How to naturally kill fruit flies
Get rid of fruit flies: 3 natural methods to try using pantry staples
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Quickly and naturally. - by Tahni Mesann
If you’ve ever reached for an overripe banana that’s been left in the fruit bowl for too long, you’ve probably encountered a swarm of fruit flies rising up, seemingly out of nowhere. Once amazement over the sheer number of flies has passed, your focus will shift to the task of getting rid of them - and quick!
The difficulty with fruit flies, however, is that they like to sit on food and roam freely around the kitchen. This means it’s important to put down the bug spray (which can contaminate your food) and opt for a natural fruit fly removal method instead.
Here are three tried and true ways to get rid of fruit flies naturally using trusty and versatile vinegar and other pantry staples. But before you race out to try them, be sure to compost or discard any spoilt fruit and place the fruit bowl in the fridge until the adult population of fruit flies is under control.
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3 ways to get rid of fruit flies naturally1. Lure fruit flies into a trap using apple cider vinegarTo capture and kill fruit flies, create a ‘trap’ by placing apple cider vinegar in a bowl or cup and adding a dash of dishwashing liquid.
This attracts the tiny insects to the liquid and effectively drowns them.
TIP: If you don’t have any vinegar on hand, you can replace the vinegar with beer or even wine.
2. Use a jar to make a fruit fly catcherMix equal parts balsamic vinegar and warm water in a glass jar and add a drop of dishwashing liquid. Place in a warm spot to capture the fruit flies.
Once all of the fruit flies have been collected, simply screw on the lid and dispose of the contents. You can then wash out the jar and repeat if you suspect any flies evaded capture.
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3. Use an almost-empty bottle of wine with a paper funnelWine is essentially made from fermented fruit which gives off a scent that fruit flies cannot resist. All you need is about a centimetre of wine in the bottom of a wine bottle and you’re good to go.
Simply make a funnel using a sheet of paper, stick it into the neck of the bottle and wait for the fruit flies to swarm.
Once fruit flies are inside, the paper funnel will prevent the critters from escaping.
Common fruit flies, known scientifically as Drosophila melanogaster are a species of fly that originated in Africa but have since established populations across the globe.
Apart from being totally gross and ruining your fruit, fruit flies have also been found to transfer germs that can cause food poisoning onto your fruit, including salmonella, E. coli and listeria.
How to identify a fruit flyA fruit fly is usually oval in shape and about 3-4mm in length. They are orange or red in colour, and can have either red or black coloured eyes.
Fruit flies are not to be confused with other common household flies including drain flies (Psychodidae), fungus gnats (from the families Mycetophilidae and Sciaridae) and house flies (Musca domestica).
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How to get rid of fruit flies in indoor plantsIf you're noticing flies hanging around your indoor plants, chances are they're not actually fruit flies, but fungus gnats.
Fungus gnats are about 300mm long and resemble mosquitoes. Unlike mosquitoes, however, fungus gnats do not bite.
Writing for The Conversation, Chemistry and Biochemistry Professor Thomas Merritt from Laurentian University explains why vinegar is such an effective ingredient in DIY fruit fly traps.
“Fruit flies use their sense of smell, what we call their olfactory system. What they are smelling, are things like acetic acid - the molecule that gives vinegar its pungent punch. So, you could bait your trap with fruit, but vinegar jumps right to the chase and lures them in” he says.
How do fruit flies get inside the house?“The flies flying around your kitchen likely came from outside,” says Thomas. Fruit flies are small so can easily slip through the mesh of a screen door or window. They can also fly inside through doors, or get inside via the plumbing.
When this certified organic apple cider vinegar is not busy catching fruit flies, it will be a highly useful pantry staple. Over the years, apple cider vinegar has been touted as a superfood that can be used to lower cholesterol, help regulate blood sugar and more. Superpowers aside, apple cider vinegar makes a delicious salad dressing and can tenderise meat when used in a marinade.
‘Malay’ outdoor small white food cover by Home Republic, $24.99 (32cm diameter), Adairs
Fruit flies are known to spread germs, so stop them in their tracks with this clever and stylish food cover by Adairs.
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Subscribe NowHow to Get Rid of Fruit Flies
Summer means ripe tomatoes, tall glasses of lemonade and, yes, fruit flies.
The pesky pests are the last thing you want buzzing in front of your face — especially when you're prepping dinner or having friends around for a weekend soiree.
