It is very annoying to have fruit flies invading your house. It can affect the quality of the space and also the clean of the food. People have to throw away many leftovers because of fruit flies. But luckily, it is not impossible to get rid of them. Not only the ones that fly around, but you can also terminate the “net” of these insects. Let’s get to know about fruit flies, their lair and how to get rid of both.
What are fruit flies?
Fruit flies are a species of fly that possesses a smaller body. Fruit flies, unlike normal flies, are attracted only to certain kinds of food, naming fruits and vegetables. When it comes to fruits and vegetables, fruit flies choose ripe ones. But if the fruits or vegetables are cut open, then it doesn’t matter if they are ripe or green, fruit flies will swamp in.
In countries where people consume rice, fruit flies gather around a bowl of leftover rice as well. The reason maybe is that rice is a sweet starch, so it lures the flies the same way as fruits.
Fruit flies usually breed in humid areas, just like flies or mosquitos. You can find the lair of these insects in: a wet and dirty mop, a water drain or somewhere near it (under the sink), trash can filled with the outer coat of the fruits or a bottle of unfinished beer or wine.
So first, it is a smart idea to avoid the breeding of the fruit flies by leaving the trash can covered, clean the mop and dry it under the sun, and overall maintain a healthy and clean space.
How to get rid of fruit flies
Now that you know where fruit flies come from and what types of food attract these creatures, you can use the information to fight against them. Our tricks involve some uses for half-bitten fruits as well. Check them out.
Throw away rotten fruits and disinfect the area
Since rotten fruits are the main reason why fruit flies invade your house, simply remove them and you are 70% free of these insects. Throw away rotten fruits in a separate bag, don’t throw them in the trash can because they will follow. Seal the rotten fruits in a bag and take them outside. In an open space, fruit flies don’t work as often as inside of the house.
Now, you have to clean up the area where the fruits used to be. We recommend cleaning with water and bleach to disinfect the area more thoroughly. After all, the cleaner the house is, the fewer problems with insects you will have.
Dish soap is a fruit flies killer
There are many remedies that involve dish soap. It is a highly functional ingredient to make a trap for fruit flies. There are two ways to make the trap.
For the first type of trap
You need: dish soap, vinegar, water, sugar and plastic wrap.
Vinegar and sugar will create the same sweet and acidic taste as fruits. Water and dish soap form a similar texture to the mud of a swamp that can trap fruit flies.
Mixing all these ingredients together, you have a concoction to lure the insects. Then, put a thin film of plastic wrap over the cup or the bowl that you use to contain the mixture. Poke some holes through it so the flies can get in. The texture and the slip of dish soap will make it impossible for the flies to get out.
The last step is very important. The fruit flies might be trapped but they aren’t dead. You can try many ways to kill the flies. Like putting a Naphthalene ball inside the cup quickly and seal it. Or you can spray it with insect repellent.
For the second type of trap
You need: dish soap, wine, plastic wrap.
This method requires fewer ingredients but it causes more. We advise that you use this method when you have some wine left that you won’t drink.
Put wine and dish soap in a cup and mix it. Use an old cup that no one uses anymore. Put plastic wrap over the cup and poke holes for the fruit flies to get in. Place the cup where you find the most fruit flies, normally in the kitchen.
Then, after having trapped all the flies, you can decide how you want to kill them. We find insect repellent spray to be the most effective option. This is the reason why we advise that you use an old cup. There is no guarantee that the cup can be cleaned 100% later on. So it can be toxic for humans as well.
Insect repellent spray
Two ways to get this done: You can buy a bottle or hire some professionals to have your whole house sprayed. Either way, you can use some ripe fruits or half-bitten ones to lure the fruit flies. Wait until you see a bunch of them and spray. Don’t wait for too long because there is a limit to when the flies stop coming for food.
Check around the house to find spots where fruit flies usually breed. The spots that we have mentioned are: wet dirty mops, under the sink, drains inside and outside of the house. While you are doing this, you get rid of not only fruit flies but also other insects like cockroaches, mosquitoes and ants.
The downside is that this method makes the air toxic for humans as well. So you need to stay away from the room or house a couple of hours before the spray finally wears off.
There you go, 4 ways to get rid of all the annoying fruit flies. Remember to always look around the house for foods that you have left out for too long. It is better to keep the place clean so you don’t have to deal with what is worse. We hope you will successfully remove these insects with our methods.