How to Get Rid of Fruit Flies

If you’ve been dealing with an invasion of fruit flies, you’re definitely not alone. These pesky little bugs can be difficult to get rid of, but with the right tips and tricks, you can remove them from your home quickly.

In this guide, we will discuss how to identify fruit flies and some of the best ways to get rid of them. Keep reading for helpful advice that will have your home fruit fly-free in no time.

What are Fruit Flies?

Fruit flies are also known as vinegar flies. They’re tiny insects that love to eat rotting fruit. However, their name does not mean they can only be found near fruits or vegetables.

In fact, one will often see them buzzing around garbage cans and drains too. And if you have a cup of coffee sitting on your counter, you can be sure that fruit flies will find it sooner rather than later.

What Type of Fruit Flies are in My Home?

There are two types of fruit flies:

The common housefly (Musca domestica) and the Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata).

The latter type is smaller than its counterpart, but both species live in similar environments. They’re also both attracted to fermented food sources like overripe bananas or open containers of apple cider vinegar.

How to Identify Them?

It’s easy enough to identify the fruit fly by its appearance. Fruit flies are small, dark-colored insects that measure about one-fourth of an inch long or less (about half as big as a housefly). They have red eyes and a tan thorax with black stripes. They also have a single pair of wings.

Fruit Fly Habitat

Fruit flies love to lay their eggs on moist, rotting fruit or vegetables that have been left out. Fruit flies also feed off of the bacteria and yeast that grow in these types of environments.

They’re most commonly found near kitchen trash cans, compost bins, and drains where food waste accumulates over time – all dark, damp, and warm places.

Fruit fly larvae can survive in a wide variety of temperatures, from hot summers to cold winters; however, they prefer warmer conditions for breeding purposes which is why you’ll see more during springtime when it starts getting hotter outside.

Signs of an Infestation

Adult fruit flies are the most common sign of infestation. Fruit flies gather in large numbers and feed on decaying materials until any food source is eradicated. They are usually seen swarming around fruits and vegetables left out on kitchen or commercial countertops or in and around refuse bins and other receptacles in which foods are thrown away.

Fruit flies tend to stick around in locations with accessible food. Restaurants, bars, cafés, and other eating establishments frequently have to take particular measures to prevent fruit fly infestations.

How to Get Rid of Fruit Flies

Professional Pest Removal

You can do a few things to get rid of fruit flies for good. The most effective way to get rid of fruit flies is to call a professional pest removal company. They will deal with your fruit fly problem efficiently and reduce the chance of them returning drastically.

Here are some of the best methods you can try at home:

Tip #1: Clean Up Your Kitchen

For starters, you’ll want to make sure your kitchen is clean and free of any food debris. Fruit flies thrive on ripe fruits, vegetables, meats, and other items that have been sitting out for too long.

Tip #2: Try a DIY Trap

Another thing you can do is make your own DIY fruit fly trap. Here are a couple of trap ideas:

Put a piece of overripe fruit in a jar and cover it with vinegar. Fruit flies will be attracted to the vinegar and drown in it.
Place a small dish of apple cider vinegar near where you've seen fruit flies. The vinegar will attract them, and they'll fall into the dish and drown.
Hang up a sticky fly trap near where you've seen fruit flies. They'll get caught on the sticky paper and die.

Tip #3: Spray with Vinegar

Use a spray bottle to mist vinegar onto fruit flies, killing them instantly.

Tip #4: Use an Insecticide

If all else fails, you can try using an insecticide to get rid of the flies. Insecticides are available at your local hardware store.

Tip #5: Seal Off Entry Points

Finally, you can try sealing off any entry points that the flies may be used to get into your home or business. This includes cracks and crevices in doorways, windows, and walls. You can also use fine mesh screens on windows to help keep them out.

How to Get Rid of Fruit Flies in Drains?

Fruit flies are attracted to drains because they contain decaying food debris—they love living where there’s plenty of it. You can prevent fruit flies from entering your drains by using a drain screen.