Fruit flies reproduce at an astonishing rate: According to pest control company Orkin, female fruit flies lay hundreds of eggs in a very short time, commonly on moist foods like overripe fruit and vegetables. Then, within 24 to 30 hours, those eggs hatch into larvae, or maggots, that feed on the food source on which they were laid. Within about a week those larvae become sexually active and not more than two days later, start the cycle over again — leaving you with way too many fruit flies to stomach.
Fortunately, there are simple and effective ways to get rid of fruit flies indoors fast — maybe not in under five minutes, but certainly in overnight — using fruit fly traps that you can DIY at home. All it takes to stop these irksome insects in their tracks is some strategic cleaning and a few household supplies.
What causes fruit fly infestations in the house?
Fruit flies are attracted to ripe, rotting or decayed fruit and produce, as well as fermented goods like beer, liquor and wine, say the pros at Orkin. They also like to buzz around trash cans and garbage disposals if enough food is present. And, unfortunately, considering their reproductive prowess, two tiny fruit flies will quickly multiply into an infestation that can feel almost impossible to control.
Are they really fruit flies?
If you see little black bugs flying around your kitchen, you first want to make sure you identify the critters correctly. Fruit flies usually appear light or dark brown in color with red eyes. Double-check that your pests in question aren't drain flies, which lurk around drains or garbage disposals, or fungus gnats, which prefer overwatered houseplants. For those bugs, check out our guides on how to get rid of gnats and how to make a homemade fly trap.
How to get rid of fruit flies for good
Start by deep cleaning your kitchen and throwing out any rotten food. To cut off fruit flies from their food source and prevent them from entering your home, take these preventive measures to avoid a future fruit fly infestation:
- Throw out overripe produce
- Store fruits and veggies in the fridge
- Wash produce as soon as you get home to remove any potential eggs or larvae
- Take out the garbage regularly
- Clean up spills ASAP, especially fruit juice or alcohol
Then, you'll want to find a way to trap the existing fruit flies in your kitchen, fast. Our experts have found that a DIY fruit fly trap is a quick and effective solution. What's more, these homemade fruit fly traps can be fashioned from supplies you likely have on hand in your pantry. If you want to skip the DIY route, you can buy premade fruit fly traps, too.
Here are the best ways to kill fruit flies, according to pest experts:
1. Apple cider vinegar and plastic wrap trap
Danielle Daly
For this DIY fruit fly trap, sweet apple cider vinegar (ACV) is more effective than white vinegar. They can't resist the scent of vinegar, and they won't be able to exit once they're inside! For an even better chance at success, make several of these traps and place them around your kitchen. Here's how to do it yourself:
- Pour a little ACV into a glass.
- Cover the opening with plastic wrap and secure with a rubber band.
- Poke a few small holes for the fruit flies to enter.
2. Paper cone, vinegar and old fruit trap
Danielle Daly
The smell of rotting produce will help entice the fruit flies into the mixture, but the cone part of this fruit fly trap makes it difficult for them to get out.
Here's how to do it yourself:
- Place a little vinegar and a chunk of very ripe fruit in a jar.
- Roll some paper into a cone and stick it into the jar, placing the narrow opening down. (You can recycle or compost the homemade funnel afterwards.)
3. Vinegar and dish soap trap
Danielle Daly
If you find your fruit flies impervious to your plastic wrap or paper cone traps, try adding three drops of dish soap to a bowl of vinegar and leave it uncovered. The soap cuts the surface tension of the vinegar so the flies will sink and drown.
4. Aunt Fannie's FlyPunch
Aunt Fannie's Flypunch Fruit Fly Trap
Aunt Fannie's Flypunch Fruit Fly Trap
$8 at Amazon
Credit: Aunt Fannie'sThe experts in the Good Housekeeping Institute were excited to see this product cross their desks, especially senior chemist Sabina Wizemann, who found that it worked better in her home than other DIY remedies she's tried.
The premade mixture uses the active ingredients sodium lauryl sulfate (a surfactant used in soaps) and malic acid (found in fruit) and comes in a stand-up jar. All you have to do is open the top, set it on your counter and "watch the cycle of life unfold."
5. Old wine or beer trap
Like vinegar, fruit flies love the smell of wine. Try leaving out an open bottle with a little leftover liquid — the skinny neck will keep the flies trapped. The Old Farmer's Almanac also recommends using stale beer to attract fruit flies to a DIY trap. Add a couple of drops of dish soap to either for surer success.
