[ad_1]
Warm weather means an abundance of delicious fruits and vegetables. Unfortunately, however, this can also lead to pesky fruit flies, as they are attracted to produce ripening indoors.
if you are curious How to Kill Fruit Flies in your house, Read on for a list of effective DIY solutions. But before creating fruit fly traps, it helps to first understand what causes an infestation and how quickly fruit flies reproduce. According to pest control company Orkin, female fruit flies lay hundreds of eggs in a very short period of time. You’ll find their eggs on overripe fruits and vegetables before they hatch into larvae or maggots, and they feed on what they lay. The entire process may take 24 to 30 hours to complete. The larvae then become sexually active within a week, where they will start the breeding cycle all over again, causing the bugs to take over your kitchen and dining table.
Luckily, eradicating these sugar-loving pests in your home is as easy as using ingredients you already have in your kitchen, like apple cider vinegar and dish soap. Some of these ideas, like using paper cones and old fruit traps, work overnight, while others kill them on the spot (spraying pests with rubbing alcohol is just one example). We even share the best ways to keep fruit flies out of your home, including throwing out overripe produce and taking out the trash regularly.
So don’t worry if your fruit fly infestation is getting a little out of hand. With the advice of the experts below, these creatures could be gone forever.
What Causes Indoor Fruit Fly Infestation?
Fruit flies are attracted to ripe, rotting or decaying fruit and produce, as well as fermented foods such as beer, spirits and wine, Orkin professionals say. They also like to buzz around trash cans and garbage disposals if there is enough food available. Unfortunately, given their ability to reproduce, two tiny fruit flies would quickly multiply into an almost uncontrollable infestation.
Are they really fruit flies?
If you see little black bugs flying around in your kitchen, the first thing you want to do is make sure you correctly identify the critters. Fruit flies are usually light or dark brown in color with red eyes. Double-check that your pests aren’t gutter flies that lurk around gutters or garbage disposals, or fungal mosquitoes that prefer overwatered houseplants. For those insects, check out our guides on how to get rid of mosquitoes and how to make a homemade fly trap.
How to Prevent Fruit Flies
Start by deep cleaning the kitchen and throwing away any rotting food. To cut off fruit flies’ food source and prevent them from entering your home, Take the following precautions to avoid future fruit fly infestations:
- throw away overripe produce
- store fruits and vegetables in the refrigerator
- Wash produce as soon as you get home to remove any potential eggs or larvae
- take out the trash regularly
- clean up spills as soon as possible, especially juice or alcohol
Then you need to find a way to quickly catch the fruit flies you have in your kitchen.what our experts found DIY Fruit Fly Trap is a quick and effective solution. What’s more, these homemade fruit fly traps can be made with materials you already have in your pantry. You can also buy pre-made fruit fly traps if you want to skip the DIY route.here has Best Ways to Kill Fruit FliesAccording to pest experts:
1. Apple cider vinegar and plastic wrap trap
For this DIY fruit fly trap, sweetened apple cider vinegar (ACV) works better than white vinegar. They can’t resist the vinegar smell, once in they can’t get out! For a better chance of success, make several of these traps and place them around the kitchen. Here’s how to do it yourself:
- Pour a little apple cider vinegar into a glass.
- Cover the opening with plastic wrap and secure with a rubber band.
- Poke a few small holes to let fruit flies in.
2. Paper cones, vinegar and old fruit traps
The smell of rotting produce helps attract fruit flies into the mix, but the cones of the fly trap make it difficult for them to escape. Here’s how to do it yourself:
- Put a little vinegar and a large piece of overripe fruit in a jar.
- Roll some paper into a cone and insert it into the jar with the narrow opening pointing down. You can recycle or compost your homemade funnel afterwards.
- Similar ideas: Cut the top of the plastic bottle and use the top of the bottle as a narrow opening (cone) for the flies to pass through. Put vinegar and ripe fruit on the bottom to catch them.
3. Vinegar and dish soap collector
If you find that fruit flies are not affected by plastic wrap or paper cone traps, Try adding three drops of dish soap to a bowl of vinegar and leave it uncovered. The soap lowers the surface tension of the vinegar, so the flies sink and drown.
4. Aunt Fanny’s FlyPunch
FlyPunch Fruit Fly Trap
FlyPunch Fruit Fly Trap
experts in Good Home Economics Academy Great to see this product on their desks, especially senior chemists Sabina Weitzmanwho found it In her home, it works better than other DIY remedies she’s tried. This premade mix uses the active ingredients sodium lauryl sulfate (a surfactant used in soaps) and malic acid (found in fruit) and comes in a standup jar. All you have to do is open the top, place it on the counter, and “watch the cycle of life unfold”.
5. Old Wine or Beer Trap
Like vinegar, fruit flies like the taste of wine.try Leaving an open bottle with a bit of liquid left over – the slender neck keeps flies trapped. The Old Farmer’s Almanac also recommends using aged beer to attract fruit flies to DIY traps. Add a few drops of dish soap for even more success.
6. Alcohol spray
Fill a spray bottle with rubbing alcohol and spray it on any insects you see in your home. Make sure to avoid spraying the fruit with alcohol, as this may spoil the fruit, which can lead to more fruit flies.
Can I use bleach to kill fruit flies?
If you spot fruit flies in your gutters, you’ll likely seek an immediate solution, such as pouring bleach down the gutter.But experts say This is not the most efficient solution. Doing this may kill some larvae, but not enough eggs or larvae to eliminate the problem. This is because the bleach enters the drain too quickly to be completely removed.
If you have a garbage disposal, here’s how to keep it clean and free of fruit flies:
✔️ Always run cold water for a few seconds before turning on the processor or grinding food, and after grinding has stopped. The water flow will help the food make its way through the pipes after it leaves the processor.
✔️ About once a week, with the processor and tap turned off, throw in a bunch of ice cubes, a tablespoon of baking soda, a few lemon slices, and a teaspoon of bleach. Turn on the processor without running water until you hear the grinding stop. Then, with the motor still running, rinse the machine with cold water for about a minute.
How to Kill Fruit Flies Outdoors?
If you find fruit flies buzzing around your backyard homegrown fruits and vegetables, use spinosad to kill them. Fill a garden sprayer with the solution and spread it around the perimeter of the house. You can spray the liquid directly on the fruit to kill flies that land on the fruit. While spinosad is safe for use around people and animals, limit your exposure as it may cause eye irritation and allergic reactions. Always rinse fruits and vegetables well before eating them.
Advanced Web Editor
Lauren, who oversees all home furnishing for GoodHousekeeping.com and HouseBeautiful.com, is fascinated by mid-century design and takes a tough approach to decluttering (throw it out, ladies). She loves anything neon coral, tops her veggie burger with bacon, and will follow Tina Fey and Amy Poehler to the ends of the earth.
assistant editor
Mariah Thomas (she/she) is the good housekeeping, where she covers family and lifestyle content. Mariah has over four years of editorial experience, having written for TLC, Apartment Therapy, women’s health and avocado magazine. She earned a master’s degree in journalism from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism and published her first book, Heart and Spirit: Poetry of Thought and Feeling, 2019. She is also the founder of RTF Community, a platform for creatives of color to connect, learn and showcase their work.
