Getting Rid Of Fruit Flies Naturally

The other kitchen fruit fly solution is to trap them. There are several traps that you can construct on your own from readily available materials. The majority of these involve placing some form of bait in a bowl or glass. The bait can be a piece of fruit, apple cider vinegar, yeast, and sugar dissolved in water, even old beer or red wine.

You then cover the bowl or glass with plastic wrap and poke small, think toothpick size, holes in the plastic. The fruit flies can find the holes to enter by following the trail of the gases that the bait gives off. But once inside have no guide to lead them out. They become trapped and you can dispose of them as you see fit. Note that it is important to use clear containers and wrap when possible.

Fruit flies don't like dark places so these traps aren't as effective if the interior of the trap is dim. Even though it seems that they just pop up out of nowhere, the truth is fruit flies are attracted to fermenting fruits and vegetables and thrive on high-fructose substances. Female fruit flies lay their eggs on the surface of or inside overripe, rotting, or decaying fruit. Each female fruit fly can lay up to 500 eggs at a time!

For that reason, it's important to take action as soon as you see the very first fruit fly. After hatching, the larva feast on their surroundings for a few days before evolving into fully formed adults. Overall, their life cycle is fairly quick—fruit flies are capable of mating just two days after they become adults—which means your cleanup clock starts immediately.

One process is very similar to a fruit fly trap. Mix up some apple cider vinegar, water, dish soap and sugar. Then, leave it in a bowl on the counter and wait. Or, you can mix up some red wine and dish soap. If you notice gnats, which are about half the size of fruit flies, hanging around the sink just pour bleach down the drain.

For starters, how do you know if what's swarming your kitchen is a bunch of fruit flies or some other type of flying insect? Unlike gnats or drain flies, fruit flies are light yellow in color and they're often found near overripe fruit or sticky fermented liquids, like juice or wine. They don't bite and their lifespan is relatively short, but once once they make their way into your home, they can lay up to 500 eggs at a time! Don't panic—first remember that they're pesky, but they're not the worst (we'll take fruit flies over cockroaches or spiders any day!). Plus, there are natural remedies, simple traps and store-bought sprays and treatments that can help.

Find out what causes these critters and how to get rid of fruit flies for good right here. Keep drains clean– Both kitchen and bathroom drains can provide ideal locations for fruit flies to lay their eggs. There are two DIY methods of drain cleaning that come recommended for fruit fly prevention. One is to flush drains with boiling water and use a metal pipe brush available at many hardware supplies and then flush once again with more boiling water. This helps remove any particles that might be clinging to the pipe walls and providing a ready food source.

The second method is to pour a mixture of, half a cup of salt, half a cup of baking soda and a cup of apple cider vinegar into the drain and let it sit overnight. If fruit flies do make your kitchen their hangout spot, there are ways to trap them. They like fermented fruit, so mix a bit of dish soap with old beer, wine or apple cider vinegar.

Pour water into the mixture until it bubbles, and leave the glass or bowl on the counter where you spot the flies. They'll come to the glass because of the fruit sugar, but get trapped in the soap bubbles. You can also fit plastic wrap over the top of a beer bottle or glass of vinegar, and poke a few holes in it. Fruit flies can get in, but they can't fly out. Wong says you can make a similar homemade fruit fly trap with vinegar and dish soap instead. "Add a few drops of dish soap to a bowl of vinegar and leave it uncovered on your countertop," Wong says.

"The soap cuts the surface tension of the vinegar so the flies sink and drown." When you bring in tomatoes, squash or other goodies from the garden, an infestation can easily start indoors. They're also quickly enamored with those overripe bananas, potatoes, onion or any other unrefrigerated produce left on your counter or in your pantry. They're also drawn to anything with alcohol or vinegar.

Fruit flies are especially attracted to ripened fruits and vegetables in the kitchen. But they also will breed in drains, garbage disposals, empty bottles and cans, trash containers, mops and cleaning rags. All that is needed for development is a moist film of fermenting material. Infestations can originate from over-ripened fruits or vegetables that were previously infested and brought into the home. The adults can also fly in from outside through inadequately screened windows and doors.

Put about an inch of vinegar in a glass and add a few drops of liquid dish soap. Form a paper cone, leaving a small opening at the tip. Set the cone in the glass pointed end down and set near the infestation. Be sure to remove any other attractants that might divert them from this DIY fruit fly trap, such as rotting fruit or compost. Fruit flies are mainly attracted to moist, fermenting fruits and vegetables.

However, they are also drawn to things such as drains, garbage disposals, empty bottles and cans, trash bags, cleaning rags and mops. Essentially, they are drawn to food waste and moist environments. Fruit flies only feed on food surfaces, so the chance of ingesting these pests is close to zero. You can also create your own drain cleaners.

One of the simplest is to combine ½ a cup of salt with ½ a cup of baking soda and pour it into the drain. Then add a cup of vinegar and let it sit overnight. Larger doses can be used for bigger pipes but the proportions should remain the same. The next morning flush well with the hottest water available. Keep garbage disposals clean– Disposal units are a natural haven for fruit fly eggs and larvae to develop in.

They are generally always wet and a supply of food is constantly being delivered. Luckily, it is easy to clean a garbage disposal. Simply pour it full of ice add 1 cup of salt or vinegar and then run the disposal with the water running as you normally would. This scrubs out and food particles that might be stuck inside the disposal and as an added bonus will sharpen the blades of your disposal. Fruit flies look like tiny reddish-brown flies.