Can I just use bleach kill fruit flies?
If you notice fruit flies in your drain, you might be looking for an instant fix — like pouring bleach down the drain. But experts say this isn’t the most effective solution. Doing so might kill some larvae, but it will not kill enough of the eggs or larvae to eliminate the problem.
That's because bleach passes down the drain too quickly to do a thorough job.
If you have a garbage disposal, here's how to keep it clean and free of fruit flies:
✔️ Always run cold water before turning on the disposal or grinding food, and for a few seconds after the grinding stops. The water flow will help food move all the way through the pipes after it leaves the disposal.
✔️ Every week or so, with the disposal and faucet both turned off, toss in a bunch of ice cubes, a tablespoon of baking soda, a few thin lemon slices and a teaspoon of bleach. Turn the disposal on without running water until you hear the grinding stop.
Then, with the motor still running, flush the machine with cold water for about a minute.
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Lauren PiroSenior Web Editor
Overseeing all things home for GoodHousekeeping.com and HouseBeautiful.com, Lauren swoons over midcentury design and employs tough-love approach to decluttering (just throw it away, ladies). She loves anything neon coral, puts bacon on her veggie burgers, and would follow Tina Fey and Amy Poehler to the end of the earth.
Caroline PicardContributing Writer
Caroline is a writer and editor with almost a decade of experience. From 2015 to 2019, she held various editorial positions at Good Housekeeping, including as health editor, covering nutrition, fitness, wellness, and other lifestyle news. She's a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism and dreams of the day Northwestern will go back to the Rose Bowl.
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How to get rid of fruit flies in a house or apartment? — Domashnosti.ru
Contents:
Not only are fruit flies disgusting when hovering over fruits and vegetables, they also pose a health risk. Drosophila contribute to the rapid decomposition of food in the most unhygienic way - they eat food and lay eggs in it. Getting rid of them is quite difficult. To do this, effective measures must be taken, some of which are highlighted below.
Do not provide power supply
Since fruit flies are attracted to food, the first step in controlling them is to close access to food. Get rid of all foods before they go bad or overripe. Cooked food must be covered. Keep all your food in airtight containers and utensils.
Use homemade traps
Anyone can make a simple fruit fly trap at home. Just find a plastic bottle with a narrow neck and put a piece of fruit on the bottom of it.
Then fold a piece of paper to make a funnel and secure it with tape so it doesn't unfold. The funnel should have a small hole in the narrow part. Insert a paper funnel into the neck of the bottle and make sure there are no gaps between it and the sides of the bottle. Flies attracted by the bait will fly down the funnel into the bottle, but will not be able to fly back.
Use professional fly traps
Professional traps take your fruit fly control to the next level. They are equipped with ultraviolet lamps that scorch all flying insects after attracting them with pheromones. With these traps, you won't need to use harmful chemicals.
Make sure your kitchen is clean
When you clean your kitchen, make sure it is free of dirt or food of any kind. Check all vulnerable areas, including under the refrigerator and cabinets for food particles and any spills that could attract fruit flies. There should be no stagnant liquids, damp cloths or other materials in the kitchen.
Close the trash can with a tight lid, and don't forget to take out the trash regularly.
Use aerosol sprays
You can buy an aerosol insecticide and spray it around your house to kill fruit flies. However, before doing this, make sure that all foods are properly covered.
Try basil
Basil is a natural fruit fly preventative. Place a few sprigs of basil next to fruits and vegetables.
Bleach or ammonia
Kitchen sink drains accumulate many food particles that rot, resulting in unpleasant odors that attract fruit flies. To clean the drain and get rid of the smell, prepare a mixture of chlorine bleach or ammonia and water - 1/8 cup of chemistry per 3-4 liters of water. Pour the resulting solution down the drain and let it sit for an hour.
Alcohol
Alcohol can also be used as a preventative for fruit flies, although to a lesser extent. You can spray some liquor around fruits and vegetables.
Liquid soap + apple cider vinegar
Apple cider vinegar and liquid soap mixed in a bowl is an effective fruit fly trap.
Vinegar attracts fruit flies, while soap keeps them from flying away.
Sticky Tape
Fruit flies, like house flies, are easy to catch with sticky tape, although sticky insect corpses are not the most pleasant sight.
Electric flyswatters
Almost all flies are attracted to light. Electric fly swatters will lure fruit flies to certain death.
