is partly true. Winter season doesn’t eliminate the entire fruit fly population. Because winter in some areas is quite warm for these insects.
Cold temperatures, however, may cause the growth of new generations of these flies. Several studies have shown that the lifespan of adult fruit flies tends to decrease at 60 degrees Fahrenheit. When the temperatures further drop below 53 degrees Fahrenheit, the fruit flies stop growing entirely.
But still, the adult flies possess the ability to go through a process known as diapause. They move to this condition when the temperatures are not suitable for them to survive. This way, the whole fruit fly population survives the frigid temperature. They begin their next generation when it is sufficiently warm to become active and start multiplying.
Fruit fly inspection:
The first step is to find out the locations for these insects where fruits or vegetables are kept outside refrigeration. Search for probable fruit fly sources in under appliances and garbage cans. Even a small amount of spilled juice in an area far from your sight can become a breeding zone for these insects.
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When you are about to search for the breeding sources of fruit flies, keep in mind that the larvae can survive in moist decaying organic matter. All the phases of their infestations rely on the organic debris for completing an entire fruit fly life cycle. Make sure that all the possible materials where the insect can lay eggs should be removed.
Elimination of the breeding areas for fruit flies is very important for proper management, but killing the adult flies can reduce infestation to a great extent. Fruit flies may not be the only fly you see in your kitchen. If you find a small type of flies, chances are that they aren’t coming from the drains.
These flies may come from several other sources such as garbage, damp organic matter, or rotten fruits. Fruit flies are always found around vegetables and fruits, either fresh or rotten. You can find them in moist garbage and organic matter. When you understand their breeding places, you can control their infestation with success.
How can you get rid of these flies?
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To begin your battle against the fruit flies, you may place a different kind of traps in the problematic areas of your house. Although you can make such kind of traps at your home, it is easy and more pleasant to purchase a trap from a reliable company specialized in flying insect pest control.
To eliminate an infestation, you need to destroy all the food sources. In this way, you can make your home free from the breeding to adult fruit flies. One of the best ways to capture adult flies is to build a vinegar trap. Apart from this, there are certain other steps to keep those flies at bay.
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- You need to have proper sanitation in your kitchen or other areas to get rid of the flies. It is very important to eliminate breeding sources.
- Clean the dumpsters and garbage cans. Ensure that they are having light lids
- Don’t allow moisture to accumulate
- Have a proper and clean drainage system
- Eat the ripe fruits, or refrigerate them
- Install screen on the openings of your home
- Keep the sink dry when they are not in use
- Dispose of, or clean the mops, rags or sponges
- Remove food that can draw the attention of the flies
Most recommended traps for fruit flies:
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Conclusion:
Fruit flies spread bacteria that causes several diseases. Instead of doing DIY control by yourself, it is better to contact professionals. We, at Trappify, use different kinds of non-toxic traps made with recycled materials and eco-friendly. We are a pest control company who are specialized in flying insect pest control. If you are frustrated by these flying insects, give us a call today.