You'll probably see them fluttering around your kitchen, possibly near the fruit bowl. Although fruit flies can come in from through your open windows, they're typically brought in from the grocery store on fruit and vegetables. They lay their eggs in rotting produce and sugary surfaces, and they enter into fruit in the grocery store through any knicks or cuts on the fruit's surface. Remember that fruit flies can lay up to 500 eggs at a time (it's gross, we know). It will take a little time and patience to get rid of all of them completely.

Be diligent about cleaning and keep your traps out on the counter for a couple of weeks. You can also place a few traps near sinks or trash cans to ensure you get rid of all the fruit flies. If you think the flies have made a home in your drain, try pouring a mix of boiling water and vinegar down the drain to kill the flies and eggs. All they need is a little moisture and something fermenting or moldering. Fruit fly funnel traps are made by placing bait, apple cider vinegar, beer, red wine, a piece of fruit, or sugar water and yeast, into a clear jar or glass.

Then placing a funnel, a commercially manufactured one of one made from a sheet of paper rolled into a cone, into the mouth of the container. Make sure there are no gaps the fruit flies can escape through around the edges. The fruit flies follow the chemical trail the bait gives off down the funnel but can't find their way back out and become trapped in the jar. People are usually a little shocked when they discover that they have fruit flies in their bathroom. All of these requirements are more than meet in the average bathroom. That is an ample food source for fruit flies to flourish.

The question is how to destroy fruit flies in your bathroom before they drive you mad. Apple Cider Vinegar and Dish Soap Fruit Fly Trap– Another way to use fruit flies' love of apple cider vinegar against them is to combine it with dish soap. Just take any handy container pour in the apple cider vinegar and add a healthy helping of the liquid dish of your choice. Mix it well trying to avoid making it foam and leave it sitting wherever you commonly see fruit flies. The vinegar attracts the fruit flies like a magnet and when they try to take a sip the soap coats their wings making it impossible for them to fly away. They will be trapped in the liquid and drown.

It's easy to remember to toss or eat the ripe produce on your counter, but what about those rotting potatoes or onions in the pantry? While the kitchen compost is a common source of fruit fly infestations, these tiny flies can breed in other damp areas, too. Wet cleaning rags, mops, and drains can be a problem, too.

Pouring bleach or more natural citrus cleaner down drains during an infestation can help get rid of fruit flies. Think pests are coming out of a sink drain? Cover it with plastic wrap overnight and check for flies underneath come morning.

Keep drains clean and free of organic material with natural drain cleaners. The flies are attracted to the smell of the apple cider vinegar because they love fermenting fruit. They enter the holes in the plastic wrap, go to check out the vinegar, then get stuck in the soap. It's a clean and quick way to get rid of fruit flies in just a few days. If you have a large amount, you may need more than one trap. Getting rid of fruit flies is easier than it seems with this DIY homemade fruit fly trap.

The best part is it uses only 2 ingredients and common household items, getting rid of pesky fruit flies naturally and easily. Traditional white vinegar generally works well for trapping fruit flies, but apple cider vinegar is also another effective option. Because it's fermented, it smells extra sweet to fruit flies. To make a trap out of apple cider vinegar, mix two tablespoons of ACV, one T of sugar, and add a few drops of liquid dish soap.

Mix up the solution so the sugar dissolves, then set a few of these bowls throughout the areas where you notice fruit flies the most. Cling film fruit fly traps operate on much the same principle. The main difference being that instead of a funnel, the top of the container is covered with plastic wrap with tiny, think toothpick or fork prong sized, holes punched in it. The aroma of the bait guides the fruit flies in but they can't find their way back out. Keep the kitchen clean and dry– Not to be insulting but most kitchens aren't as clean as people think they are. Making the deep cleaning and sanitizing of all kitchen spaces a regular routine goes a long way towards avoiding fruit fly invasions.

When possible, move all appliances and furnishings and clean ceiling to floor and from walls to the center of the room. As fruits and vegetables ripen, they release ethanol into the air signaling fruit flies that a prime nesting site is available. Some studies have found that fruit flies can detect this compound from as far away as four miles and be drawn to it. Storing produce in the fridge has the added advantage of extending its shelf life reducing waste in the home.

How long fruit flies live is greatly dependent on the weather. They thrive in warm humid climates and tend to die out quicker in colder climates. Their minimum natural lifespan is 25 days but on average they will live for 40 to 50 days.

That is why it is so important to eliminate fruit flies when you first see the first signs of their presence. A single pair of mating Drosophila can flare into a full-blown infestation in the blink of an eye. What's worse, once they're inside, they tend to multiply.

"Fruit flies can lay up to 2,000 eggs at a time primarily in fomenting fruit or other decaying produce," Wong says. From DIY traps to homemade sprays, here's how to exterminate these pests. If those bananas or onions are starting to look iffy, it's time to toss them before they become a breeding ground for pests.

"Promptly discard any rotting food, as this is where fruit flies lay eggs — which can be up to 500 at a time," Wheeler says. Most people don't think to wash bananas, for example. But they can be covered in sticky substances from other produce and that can be very attractive to fruit flies. To be really careful, you can even set up a clean bucket outside your house to wash produce before bringing anything into the house.

If you compost, you may want to consider changing your habits. Some bugs are great for the compost pile, but fruit flies can wreak havoc as they zip from your pile to your garden, laying eggs in your growing produce. Freezing vegetables and fruits before they become compost kills the flies and their eggs.