How to kill fruit flies fast
You’ve watered and weeded the garden all summer. You’ve waited patiently. Finally, you have beautiful garden-ripe tomatoes. Lined up on the kitchen windowsill, they are a study is summer perfection!
But then the fruit flies appear… buzzing around your produce, perhaps dive-bombing your well-earned glass of wine.
Fruit flies are annoying. Who wants to keep swatting them away? Or picking them out of beverages? They’re certainly not something you want your family (or book club friends!) to experience. Even worse, fruit flies can carry bacteria that can make you sick. Yuck.
Thankfully, getting rid of fruit flies is easy to do without the use of pesticides. The experts at Pest HQ, Ontario’s leading supplier of do-it-yourself pest control products, offer tips to keep them at bay and recommend the best methods to eliminate them.
Why do I suddenly have fruit flies in my house?
Fruit flies are about 3 mm long with red- or dark-coloured eyes. They hover or ‘float’ when they fly.
Fruit flies are just one of the small flies that infest homes. The others are drain flies, phorid flies and fungus gnats. It’s important to make a proper identification to know which fly you’re dealing with. Each behave differently and the way you get rid of each one of these species is different from the others. Compare fruit flies to other small flies that infest homes.
Fruit flies don’t magically appear. You bring fruit fly eggs, larva or adult flies into your home on fruits and vegetables… either from your garden or the grocery store.
They’ll even sneak in through gaps in the window screen to target fruit ripening on the sill. In summer months, produce tends to ripen quickly and the flies are attracted to decaying, fermenting produce. Warm weather also accelerates their lifecycle from egg to adult fly.
How do I get rid of fruit flies?
You need to do two things to get rid of fruit flies:
1. Eliminate adult flies. Get rid of the adult flies and you won’t have them floating around and bothering people anymore. Doing this also prevents female fruit flies from laying eggs on other produce or in the sink drains.
Fly lights and fly traps are the best way to eliminate adult fruit flies, say Pest HQ experts.
2. Eliminate the source of eggs and larva. Adult fruit flies hatch from eggs laid on the fruits and veggies you bring indoors… either from the garden or the grocery. Washing produce thoroughly before storing it on the counter can help eliminated fruit fly eggs.
For home-grown items, like tomatoes, consider letting them ripen on the outdoor patio. Only bring in those you plan to use immediately.
If fruit flies are a problem and not tied to bringing in home grown veggies, the source of the fly infestation may be something else.
Search the area for decaying fruit or vegetables – like the rotten banana hiding on top of the refrigerator. Or the one bad onion in the giant bag you picked up from the bulk store.
Another culprit: fermenting soda and beer in the recycling bin. Rinse out cans and bottles and move them outside. Empty and disinfect the bin.
Drains also can be a source of infestation. Fruit flies will lay eggs in the sludge that builds up in disposals and sink drains. The larva that hatch from the eggs eat the sludge, later morphing into fruit flies.
Regular maintenance is key to preventing slimy drain conditions that attract egg-laying fruit flies. Pest HQ experts recommend using an enzyme-based drain cleaner to eliminate drain build up.
What products do professionals use to get rid of fruit flies fast?
Liquid and scent traps – Traps are an excellent way to reduce the number of adult fruit flies. They prevent the flies from breeding and laying more eggs, thus disrupting their life cycle.
The traps use sweet, fermented scents or liquids to lure fruit flies inside. Once inside, the flies cannot find their way back out and they die.
Check traps often to make sure the lure hasn’t evaporated and that there is room to capture more flies. Place traps near to where you store produce. Don’t place traps in front of a screened window, as you may draw outdoor flies inside. Explore professional-grade fruit fly traps.
Light traps – These traps use light and scent to lure in flying insects like fruit flies. The flies are captured by a sticky adhesive sheet and they die.
Pest HQ experts recommend the Catchmaster Luma Flying Insect Trap for home use. It works 24/7 to alleviate fruit fly problems in kitchens, family rooms, patios, basements, RVs, campers, and more. It is a non-toxic way to control flying insects and is safe for use around children, pets and food.
A 2-pack refill, containing glue board and scent pouches, is available to extend the life of the light trap.
Probiotic drain cleaner – Use an enzyme- or microbe-based cleaner to eliminate the muck in drains where flies lay eggs. Pest HQ experts recommend Invade Hot Spot for home use. The probiotic cleaner comes in a 16-ounce aerosol can. It contains natural, scum-eating microbes and citrus oil for efficient cleaning and odour elimination. Let it sit in drains for at least 2 hours after application. Several applications may be needed to break down heavy scum. Probiotic cleaners also help prevent drain flies, a different species of fly that causes problems in homes.
Be prepared to eliminate fruit flies this summer
Order fruit fly traps and enzyme drain cleaners online from Pest HQ. Items ship fast or can be picked up at our headquarters: 7 Meridian Rd, Etobicoke, Ontario, Monday – Friday, 8:30 am to 4:00 pm.
Want to know more about protecting your home from pests? Our experts are here to help. Contact Pest HQ.
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