How to Get Rid of Fruit Flies by Toby Amidor in Food Safety, September 2, 2012
Do pesky fruit flies hover around your fresh produce? Find out how you can get them out of your kitchen.
Fruit Flies 101
Adult fruit flies (Drosiphila melanogaster) range in size from 1 to 2 millimeters, have red eyes and tan or brownish body. They like to lay their eggs on fruit that’s getting ready to be harvested; that’s how they make it into your home, though they can come in through open doors and windows. Once in your home, these small flies will hang out near rotting fruit, especially old bananas hanging out on your counter. These flies reproduce quickly—they can lay up to 500 eggs over the course of their 1-week lifespan.
Other common breeding grounds for these bugs include decaying meat, large spills of sugary soda or alcohol, sink drains, garbage disposals, empty bottles and cans, trash receptacles, wet mops and dirty rags.
What You Can Do
Besides being annoying, these pests can spread germs in your house. Although they’re not easy to eliminate, your first line of action is to get rid of their food and breeding ground. If you’re not sure where they’re breeding, tape a clear plastic bag over the opening of the suspect area (like your drain)—you’ll see fruit flies in the morning if they’re present.
Here are ways to eliminate their access to food:
- Discard overripe fruit sitting on counters. Any cracked fruit or damaged portions of fruit and veggies that have been sitting out in your kitchen should be cut off before eating.
- Store fruit and veggies in the refrigerator (only until you get rid of the issue).
- Clean spills immediately.
- Wipe counters and empty trash cans regularly.
- Check recycling bin and make sure all containers are rinsed thoroughly—they may be breeding there.
- Properly clean the inside of drainpipes in order to remove any decaying material the flies may be feeding off of.
- Make sure windows and doors are properly screened.
There are numerous methods on how to trap the flies so you can rid them on your own. Of course, if the problem gets out of control– call a professional pest control operator (AKA exterminator). Here are easy, nontoxic and inexpensive methods try:
Place a banana in a clear plastic bag or container and poke 3 to 4 small holes with a toothpick, large enough for the fruit fly to get inside. Place the plastic bag or container near your fruit bowl. Within 24 hours you should see fruit flies inside — they usually can’t find their way out. Repeat this for several days until the fruit flies are gone.
Another variation on this method is to put fruit juice or wine with a squirt of dish soap in a plastic bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Poke holes in the plastic using a pin or toothpick. Again, the flies get in but can’t get out and drown or die from ingesting the dish soap.
TELL US: What method have you used or heard of to get rid of fruit flies?
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More posts from Toby Amidor.
Tags: fruit, fruit flies, produce
I put a few peices of banana in an empty plastic water bottle then make a funnel out of a piece of paper and stick it in the opening of the bottle and secure it with a little tape. leave it out in the counter in the area where the flys have been. they will fly down into the bottle and not be able to get back out.
It is actually easier than you think. I placed a very ripe half of a banana and peel in my clean kitchen sink before going to bed. In the morning – Yikes! – there were swarms of the little buggers. I took a spray bottle of Windex and gave them all a good shot several times. They died almost instantly. Cleaned the sink and sanitized it and repeated the process next night. Now I might see a random one but one short spray of windex does the trick on that. Careful though – if you spray much DO NOT inhale the Windex. Try this – it does work!
I use this variation also to prevent ever having to smack bugs or use a fly swatter to get rid of mosquito's, flies, any kind of flying bug. I calmly pull out the cheapest spray bottle of heavy maxi hold hair spray. Stand near the fly zone the pest is going to spring from…once he jumps, I begin pumping the trigger like crazy and spray him as much as possible with the hair spray. It stiffens on his body, stops his wings from flying, and he drops to the ground. I use tissues and pick up the fly or mosquito or gnat…and he gets flushed to China.
I never have a mess on a wall, in fact my walls look as fresh and new as when I moved in here 15 yrs. ago!
I put balsamic vinegar in a cup or bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and secure with a rubber band, then poke a few holes in the plastic. Sometimes I’ll add a piece of bad fruit…just a slice, like banana, plum, nectarine, etc. Flies love the smell of balsamic vinegar!
Is there any way to get them out of the house without killing them?
I think there is a plug in type of sound or vibration motion detector that repels them. I see it advertised in magazines at the Dr.'s office. Maybe you could look it up on Google…maybe under plug in bug repellent. I think I saw it in the Parade section of the Sunday paper. It takes care of all kinds of bugs, crawlers and flyers. It is a sound wave that causes them pain so they stay away.
Really, Ann? Why would you worry about killing some annoying, germ spreading, insect that flies directly into your eye and only lives1 week? Noah should have smacked his 2 when he had the chance!!
Awesome!
I found that if I leave a glass with a small amount of wine in the bottom the flies go in for a drink
and drown.
Stacey, thank you. I googled it & there are many of those devices on the market. It would be great if they could get rid of spiders. I fortunately don’t have a lot of problems with pests – a few fruit flies, a cricket once in a while but I hate spiders. I will kill those if they are in my house but I would rather they just stay outside where they belong! I will do some further checking into these electronic devices. Again, thank you.
Thanks for all the ideas! I have tomatoes from the garden and always have those stinking bugs! I have tried the cider vinegar in a tall jar with a paper funnel tapped to the top, and it did work. I think I will try to add some soap to it and leave out the funnel and see if that works. thanks!! ,
Great tips, I keep a clean house but always have a few fruit flies, for whatever reason. I hope this tips work quickly to get rid of my problem.
I had a very bad infestation this year and I finally had to resort to a fly stick from Menards. They're like fly paper but in a tube with a container on the bottom that you put vinegar, honey or anything else in. I've found that any wine or vinegar is the best product to put in the trays of these. Works like a charm.
To get them out without killing them, place piece of really ripe fruit at the bottom of a tall glass. Leave it overnight. Inthe morning, "sneak" up to it and cover it with a dinner plate. Youll see them swarming like crazy trying to get out. Take them outside and let them out. I've used this method many times before and I works great! Just be sure to change out the fruit in the glass or they will reproduce from inside. Gross.