How to Get Rid of Fruit Flies That Have Taken Over Your Kitchen

There comes a time in every cook’s life when they need to figure out how to get rid of fruit flies. These tiny red-eyed gnats often appear out of nowhere, and they seldom travel alone. If you don’t act quickly, you’ll soon find yourself sharing the contents of your fruit bowl with hundreds of unwanted visitors and fighting to take back control of your kitchen countertops.

Found yourself with a fruit fly infestation? Don’t dial pest control just yet. There are many easy ways to get rid of fruit flies, including DIY traps and store-bought solutions. If you’re diligent about following these tips, you should be able to squash your fruit fly problem without any professional help.

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What causes a fruit fly infestation?

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To get to the root of the problem, you must understand why the fruit flies have invaded your home in the first place. These pesky little bugs typically hitch a ride into your house via fruits and veggies purchased at the grocery store or farmers market. Washing produce thoroughly can help get rid of adult flies, but there’s no easy way to tell if they’ve already laid eggs in your food. And if they find an adequate food source in your kitchen, they’re more than happy to set up camp.

Once in your home, fruit flies will seek out ripe fruit and vegetables—as well as other rotting material, like trash—where they can lay their eggs. Fruit fly larvae typically hatch within a day or two, and spend the next week chowing down on ripened fruits. Within a week or so, they’ll be full-grown adult fruit flies who will then lay their eggs. This rapid life cycle is why getting rid of fruit flies can be so tricky.

But first: Are they actually fruit flies?

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Of course, there’s a chance the gnats you see flying around aren’t fruit flies at all. Fruit flies are small brown bugs with red eyes, but they’re easy to confuse with fungus gnats or drain flies.

Fungus gnats are black and more commonly found milling around the soil of houseplants, as this is where they lay eggs. Drain flies, on the other hand, are typically found around sink drains (surprise!) or garbage disposals, and they have larger V-shaped wings—they almost look like tiny moths. You’ll need to clean their respective hangout spaces to prevent fungus gnats or drain flies from laying eggs, but the same types of traps often work on these pests.

How to get rid of fruit flies:

The first step to getting rid of fruit flies is removing any ripe or rotten food where they might have laid eggs, which means throwing away anything sitting on your kitchen counter. It might seem like a waste, but fruit fly larvae tunnel into produce to feed—so do you really want to eat that apple? Until you’ve successfully vanquished the bugs, thoroughly wash any new produce you bring home and store it in the fridge.

Source: https://gardencourte.com
Categories: Kitchens