You may find them fermenting liquid at the bottom of garbage cans, rotting Their complete lifecycle from egg to adult takes only about aįruit Flies are commonly associated with fermenting fruits and vegetables. Will lay about 500 eggs in her brief lifetime. The reproductive potential of fruit flies is enormous. Fruit flies lay eggs on or near the surface of rotting foods or other
Adults areĪbout 1/8 inch long, and one of their easy-to-spot features is their red eyes. It is critical to eliminate any breeding sources.įruit flies are common in homes, restaurants, stores, and anywhere that food can spoil or ferment. The first step in order to get rid of Fruit Flies in the kitchen or elsewhere is to have proper sanitation. “Making sure they don’t have a place to call home inside your home is the best first step to controlling them.”
“Fruit flies and other flying pests like gnats are just one of life’s little annoyances,” he said. Suitable attractants for traps include apple cider vinegar, wine and bananas, he said. Traps can be as simple as a plastic bowl containing an attractant, like apple cider vinegar, and a few drops of soap to drown flies that attempt to land on the solution.Ĭommercial traps with funnels or small entry ports that make escape difficult are another option, he said. They’re more prevalent in summer but can be a problem for indoor environments at any time.” Fruit fly trapsīaited traps are a good way to help catch fruit flies while the breeding sites are being located, Merchant said. “We get a lot of calls about them year-round. “They really bother people, but aren’t really hurting anything,” he said. Fruit flies have a life cycle of a week or less, so once the breeding sites are removed, flies will disappear relatively quickly. Merchant said removing potential breeding sites and proper sanitation – cleaning and wiping up any spills on countertops or floors, especially cracks in flooring – will reduce the likelihood of an infestation. Any spilled liquids or syrups in the bottom of a trash receptacle are great breeding sites for fruit flies.” “Another top spot a lot of people don’t think about is the bottom of the trash can. “It’s good to check the pantry for those forgotten bags of potatoes,” he said. The top spots Merchant recommends checking if no “obvious” breeding spot is located are pantries and the trash can. “In homes, they are more likely to breed in overripe fruit, rotting onions or spoiled potatoes. “They are a major pest for bars and restaurants where they breed in any drink spillage,” he said. They also are attracted to wine and beer, vinegar and other sugary beverages. Larvae feed on decaying plant material, including fruits like strawberries and bananas, and vegetables like onions and potatoes, he said. “We all have an instinct to grab the Raid or a bug bomb, but we’re not going to get rid of them until we get rid of their breeding sites,” he said.įruit flies just need a little moisture in their food to breed, Merchant said. Removing the breeding site is the best way to get rid of fruit flies, Merchant said. They are very good at smelling out food nearly anywhere in the house.” Say bye to fruit flies “They can fly in doors when we come and go, hitch rides home on ripe fruit, and are even small enough to enter through window screens. “Fruit flies are almost impossible to keep out of homes,” Merchant said. While they can be annoying, Mike Merchant, Ph.D., Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service urban entomologist, Dallas, said infestations of fruit flies and other flying pests are relatively easy to control. (Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service photo by Mike Merchant)įruit flies can be a pesky pest, especially indoors. But they’re also relatively easy to control once you’ve found the food source and breeding site. The fruit fly is a pest that can find its way into homes relatively easy.