One pest that’s highly prevalent this time of year is the common fruit fly. You might see them buzzing around your garbage can or if you keep a bowl of fruit on your counter. These tiny nuisances breed extremely fast, especially in warmer weather, and while they are relatively harmless they can still spread bacteria and disease. This can include microorganisms that are harmful—even toxic—to humans.
Fruit flies are commonly found infesting rotting and fermenting fruit, food, and organic material. Fruit flies reproduce very fast as the entire process from egg to adult can take as little as one week. Finding and eliminating the breeding site is key to controlling this pest.
Luckily, there are a number of household items that are easily available over the counter and can be used to get rid of them fairly quickly. Here are a couple of the more effective ones we’ve seen.
Apple Cider Vinegar And Dish Soap
You may have heard the saying, “You attract more flies with honey than vinegar.” It turns out, however, that apple cider vinegar is great for attracting fruit flies because it has an inherent sweetness the flies are drawn to. Fill a small juice glass about ¼ the way with apple cider vinegar and add a few squirts of dish soap. The vinegar will draw them in, while the dish soap will pull them down, effectively drowning them.
Rotting Fruit Traps
Because they’re fruit flies, it only makes sense to use fruit to attract them. Place a few slices of banana or rotting fruit into a jar. Then cover it with plastic wrap and poke a few holes in the top. This will draw the flies away from any edibles you may have and trap them in the jar. Just remember to clean it out regularly, or else it might start to stink up your kitchen!
Bleach
As is the case with many household pests, treating infected areas with bleach can go a long way to eliminate the problem. A water-bleach solution will kill any microscopic eggs lying about. That said, be careful not to use bleach on an area that has been previously cleaned with vinegar or an ammonia-based product, as that can create dangerously toxic chemicals! Be sure to rinse any treated areas thoroughly to avoid accidentally ingesting any.
Need help with a fruit fly problem? We’re here for you! Contact us to schedule a consultation. We’re experts at finding safe solutions to all your pest problems.