If you already have an infestation, pour a cup of boiling water down the drain to kill any larvae that may be living there. You can also use a plunger to suction up any eggs or larvae that are in the drain. Finally, pour a cup of bleach down the drain to kill any remaining fruit flies.

How to Get Rid of Fruit Flies in a Kitchen?

The kitchen is one of the most common areas for fruit fly infestations because many food sources are available.

To get rid of fruit flies in your kitchen, use a vacuum cleaner with an attachment to suck them up. You can also place a bowl of vinegar or apple cider vinegar out on the counter to trap them.

If there are any breeding areas, such as a compost bin or trash can, clean them well and make sure to keep them dry.

Refrigerate or seal any raw foods in vacuum-sealed bags to help keep infestations at bay.

How to Get Rid of Fruit Flies Outside?

Fruit flies can also be a problem outdoors. They’re often attracted to ripening fruit on trees or in gardens, and they can also breed in moist, organic matter like leaves or mulch.

To get rid of fruit flies outside, you can use traps that are made specifically for them. There are also natural methods that you can use, such as spraying vinegar on the plants where they’re attracted to or leaving out bowls of apple cider vinegar for them to fly into.

Prevention and Control

There are a few things you can do to help prevent fruit flies from invading your home or business:

Don't leave crumbs or food out, especially fruits and vegetables.
Make sure your garbage cans have tight-fitting lids.
Clean up any spilled liquids or standing water immediately. Letting moisture sit out can attract fruit flies.
Dirty sponges and towels can also attract fruit flies, so hang them out to dry and clean them regularly.
Inspect your sink and floor drain for any decaying organic matter and get rid of it.
If you have fruit trees, harvest the fruits as soon as they are ripe.
Make sure food is stored in sealed containers or bags when possible.
Run your garbage disposal regularly to prevent organic matter from building up inside it.
Don’t leave any dirty dishes out.
Fine screen mesh on doors and windows will help keep fruit flies from coming inside.

Other Interesting Fruit Fly Facts

1

A fruit fly fact that may surprise you is that these tiny bugs enjoy beer and wine. They’re attracted to any fermenting food source.

2

Fruit flies are also an important resource for scientists conducting genetic research since fruit flies and humans have about 75% of the same genes that cause illness. Their limited lifespan is also amenable to study, with the average fruit fly living only 40 days.

3

Fruit flies serve as an indicator of household sanitation because they will not lay eggs in decaying organic matter such as fruits and vegetables that have been left out for more than 24 hours. Fruit flies prefer fermenting food sources, which is why you’ll often find them buzzing around your kitchen sink or drains where they can access leftover food particles that haven’t been properly cleaned up.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Do Fruit Flies Look Like?

If you’re not sure what a fruit fly looks like, they are tiny (about ¼ of an inch long), have two wings, and brownish-yellow bodies. They typically hang out around food sources, so you’ll often see them buzzing around your kitchen or near garbage cans.

Where Do Fruit Flies Come From?

Fruit flies usually come from fermenting food sources such as fruit that has been left out for more than 24 hours, decaying vegetables, and even garbage cans.

What Happens When Fruit Flies Lay Eggs?

When fruit flies lay their eggs, the tiny maggots that hatch from them will feed on the decaying organic matter around them. This is why it’s important to clean up spills and food debris as soon as possible, especially if you’re having a problem with fruit flies.

Do Fruit Flies Bite?

No, fruit flies do not bite. They are mainly considered a nuisance because they tend to swarm around food sources and can be difficult to get rid of once they get into your home.

When is the best time to get rid of fruit flies?

The best time to get rid of fruit flies is when you first notice them in your house or business. These tiny bugs are attracted to fermenting food sources such as ripe fruits, vegetables, and meats that have been left out for more than 24 hours, so if you clean up your kitchen and get rid of any potential food sources, you’ll be less likely to have a problem with them.

In this article, we discussed how to get rid of fruit flies for good. We also shared some tips and tricks on preventing them from coming back in the future. So if you have a problem with these pesky pests, try some of the methods we suggested, and you should see a noticeable difference.