Have you fruit seller to buy some fruits but the amount of fruit flies flying around the fruits totally ruined your appetite? Fruit flies are very persistent bugs who, unlike house flies stay around food items (especially fruits) but they are harder to get rid of. You might have seen even after endless tries from vegetable seller’s end, he still doesn’t get rid of fruit flies even and just gets tired.
But, fruit flies are not the problem haunting just fruit sellers. Many houses are infested by fruit flies and they can’t get rid of them using even more expensive ways. And, it’s not always the case of fruit flies coming to home via some fruits. They can come like uninvited guest. So, to have your mental peace and family’s safety, it’s essential to know how to get rid of fruit flies quickly. So that you won’t let them increase their number and outnumber you at the place you call home.
This article explains all the information you need to know about fruit flies and many affordable ways by which you can get rid of them in no time. So, scroll ahead.
How Harmful Are Fruit Flies
Fruit flies are one of the 4 most common flies that infest a house – housefly, fruit flies, drain flies and fungus gnats. All these flies don’t themself are harmful but they are carrier of disease and dirty stuff. They sit in both good and bad stuff. They lay eggs in both good place and bad place. So, they essentially carry bad things from bad place or bad stuff such as dustbin or discarded food and bring it to good place and good food.
Can you eat the food fruit flies landed on.
We will discuss the ways to get rid of fruit flies. But first, you have to know whether it’s safe to eat the fruit where fruit flies landed on or not because it’s going to take a while to get them removed so, lets assess their risk factor when they try to infect the food items.
Usually, it’s safe to eat the fruit these fruit flies sat on. They don’t themselves are poisonous, venomous or dangerous like that. But, you have to be mindful that they sit everywhere including your trash and dustbin. Their feet can carry microbes which can make you sick.
So, always rinse the food where fruit flies have sat. If the fruit is something that you can’t rinse then, remove that part where the fruit fly sat. Only surface layer would do if the food is dry or semi-dry. But if, the food is liquid, then the safest way is to not consume that liquid food. High-risk people such as toddlers, pregnant ladies, sick person should be more careful.
How Fruit Flies Get Into our Homes
Mainly, fruit flies can get into your home via the food you carry. And among all types of food, usually the overripe fruits are fruit flies home. They reside on the surface of these overtripped fruits while they lay eggs inside it so, the inside of the fruits can carry fruit flies larvae.
However, be aware that they can of course come themselves if the healthy fruit inside your home starts overripening. Also, depending on the situation on your neighborhood at the moment, if there are lots of fruit stalls near you or your neighbor has his house infested with Fruit Flies.
Where Does Fruit Flies Hide?
The fruit flies which you can see are actively flying over fruits are not the only ones. They work in batches so, a group of fruit flies may be hidden in their nest while another group is exploring the area to track all the food sources. So, if you just get rid of these active ones, you’ll be surprised when you see new ones within few hours even if you’ve shut down all the door and windows.
So, it’s important to check these common places where fruit flies hide –
- Trash Cans and Compost Bins
- Trash which are left for Recycling and contain wine or fruit juice bottles
- Sink drains & garbage disposals
- Under appliances & furniture usually due to dropped food items
- Cracked countertops or backsplashes where crumbs get stuck
- Unwashed wine or juice bottles
- Windowsills
How to Trap Fruit Flies
To trap all the fruit flies available in your home whether they are in front of you or out of sight, you can usually use commonly find ingredients in the kitchen. If they doesn’t help there are readymade products also available. So first, lets look at the common ingredients method –
Using Apple Cider Vinegar to Trap Fruit Flies
- Take a bowl or pan with large surface area and enough depth to drawn fruit flies.
- Put apple cider vinegar till the depth which will be sufficient to trap fruit flies.
- Add 2-3 drops of liquid soap.
- Now, wait.
Apple cider vinegar’s strong fruity smell attract fruit flies fast. Liquid soap drops break the surface tension. So, when fruit flies try to land on the surface, they will dive and won’t be able to come out.
Using Yeast as Super Bait
The smell of yeast also attracts fruit flies. Add half cup of warm water + 1 tablespoon sugar to jar. Still 1/4 tsp dry yeast. Add 2-3 drops of liquid soap. This trap uses the same logic as above to trap fruit flies but it’s faster because this smell is more favorite to fruit flies.
DIY Trap: Ripe fruit + paper cone.
- Take a smelly, overly ripe fruit such as banana or guava. Cut it in pieces.
- Put it in a jar and create a paper cone.
- Put the paper cone at the top of jar, essentially mounting it to the jar’s rim so it’s bottom stay raised.
- Now, fruit flies will get to the bottom using narrow side of the cone to get to the fruit. But they won’t be able to get out and hence, will get trapped.
Store-bought options
- There are many store bought products you can get to do the job effectively. You’re looking for sticky cards, wine or vinegar bait-traps. You can also get UV light traps which will be effective especially at night.
How to Get Rid of Fruit Flies Outside
The logic you need to follow to get rid of fruit flies outside is to remove what attracts then. And, the list is not very exhaustive. They gets attractive by rotting, sugary, fermenting stuff. So, if there is overripe fruit, decaying organic matter, open trash cans, etc. on yards, patios or balconies, they will keep fruit flies invited.
Keep the area clean. Make sure their is not any food leftover or fruit skins. Now, you can slightly modify the above listed traps to trap fruit flies outside. Here’s how to do it –
Create outdoor fruit flies trap
- Pour some wine or apple cider vinegar in a jar.
- Add 2-3 drops of soaps
- Put a plastic wrap about the jar and make small holes in it.
Now, fruit flies will get inside the trap but can’t get out.
How to Get Rid of Fruit Flies Indoors
You’re effectively going to use the methods to create traps like the ones I’ve listed above to trap the fruit flies. But, if you need urgent execution then, you can get an insect killer spray and spray it at the places where fruits flies are available and they will leave your house. But make sure to handle them carefully as they can cause irritations or teary eyes.
Which Fruits Attract Fruit Flies the Most?
Fruits like mangoes, bananas, guava, papaya, citrus are the favorite fruits of fruit flies. So, you need to be extra careful to keep them safe, especially in summers. if they get too much ripe, always keep them covered or in refrigerator.
How to Protect Your Food from Fruit Flies?
You can implement a lots of ways to keep your food protected from fruit flies. I’ve already discussed the ways to get rid of fruit flies by creating different types or traps, buying traps or using insect killer sprays. Now, to avoid fruit flies infestation, you can keep the house clean, put smelly organic rotting fruits, vegetables or other food items outside, regularly check and clean hard to reach but suspectable places where your fruit pieces might have fallen and lost.
Keep food covered or in refrigerator. Regularly use UV insect traps. All these techniques combined will help you get rid of fruit flies problem in no time.
