How to Finally Get Rid of Fruit Flies

Of all the household pests that can invade your home, fruit flies are not the worst. They won't poison you, they're not especially unpleasant to look at, and they are shocked by the movement of your hand, at least temporarily.

Still, they can make you feel a bit embarrassed about having a dirty home, and they certainly are annoying.

First, a little good news: the flies are not necessarily your fault. “It is not a question of cleanliness. Flies can enter your production when you bring the groceries home, ”says Melissa Riker, who blogs about home tips at The Happier Homemaker.

Get Your Garden Growing – Discover Essential Gardening Tools and Supplies!

SaleBestseller No. 1

GROWIT Heavy Duty Gardening Tools - 22-Piece Gardening Gifts for Women, Mom, Men - Durable,...

SaleBestseller No. 2

Grenebo Gardening Tools 9-Piece Heavy Duty Gardening Hand Tools with Fashion and Durable Garden...

SaleBestseller No. 3

Gardening Tools Set of 10 - Complete Heavy Duty Garden Tools Set with Fashion Handbag - Durable...

“And they are incredibly difficult to control when you have them in your home because they can lay eggs in anything, even the smallest crumbs. And they can go down the drain and lay eggs. "

What an unpleasant thing to think about. Fortunately, there are several steps you can take to prevent fruit flies from settling in, get rid of them as soon as you have them, and prevent them from returning. Here are some methods:

Rinse your fruit

When you bring home fresh produce from the grocery store or market, wash it before storing or displaying it.

"You can just rinse it off with water, or you can use one of those fruit and vegetable washes they sell, or you can just use vinegar and water," says Riker.

For the vinegar wash, Riker mixes about two parts water with one part vinegar and notes that the combination can also prevent food from spoiling a bit more, as it kills some bacteria.

However, be sure to give the fruits and vegetables a final water rinse before finishing, so the vinegar flavor and aroma don't linger.

Create a jar trap

If the little fools have already infiltrated, here's a way to kill them. "I would take it as a pot and put something in that would attract them," says Riker.

Fruit flies like things that are sweet, rotten, and fermented, so you can try overripe fruit, stale wine, stale beer or soda, or apple cider vinegar.

“Put this in the jar, cover it with plastic wrap and poke a few little holes. They can come in and they can't leave, ”she says.

Riker suggests placing some of these pots around his house, perhaps near sinks, closets, or the trash, if the problem worsens and he wants to make sure he gets rid of them as quickly as possible.

Or set up a dish trap

Another way to kill flies is ... by drowning them. "For that, I would also use apple cider vinegar, wine, or beer, but add three drops or more of dish detergent," says Riker.

"Put it on a saucer, so it's wide because once they get to the grain, the detergent breaks the surface tension and they drown."

Try a store-bought product

There are bug sprays and repellants you can spray in the kitchen, as well as plastic fly traps and paper. But Riker hasn't tried them, he says, because honestly, “I feel like apple cider vinegar really does the same thing.

He just lures them in and imprisons them. “You probably already have everything you need to solve the problem.

Watch out for crumbs and older fruit

No, you shouldn't be embarrassed as a homemaker if some fruit flies show up, because again, "you'd have to be incredibly meticulous," says Riker, to keep them at bay.

But there are some hygienic behaviors you can be sure to stick with. "It's just a matter of cleaning up the crumbs, and if the fruit starts to ripen too much, go ahead and throw it away, because that sweetness attracts them." There is! Little pests, go.