Why Do I Have Fruit Flies in the Kitchen?
Fruit flies are primarily drawn to ripening foods that are damp. This includes fruits and veggies. On the other hand, they are also attracted to items like sinks, sewage systems, trash cans and bottles, bin bags, cleaning towels, and mops. In essence, they are driven to places with food scraps and settings that are damp. Since fruit flies live exclusively on the exterior of foods, the likelihood of actually swallowing one of these parasites is extremely low. The rapid rate at which fruit flies reproduce and mature is mostly to blame for the impression that these pests appear out of thin air to infiltrate your home. Fruit flies frequently enter a home through holes in the walls or through pieces of fruit that already contain eggs that have been placed by the fly.
What is the Best Way to Trap Fruit Flies?
There are methods available for catching fruit flies in the event that they intend to make the kitchen their home. They enjoy matured fruit, so combine a small amount of liquid detergent with some aged beers, wines, or cider vinegar. Add water as needed and stir it constantly until it begins to boil. Then, place the basin or cup on the surface where you see the flies. They will be drawn to the glass due to the obvious fructose, but they will be unable to escape the bubbles once they arrive. In addition to this, you can place a piece of saran wrap over the lid of a beer bottle or cup of vinegar and then poke some holes in it. Fruit flies are able to enter, but they are unable to leave via flight.
Is Using Bleach an Effective Way of Eliminating Fruit Flies?
If you find fruit flies in the sink, you can opt for an immediate solution, such as dumping bleach down the drain. However, specialists agree that this is not the most productive course of action. Even though this method may harm several larvae, it will not resolve the risk because there are not enough eggs or larvae to go around. This is due to the fact that bleach does not stay in the drain long enough to do a deep clean. Utilizing one of the traps listed above is a better alternative.
How to Ensure that Fruit Flies Won’t Come Back?
Maintaining a dry and clean environment in locations where food is stored will help avoid further infestations. After a fresh food, item has been cut into or once the packaging has been removed, it should not be left out at room temperature. Ensure to empty the garbage cans on a continuous basis and to wipe any spills that may occur inside or on your garbage cans.
When you have an invasion of fruit flies, it might take anywhere between a few days to weeks to free yourself of the annoyance that they cause. You can save yourself a lot of time and trouble if you take preventative measures in terms of cleaning and throwing away waste.
Can Fruit Flies Travel Through Kitchen Screens?
There is some disagreement as to whether or not fruit flies are capable of squeezing past screens located on windows and doors. The fact that not every screen is constructed in the same manner contributes to the difficulty. For example, one screen could be able to prevent fruit flies from entering, whereas another screen might not. In addition, screens aren’t the only possible entry point for fruit flies into a residence; there may be other cracks and crevices. Fruit flies can enter a property by a variety of entry points, including opening and closing doors, structural breaches, and plumbing.
Do Fruit Flies Breed in House Plants?
Earlier on, we highlighted the possibility that the insects you see in your drains are indeed draining flies. Similarly, if you notice a cloud of flies hovering over a house plant, then it’s possible that you have fungal gnats rather than fruit flies. The soil is where fungus gnats make their home and raise their young; they do not venture very far from the earth. In addition, fungus gnats have a morphology that is more comparable to that of a mosquito, whereas fruit flies have a form that is more comparable to that of a housefly, with the main distinction being that fruit flies are shorter, tanner, and have red eyes.
Do Fruit Flies Die in Cold Temperature?
Fruit fly infestations are not eradicated by cold weather because, contrary to popular belief, winters in many parts of the world are mild. The growth of fresh populations of fruit flies, on the other hand, will be significantly hampered by extreme cold. Researchers have discovered that as temperatures reach 60 degrees Fahrenheit, the lifetime of fruit flies begins to decline.
When the temperature drops under 53 degrees Fahrenheit, these flies are unable to reproduce further. In spite of this, mature fruit flies have the capacity to “overwinter” in environments that are too cold for them to survive. This enables inhabitants of fruit flies to endure cold temperatures and begin a new wave when circumstances are once again suitable.
What is the Best Way to Get Rid of Fruit Flies?
How distressing it is to even consider. You are in luck since there are a lot of things you could do to stop fruit flies from staying in, to go get clear of them after you already have them, and to stop them from bouncing back. Insecticides will eliminate the mature stages of a fruit fly infestation, but they will not prevent the eggs from developing into new flies. You’ll need to put some effort into these simple measures if you ever want to clear your house from all the fruit flies.
Work Around Natural Scents
Fruit flies have a strong aversion to a number of natural odors that have pleasant aromas, such as mint, lilac, lemongrass, citrus, and spice. According to Nicholas Martin, the founder, and editor-in-chief of Pest Control Hacks, “You can hang dried herbs in paper tea bags or muslin sacks about the house, or you can pour essential oils of these plants into a vaporizer.” After you are finished, the aroma in your house will be really soothing, which is a nice additional benefit.
Maintain the Cleanliness of the Kitchen Surfaces
To stay clear of fruit flies, the very first thing you need to do is to dispose of any overripe or spoiled food that they could have laid their eggs in. This means that you should discard anything that is sitting pretty on the countertop. It can appear to be wasted, but the larvae of fruit flies burrow into fruit and vegetables in order to feed; thus, are you sure you want to eat that fruit? Rinse all of the new fruits and vegetables you bring into your home very carefully and put them in the refrigerator until you have properly exterminated the insects.
There is a possibility that fruit flies will use your disposal can as breeding habitat, particularly if it contains putrid food; for this reason, you should probably empty the garbage can more frequently. In addition to this, you should run hot water through your garbage disposal after you have ground up a number of ice cubes to loosen any foods that may be trapped in the blades. Wipe off the surfaces on regular basis to maintain that the flies don’t locate any food residues, and keep the kitchen neat and tidy for at most a week to stop female fruit flies from depositing new eggs and spreading the infestation.
Trap in a Bottle
One more common do-it-yourself solution is to catch the insects in a bottle; for this purpose, a bottle of beer, orange juice, or wine that is about empty will work just fine. Cover the mouth of the bottle with a sheet of plastic sheet, fasten it in place using an elastic band, and then pierce a few holes in the top of the bottle. The delicious smell of ripening grapes will entice the flies to enter the container, where they will become trapped and finally perish.