Fruit flies breed quickly and plentifully, and can be present all year long. They are commonly found in the kitchen and in pantries where overripe or rotted fruit and vegetables are stored. However, fruit flies can also be found in other areas of the house where trash is stored and decaying organic matter can be found, such as recycling bins, garbage cans or dumpsters. There are ways to help get rid of fruit flies. Here are a few suggestions.
How to Help Get Rid of Fruit Flies
Bleach is an effective product to use in drains to help get rid of fruit flies. The bleach will help get rid of the clogged decaying organic material that is attracting the fruit flies. Pour bleach into the drain, following label instructions, and then flush the drain with fresh water. If fruit flies reappear, it will be necessary to seek an alternative method to help remove them.
Help Get Rid of Fruit Flies in the Drain
Bleach is an effective product to use in drains to help get rid of fruit flies. The bleach will help get rid of the clogged decaying organic material that is attracting the fruit flies. Pour bleach into the drain, following label instructions, and then flush the drain with fresh water. If fruit flies reappear, it will be necessary to seek an alternative method to help remove them.
Help Get Rid of Fruit Flies in the House
The first step to help remove fruit flies from the house should be to remove and dispose of any fruit or other material in which the flies are breeding, Fruit flies tend to swarm around and crawl on the things they are breeding in. You must find and remove the breeding source or the fruit flies will persist indefinitely. Next, you should clean the areas where fruit flies are breeding. Common areas include the kitchen, places where trash is kept and the pantry. It is recommended that the area be cleaned with products containing bleach. When using cleaning products, follow the label. Once the area has been cleaned, be sure to ventilate the area. Also be sure to empty and clean all trash cans.Help Get Rid of Fruit Flies in the Bathroom
You should also clean the bathroom with products containing bleach, while following the label, to help remove fruit flies, including the bathtub and sink drains. Fruit flies are attracted to the smell that is emitted from decaying organic matter, which could be found in your drains. Also be sure to empty and clean the trash can.Fruit Fly Infestation
If the methods described above do not fully remove the fruit fly infestation, or if you want the help of a specialist from the start, then you should contact Terminix for professional fruit fly control.
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Have you ever had fruit flies in your home? Probably. They are tiny creatures that can drive you crazy. And, what’s worse, is they can make you sick. According to Terro, “Unfortunately, fruit flies can easily pick up filth and contaminants from the objects they land on – especially since many of their favorite food items are found in our waste receptacles.”
These insects are known for being attracted to fruit and other sugary substances, so when they appear in our homes, the first thing we do is check and throw out our produce. Unfortunately, the fruit flies do not always go away just because the fruit is gone. Fruit flies can find a very good home- in your sink drain.
Therefore, if you see fruit flies buzzing around your sink, even after all of the fruit in your home is gone, chances are you have an infestation in your drain. Running regular tap water down the drain is not enough to kill the fruit flies. You have to take a more aggressive approach. Here are 5 ways to rid your sink drain of these pesky creatures.
- Pour Boiling Water Down the Drain- Fruit flies can usually survive typical water flow down the drain, but boiling some hot water and pouring it down can kill flies and their eggs. Peptanks points out that this may be done a few times a week for a couple of weeks to make sure you kill any future generations of flies.
- Use a Fruit Fly Trap- There are a variety of DIY fruit traps you can make, but you can also pick up some pre-made ones from your local hardware store. Place these traps near any problem areas such as your sink.
- Clean the Drain with Vinegar and Baking Soda- This is a natural way clean out the drain and kill off any fruit flies hanging out in there.
- Keep Your Sink Dry– This may sound impossible, but try to wipe your sink dry whenever you aren’t using it because fruit flies need only a little bit of moisture to breed.
- Schedule a Professional Drain Cleaning- Sometimes it just seems like you are at your wit’s end, even after trying all of these other things. If this is the case, having your drained professionally cleaned can help. Contact a plumber for this service.
For more information about residential plumbing services, contact Flame!
The best way to get rid of fruit flies in your home is a combination of these homemade fruit fly traps and cleaning their favorite breeding areas.
There’s a myth that fruit flies live and die in 24 hours. Their life cycle is much longer, and some species live for several months. A female fruit fly can lay 100 eggs per day during that time. No wonder it’s so difficult to get rid of fruit flies once you’ve got them. Difficult, but not impossible. Though it does take consistency and effort, you can get a fruit fly infestation under control and keep them away for good.
Homemade Fruit Fly Traps
If you want to use a DIY fruit fly trap, you’ll need to clean it daily and keep it in place for a week or two. To make homemade fruit fly traps more powerful, add a chunk of banana, pineapple, or other strongly-scented fruit. Or, for a “set it and forget it” approach, try a commercial fruit fly trap instead.
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A shallow bowl of apple cider vinegar left on the kitchen counter attracts fruit flies with its scent. Cover the bowl with a piece of plastic wrap (or a lid) in which you’ve poked a few small holes with a toothpick. This method gets rid of fruit flies by luring them in and then trapping them. Change the vinegar daily.
Red Wine Fruit Fly Trap
A bottle with an inch or so of red wine or beer makes an excellent trap for fruit flies. Stick a kitchen funnel or roll a piece of paper to form one and insert the narrow end into the bottle. Tape it in place if needed. Fruit flies will go down the funnel but won’t be able to get out of it, so they’ll drown. Change daily.
Fill a bowl of water halfway, add a drop of liquid dish soap and place it under a light at night. (The light over your stove is perfect for this.) The reflection of the light will lure any fruit flies in your home, as well as gnats and mosquitoes. The dish soap creates a surface tension that gets rid of fruit flies by drowning them. Change the water daily.
Drain Fly Trap
Some fruit flies hide in sink drains, and so do gnats, but it’s not convenient to place a trap in these. Instead, pour a 50-50 mixture of hot water and white vinegar down the drain to kill drain flies and any eggs they’ve laid. Do this daily for two weeks.
Once you’ve done the work to get rid of fruit flies in your home, keep them from coming back with these preventative measures.
1. Keep Your Counters Clean
Fruit flies will feast on spilled wine, cookie crumbs, and juice- just about anything sweet. Clean your counters at least once a day so they don’t turn into a snack bar for the pests. Try this homemade natural all-purpose cleaner. Adding peppermint essential oil to it will help deter other household pests.
2. Wash Fruit Right Away
Fruit flies piggyback their way into our homes on bananas and melons more than any other fruits. Use a fruit and vegetable wash to clean produce if you’re keeping it on your counter or in a fruit bowl.
A fruit bowl on the counter is a great way to encourage your family to eat healthy snacks. However, if left uncovered, it turns into a breeding ground for fruit flies. If you plan to keep fruit on the counter, cover it with a cake dome, an overturned bowl, or plastic wrap to keep fruit flies from it. The same goes for onions — they’re full of sugars — so either refrigerate them or keep them in a closed container.
If it stinks, it attracts fruit flies. Clean your drains, garbage disposal, litter boxes, and dirty toilets regularly. For help locating potential sources of odors, check out this list of 48 places in your home that can stink.
5. Repeat For Two Weeks
With hundreds or even thousands of new fruit flies hatching every day, you’ll need to be diligent for a couple of weeks about using these homemade fruit fly traps, depriving them of food, and keeping them from favorite breeding places. After you’ve eliminated fruit flies in your home, stay on top of the steps to keep their breeding areas clean, and you’ll be rid of them for good.