Whether it’s an over-ripe banana or a bin in need of emptying, fruit flies can sniff out rotting food at an impressive distance. Although these insects are absolutely harmless because they can’t bite, they can be an absolute pain to get rid of, their presence is annoying and nobody wants flies of any kind swarming around their kitchen.
Aside from being a nuisance, fruit flies can lay up to 500 eggs which means that their numbers can escalate very quickly. To prevent this from happening, below we have highlighted some simple, yet effective ways of getting rid of fruit flies.
Keep your fruit in the fridge
As the name suggests, fruit flies love fruit so try to keep it somewhere that’s difficult to access – such as your fridge. This will also stop your fruit from going off as quickly, as you can imagine this is another huge attraction for fruit flies.
Apple cider vinegar
Apple cider vinegar seems to be the remedy for everything these days and a fruit fly infestation is no exception. Simply remove the cap from the bottle (it doesn’t matter how much is in there), cover the opening with cling film, secure with an elastic band and poke a hole in the top. If you don’t have any cling film, a paper funnel works just as well.
Fruit flies can’t resist the scent of apple cider vinegar so they will be drawn to the bottle and won’t be able to escape once they’re in there. If you’re struggling to get the flies to go into the bottle, try adding a few drops of washing up liquid to a bowl of vinegar and leave it uncovered. The soap cuts the surface tension of the vinegar which means that the flies will sink and drown.
Red wine
Another use for your red wine and another way of getting rid of fruit flies, they love the smell of red wine so when there’s only a little bit left, leave the top off and they’re bound to fly into the bottle. The skinny neck will help to keep them trapped inside so they can’t escape.
If you don’t want to waste your favourite wine, there are so many other ways you can use to lure these insects including:
- Chopped up pieces of over-ripe or rotting fruit
- Honey
- Syrup
- Fruit juice
- Soda (not diet)
- Soy sauce
- Beer
- Sweet alcohols
Fruit fly strips
You may already be familiar with strips for regular house flies but you can also get them for fruit flies. Simply hang them from the handles of cabinets close to your biggest problem areas and watch them gather.
Call a pest controller
Fly infestations are notoriously difficult to get rid of because of how rapidly they reproduce. Although your DIY methods will make a good dent in your fly population, it’s unlikely that you will be able to get rid of all of them by yourself.
A professional pest controller is always going to be your best defence against fruit flies. Not only will they be able to identify the extent of the problem, they will also be able to tell you where they are coming from and how to prevent future outbreaks. To book in for your free pest audit, get in touch with Prokill today.
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