In warm weather even the most sanitary kitchen can become a host to a swarm of fruit flies. Not only are fruit flies annoying, they can spread disease and pose a health risk. The problem is that once they establish residence in your kitchen they can invade your whole home. And, it can be very difficult to get rid of these insects. For many people, using poisons and/or toxins to get rid of fruit flies in your kitchen just doesn’t seem to be wise. These poisons or toxins certainly cannot be good for you, your pets, children – particularly if these poisons are overly used or misused and spreads to foods. Taking a more natural approach might be a better answer – yes, it may require a little effort. But the big reward is a healthier home environment. Fruit flies are such tiny pests, surely you can outwit them, eh?
First, it is important to quickly deal with fruit flies or they will soon be all over the place. One adult female can lay hundreds of eggs at a time. In just a few days the house will be swarming with a new generation of flies who will start the cycle all over again. Fruit flies often make a home in the drains of kitchen sinks where they can be very difficult to eradicate. To kill them at all stages of their life cycle, pour boiling water into your drains once a week. This will have the added benefit of help keeping your drains from clogging. Boiling water also helps to wash away oils, grease and soap residue.
Of course, fruit flies are typically found around fruit. The favorite place for a fruit fly is in and around fruit that has begun to spoil or rot. Since fruit flies cannot penetrate the skin of most fruit, they typical look for and find openings in fruit as the skin/covering of fruit begins to break down. If you have a fruit bowl in the kitchen make sure it only contains fresh fruit and dispose of any fruit that has begun to become overly rip. Refrigerating most fruits (once they get to the very rip stage) can extend the eatability of the fruit and protect against fruit flies taking up residence.
One of the best, natural ways to get rid of fruit flies is to use apple cider vinegar to attract fruit flies and then either trap them or kill them. Place some apple cider vinegar in a bowl and cover the bowl securely with plastic wrap. Using a toothpick, make a lot of little holes in the center of the plastic wrap. The flies will crawl through these holes to get to the apple cider vinegar, but once they are inside the bowl, they will not be able to get out. Place the bowl of vinegar on the kitchen counter, out the way. Perhaps next to the fruit bowl, if you have one. It won’t hurt to make a couple of fruit fly traps if you have a large kitchen or the beginnings of a fruit fly invasion.
Another method you may wish to try is pour apple cider vinegar in a bowl and add a squirt of dish washing detergent. The flies will be attracted to the vinegar, and once they land in the liquid, the detergent will kill them. If you are one of those people who cannot bear to hurt a fly, then you will prefer to use a more humane method that gets rid of fruit flies without killing them. One technique for trapping fruit flies without killing then is to place rotting fruit into a jar that is covered with a paper or plastic funnel. The flies will be attracted to the fruit, become trapped, and you can take the jar outside and release them – ideally not to near your house.
Of all the various ways to get rid of fruit flies in your home, the best method of all is to avoid getting them in the first place. As previously mentioned, do not leave fruit overly long on kitchen counters. The smell of ripening fruit attracts flies and they will soon set up a new home in your fruit bowl as soon as they can find rotting fruit or fruit that has been cut open. For many people who do not want to deal with a fruit bowl, keeping most fruit in the refrigerator is the best option – except when it comes to those finicky bananas who just don’t seem to like being kept in the cold.
Make certain that your garbage pail is securely covered. A tiny fruit fly can crawl through a tiny crack between the lid and the can. Once it gets into your garbage it will quickly start laying eggs. Be sure to throw out your garbage on a regular basis, especially in warm weather. Periodically washing out garbage cans will also help. And, don’t forget that boiling water in the drains from time to time – once weekly is a good idea. If you follow all these recommendations, you will soon be free of your fruit fly infestation without relying on toxic chemicals.