How to get rid of fruit flies: how to eliminate and prevent them
We have all seen tiny fruit flies. They can be very annoying in the kitchen, but they also tend to show up on fruit trees, affecting the fruits we want to grow. So would do well to learn how to get rid of fruit flies.
In this article we will explain what these insects are, how to get rid of fruit flies, and how to prevent them. So if you have a problem with this plague or want to avoid it, I encourage you to keep reading.
Index
- 1 How to deal with fruit flies
- 1.1 How to get rid of fruit flies on fruit trees
- 1.2 How to get rid of fruit flies in the kitchen
- 2 prevention
How to deal with fruit flies
Before explaining how to get rid of fruit flies, let's talk a little about what exactly they are. Its scientific name is Ceratite capitite but it is commonly known as the fruit fly or mediterranean fly. This is a small insect, the ability to reproduce which increases significantly at high temperatures. This is a rather annoying pest in the house, as well as in gardens and orchards.
It should be noted that fruit flies they do not transmit any diseases, even in this case they are very irritating and can affect the fruits of the tree. For this reason, below we will explain how to kill fruit flies both from trees and from the house.
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How to get rid of fruit flies on fruit trees
When fruit flies are found in an orchard or orchard, they can cause great damage, resulting in loss of up to 30% of the crop.
They are more common in summer and autumn, but if the temperature is warm enough they are usually present throughout the year.
Although we can use a fruit fly insecticide, its massive and indiscriminate use can cause very great harm to the environment, the fruits, the tree itself, and even the plants that surround it. So this should always be our last option. Therefore, is best to try s environmental treatments such as traps. Next, we will explain step by step how to prepare them:
- Buy a clear or translucent plastic bottle, size doesn't matter.
- Add apple cider vinegar, a little food coloring and two tablespoons of sugar.
- Mix the mixture well and stopper the bottle.
- Make small holes in the top of the bottle. In this way, the flies will enter, but then they will not find their way out.
- Distribute the bottles over the crop area. If the pest is serious, it is best to put three traps at different heights for each fruit tree.
To prolong the effectiveness of these traps, is best placed in a shady area. This mixture keeps well for up to thirty days, after which you must clean the bottles and refill them with the mixture. In the event that it rains and water gets in, they must be changed.
How to get rid of fruit flies in the kitchen
It is also very common to find these insects in homes, especially in the kitchen, because they are attracted to the smell coming from the remains of fruit in the garbage, or the fruit itself, which is in the process of fermentation. Below we will give you three ideas on how to get rid of fruit flies in the kitchen.
As with the orchard or vegetable garden, we can also set traps around the house. In this case, it is not necessary to use plastic bottles, and the mixture may be slightly different. For example, we can take a bowl and put vinegar, water, and some dishwashing liquid in it.
If you leave the bowl open next to the fruit flies, they will be attracted to the smell of the vinegar and soak up the mixture. Because conventional detergent usually has the property of lowering the surface tension of water, the flies will sink rather than stay on the surface.
Another option we have for killing fruit flies in the home is to purchase a related plant: carnivorous plants. They feed on small insects and are very beautiful and exotic. Without a doubt, this is the perfect solution for plant lovers. The Drosera and Venus flytrap are the best options. They will be able to eat well and receive additional nutrients.
Finally we have the friendliest option for fruit flies. There is an option to just scare them off instead of killing them, and it's very simple. The smell of onions repels these insects. So we can cut an onion in half and put it in a fruit bowl or where there are flies. They will disappear after a short time.
Prevention
Now that we know how to get rid of fruit flies, we're going to discuss how to prevent them so they don't bother us anymore.
Like all ulcers, prevention is better than cure. To achieve this, there are a number of tips that we must follow:
- Use plants that are a natural repellent to fruit flies, such as onions.
- Monitor composting and waste areas (garden, garden and home).
- Remove fallen fruits to the ground before they begin to rot, and pluck ripe fruits from trees.
- keep fruit in the cupboard or in the refrigerator.
- If we don't want to store fruit, we can cover it with cotton or linen bags. This will make it difficult for fruit flies to smell and access them.
- Optimum hygiene: Empty container or bin frequently, keep rubbish covered and throw it out daily, avoid accumulation of dirty dishes, glasses and bottles with traces of drinks, etc.
We already have enough tips and advice on how to get rid of fruit flies and how to prevent them.
