How To Remove Fruit Flies From Your Kitchen?
“Adults are about 1/8 inch long and usually have red eyes” (Fruit Flies). No, not your neighbor, fruit flies! These pests are usually harmless nuisances, but they have the potential to lay their eggs in rotting food. These eggs, when hatched, can be about 500 per batch, and each adult has a lifespan of about a week. You sure do not want to be there when that happens!
So, what can you do? You can wash incoming produce and keep up on your cleaning duties in the kitchen especially. Also make sure all drinking containers have a tight lid on them such as wine, cider, or beer. But if you have a problem, here are some steps you can take.
First, make sure you have the right bug. Fruit flies are tan in the front and black on the back half of their bodies. As stated before, they are about 1/8 inch long which means it is easy for them to sneak into your house when you are not looking. Now that you have identified the culprit, go through your house and find any sources of attraction then eliminate them.
This could be rotten fruits and vegetables. But beware, they will also be attracted to everyday items like trash cans, dirty dishes in the sink, garbage disposals, or mops. So, try cleaning your trash can or any place that could have even the slightest film of food on it, take a produce inventory, then get rid of the ‘bad apples’.
Step three is based on the severity of the situation; you can set up traps in your home for the flies or skip right to step four. Setting up a trap is easy. The oldest trick in the book is to roll a sheet of paper into a cone and place it into a jar that has bait at the bottom. This bait can be rotting fruit and apple cider vinegar. You can also get an over the counter extermination liquid. This trick will trap most flies.
If you don’t want to spend time creating a trap you can buy them at stores for about $7. If you have fruit flies in your garbage disposal, one tip is to tape a plastic bag over the disposal so you can trap the bugs when they mate before they get out. Step four: doing these methods will kill the flies eventually but if you need quicker results or have a massive issue, it’s better to call in the professionals. Professional exterminators have the insight, knowledge, and tools to eliminate your issues.
Sometimes you think you can handle problems on your own, but if you don’t get this issue taken care of fast, you will have more than one guest staying for dinner (try 500+!). To conclude, these pests can be a major issue and there are some steps you can take to get rid of them but usually, the best step is to just call in the pros.
Author: Caylie Riess
Central Michigan University
References
- Fruit Flies – What Are They? – Killingsworth Environmental, https://thebiggreenk.com/fruit-flies/.
