The first step to get rid of Fruit Flies in your house is to have proper sanitation. It is important to locate the source of fruit flies and eliminate any breeding grounds you find. In this article, we will go over the best practices for fruit fly control and the best products you can use to control a fruit fly infestation.

Where Do Fruit Flies Come From?

Fruit flies are common in homes, restaurants, stores, and anywhere where food can spoil or ferment. Adult fruit flies are about 1/8 inch long and they have easy-to-spot red eyes. The front of their body is tan, and the rear part is black. Fruit flies lay eggs on or near the surface of rotting foods or other moist, organic material.

The reproductive potential of fruit flies is enormous. The average female fruit fly will lay up to 500 eggs in her brief lifetime. Fruit fly eggs develop into maggots within the first 30 hours of them being laid.

The newly hatched maggot will begin feeding off rotten fruit and vegetables immediately. By day 2, the fruit fly is fully developed and ready to reproduce. Fruit flies will only live for 7 to 15 days, making their lifespan very short.

Fruit flies quickly develop in ripe or decaying food, particularly apples, bananas, onions, and potatoes. You may find them circulating at the bottom of garbage cans with fermenting liquid, on cleaning cloths, or on a dirty mop. Fruit Flies may come from under refrigerators, inside cupboards, and on your countertops, if organic food spills are left untreated.

Many people confuse fruit flies with other small types of flies such as Fungus Gnats, Moth Flies, or Sphaerocerid Flies. Although these species look similar to the fruit fly, they all breed in different ways and require specific types of treatment.

Therefore, it is critical that you identify which ones you have and where the fruit fly infestation is coming from so you can treat the issue effectively. The different breeding sources will help determine what you are dealing with.

Fruit Fly Identification

Tips to Get Rid of Fruit Flies

How to Treat a Fruit Fly Infestation

Fruit flies are primarily a nuisance. They do, however, have the potential to contaminate food with bacteria and other disease-producing organisms. Therefore it is critical that you treat a fruit fly infestation rigorously to prevent any health risks. Killing fruit flies will reduce infestation, but the elimination of fruit fly breeding areas is necessary for proper management.

First, begin by inspecting where the fruit fly infestation has come from. Look for fruit fly sources in areas where fruits or veggies are stored outside refrigeration. Also, look for fruit fly sources in garbage cans, under appliances, and in recycling bins.

Even a bit of spilled juice behind an appliance or in the garbage can contribute to their breeding. Rinse your recycling thoroughly with hot water and dispose of food scraps in a sealed garbage bag.

When searching for fruit fly breeding and rotten food sources, remember that the tiny larvae can only survive in decaying organic matter that is moist.

All fruit fly infestation stages depend on the organic debris to complete the fruit fly life cycle. Whenever possible, food and organic materials on which fruit fly eggs can lie must be removed.

If fruit flies are still present after a deep clean, you may want to check your drains. Fruit flies, like the drain fly, can breed inside the drainage systems in your home. Drains are commonly filled with rotten fruit and other damp, organic matter that attract fruit flies.

Using a typical enzyme drain treatment, like Invade Bio Drain Treatment, will instantly kill fruit fly eggs before they hatch. This treatment will also kill any existing adult fruit flies.

Fruit Fly Traps

It is also a good idea to install fruit fly traps wherever you have spotted them. Keep in mind that Fruit Fly Traps will not work for other small flies such as Sewer Flies, Phorid Flies, or Sphaerocerid Flies.

Apple Cider Vinegar Traps

A simple device you can use at home is an apple cider vinegar trap. Merely fill a bowl with about a cup of apple cider vinegar and cover the top with plastic wrap and a rubber band. Poke a few tiny holes into the plastic wrap with a fork and leave it in the infested location.

Fruit flies are attracted to the smell of apple cider vinegar, so once they enter your fruit fly trap they won’t be able to get out.

Another variation of this DIY fruit fly trap involves simply mixing drops of dish soap (for surface tension) into the apple cider vinegar without plastic wrap. The apple cider vinegar will attract the flies, while the surface tension of the dish soap will suspend the fruit fly on the surface of the liquid and cause them to drown.

In this type of fruit fly trap, You can also mix drops of dish soap into old beer, wine, juice, or other organic material to entice fruit flies.

Residual Insecticides

Cyper WSP or Avesta CS are residual insecticide concentrates that yield several gallons of finished solution. Spray surfaces where fruit flies would land and rest, and keep them sprayed once about a week or month, depending on severity. These insecticides would also treat other types of flies. Both products have a broad label for general pest control.

Homemade Fruit Fly Spray

If you want to know how to eliminate fruit flies with household products, you’re in the right place. A homemade spray to kill fruit flies can be made with isopropyl alcohol and water.

Simply mix these two products together and spray the solution liberally onto surfaces to kill fruit flies. You can also swap out the alcohol for a few drops of tea tree, peppermint, lavender, or eucalyptus oil.

Fruit Fly Inspection

Breeding Sources for Flies

Below is a list of possible breeding sources for various small flies found in kitchen areas and other breeding areas. If you understand the various breeding sources, you can manage these flies with greater success.

Drain flies: Drain flies can breed in sewers, drains, septic tanks, and contaminated soil from sewage.

Fruit flies: You can find Fruit flies flying around fruits and vegetables, both fresh and rotten. They can also be found around any moist organic matter, such as fresh produce, garbage, and high-fructose material.

Phorid Flies: Phorid flies are also found in contaminated soils from garbage, drains, and from garbage disposals. They can also be found in human cadavers.

Sphaerocerid Flies: These small flies breed in rotting fruits and vegetables, garbage, and drains.

Prevent Fruit Flies

Fruit flies are attracted to ripened fruits and vegetables in the kitchen. Since they can breed in drains, garbage disposals, empty bottles and cans, trash bins, mops, and cleaning rags, perform a complete inspection. All they need is a moist film of fermenting fruits or other decaying material to start breeding.

The best fruit fly prevention is to eliminate sources of attraction. Ripened fruit and produce should be eaten, discarded, or refrigerated. Cracked or damaged fruit should be thrown out to avoid a fruit fly problem.

A decaying potato, onion, ripe fruit, or even a juice spill under a refrigerator can breed thousands of fruit flies. Be sure to check and clean recycling bins and trash cans, as you may have thrown out overripe fruit there as well.

Be sure that window screens and screen doors fit tightly and that the screen is not ripped or torn.

The adults can also fly in from outside through poorly fitted window screens and doors, so keep screens tight.

Fruit Flies are not the only small flies that you may see in your kitchen area. If you see a small fly or gnat type of fly, it may be coming from the drains. Test the drains as a source by placing tape (with a few small holes punched in for ventilation) over the drain at night. Check the tape the next morning for fruit flies stuck to the tape.