Do you know how to catch fruit flies? Lately, have you been having uninvited visitors in your kitchen? Do you hear that buzzing/whizzing sound around your fresh fruit, vegetables, and your trash can? Ooh! Your empty beer bottles are not left out; are they there to flying around them? If that is the case, then you are dealing with fruit fly infestation.
Let me take you through the journey of knowing what fruit flies are, how they come about, how to catch and get rid of them completely with homemade traps.
What are Fruit Flies and where do they come from?
Fruit flies have the same looks as tiny reddish-brown flies. You’ll find them fluttering around your kitchen conceivably near your fruit bowl. Although your windows and doors are possible to access points for fruit flies, they can also be brought in from the grocery store through the fruits and vegetables bought.
Fruit flies lay their eggs in rotting food material and sugary surfaces. They get into fruits at the grocery store through any cuts or nicks on the fruit surface.
Do Fruit Flies Bite?
Fruit flies do not bite, but they are bacteria carrying organisms. And transfer this from one source to another. They reproduce quickly; one female fruit fly can lay up to 50 eggs per day, and each of these eggs develops from larvae to adult within the space of one week.
How to Catch Fruit Flies
Being annoying creatures, I know you’ll give anything to get rid of these pests. Here are five ways to get rid of these creatures:
1. Identify the source
First thing first, you need to find out where these creatures are coming from. If they’re feasting on any open food items, take them out and clean up that area with any disinfectant. Getting rid of their home to an extent drives them away.
2. Sanitation
It is very important to know that fruit flies do not like clean or neat surfaces. So make sure to always have a clean surface at all times. Use disinfectants and thoroughly scrub at all times.
Also, try to always check out the trash cans for signs of fruit fly infestation because fruit flies are also known to lay eggs in trash cans. If you notice something around your trash cans, try to empty them and also wash with heavy-duty cleaners like bleach. Be sure that your trash cans are completely dry before using them again.
3. Washing your fruits
Simple hygiene has taught us to wash our fruits and vegetables when we buy them. But in keeping fruits flies away, the usual quick rinsing under a tap isn’t enough. Here are more viable ways to wash these fruits and vegetables suggested by Fix.com:
- Get a bowl filled with water.
- Add two(2) tablespoons of vinegar.
- Use your hands to gently scrub the fruit(s) in the water.
- Rinse the fruit(s) with clean cool water.
4. Don’t forget the drain
Decay and decomposition are highly obtainable in a moist environment. Check the drainage system in your kitchen and be sure no decaying food particles are clogging therein. Just like every other insect, fruit flies thrive in a warm environment. They are likely to infest your home during a warmer period, so turn up your cooling system to create an unconducive environment for them.
5. Use the rotten fruit against them
Here you use their trophy(rotten food items) as bait against them. Rather than throwing these food items away, you put them in a disposable container. You cover the container with plastic, then you make a few holes in the wrap, place it within their reach and let them swarm into the bait food items. Cover them up and dispose of them as you deem fit. You can do this repeatedly until you are sure you have gotten rid of them all.
Some Homemade Traps for Catching Fruit Flies
You can as well carry out these experiments to get rid of these flies. They are homemade traps as such easy and cheap to pull off. It only requires available materials within your home. Some of these traps include:
1.Jar and Funnel Trap
Place some food items like overripe fruits, Apple cider, beer or wine, ketchup, etc as bait inside a jar.
Use a funnel over the jar lid. You can as well use a paper cone; just be sure to use something that can allow easy access into the jar but difficult to come out for the flies. As the flies swarm into the jar, you can wait for them to die off before you dispose or you can as well put the jar into the freezer to quicken the process.
2.Bottle and Plastic Wrap Trap
This can be done with a nearly empty bottle of red wine, vinegar, beer, or any other surgery substance. You put a plastic wrap around the bottle and just like in the funnel method, make a hole big enough to let the flies swarm in but not out. Wait until they must have expired, floating on the surface of the liquid. Then you can toss them away.
3.Bowl and Soap Trap
This is for a tougher case. Here you mix apple cider vinegar with a few drops of dish soap in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave the mixture to make it more aromatic. Leave the bowl in the open uncovered as fruit fly bait. The soap helps in surface tension reduction; this causes any fruit fly to drown.
Conclusion
You can keep fruit flies away by thoroughly inspecting the fruits, vegetables, and other perishable food items you buy. Be sure there is no crack or nicks where fruit flies could be hiding.
Make washing and drying of unrefrigerated produce a habit, as this helps in removing fruit fly’s egg on the surface.
Fruit flies are attracted to any sugary or fermented produce, they lay their eggs on their surface, so be sure to regularly clean up spills, take your garbage and clean out your sink drain. You can also try out the homemade traps to catch and get rid of fruit flies in your home.