Here’s How to Finally Get Rid of Fruit Flies for Good
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It happens every year: Spring dies down and fruit flies come out in droves. While they’re tiny, those little buggers have an annoying habit of hovering around your produce. Before long, they’re everywhere. So, we asked experts exactly how to get rid of fruit flies in your home for good.
Fruit flies are most notable for their big red eyes, explains Jason DiBiase, president and owner of Rochester Pest Pro. He adds they range in color from tan to black and are slightly smaller than a common housefly. You’ll find them in the early spring into summer in areas where there is a spillage, like underneath a kitchen cabinet where you store your trash, DiBiase says.
How to get rid of fruit flies the right way
It can feel like they’ll never go away if you’re dealing with a fruit fly infestation, but there are a few things you can do to kill them and prevent them from taking over your home:
1. Clean up your kitchen
The number one thing you can do to get rid of fruit flies is to keep any area you have food hygienic and clean, DiBiase emphasizes. He suggests keeping your spills and food scraps clean and put away ASAP to avoid pests. Especially if you choose to compost—he encourages keeping a compost bin outside and away from entrances to your home, if possible. Additionally, don’t leave dirty rags, sponges, or anything else you use to clean up food out where bugs can find them.
2. Cover up your fruit (or wash it as soon as you bring it home).
Fruit flies need moisture (like decaying fruit) to feed off of and lay their eggs on, says Daniel Baldwin, director of technical, training, and regulatory services for Terminix. So, store your fruit in bags or cover them with bowls instead of leaving them out on your counter to keep fruit flies at bay. Washing and drying any fruit that you leave out, like bananas and apples, can also help remove any fruit fly-attracting liquids or substances.
3. Empty your trash and recycling regularly.
Change your trash can daily or every other day until you have control over the problem, suggests Nancy Troyano, Ph.D., a board-certified entomologist with Ehrlich Pest Control.
Additionally, always use a liner or bag so everything stays contained. “The smallest piece of fruit or vegetable or a leaking container in the bottom of a trash can be a source for fruit flies,” Troyano says. “This applies to both the kitchen trash and bathroom wastebaskets.”
And don't forget the recycling bin. “This is a big hot spot where we often find a great source for fruit fly problems,” Troyano says. Use a liner here as well, and make sure to wipe it out after emptying, too.
3. Make a DIY fruit fly trap.
As a whole, finding and eliminating their food source and the breeding area is “the most effective option,” Baldwin says. But you can also try making your own DIY fruit fly trap. While these tactics don’t always solve the problem, they can be worth trying to see if they help the issue. The following liquids can help attract, capture, and kill adult fruit flies:
Apple cider vinegar
Old beer or wine
Fruit juices
Pour a little bit of your preferred substance into a glass and leave it uncovered. The flies will be drawn to the sweetness, eventually hit the liquid to feed, and drown. In the case of using old wine or beer, simply leave the bottle out—the narrow neck will help keep them trapped.
If you prefer to use a bowl, pour in the liquid and cover it with plastic wrap (securing with a rubber band) with tiny holes poked throughout. This allows fruit flies to come into the trap but makes it difficult for them to escape. DiBiase adds a touch of dish soap in the mixture can also help attract bugs.
4. Clean your kitchen sink.
DiBiase encourages cleaning your sink regularly to avoid a buildup of food. Sometimes the garbage disposal or drain can be to blame for a fruit fly problem, which is why Troyano recommends using a garbage disposal cleaner or safe drain cleaner to clear the issue.
5. Call an exterminator.
If you’ve cleaned thoroughly and still have a fruit fly problem after a few days, DiBiase suggests calling a pest expert for help. Though there are many products on the market, more often than not they won’t do the job as well, or they can be dangerous if you don’t read the label properly, he says.
“As long as the proper conditions are available, fruit fly problems will persist and often get worse,” Baldwin agrees. “Females can lay hundreds of eggs, and a single piece of fruit can support the development of thousands of flies.” When it seems like you’re dealing with fruit flies that are multiplying at an “uncontrollable rate,” it’s time to call in help from the experts, Baldwin says.
How to prevent fruit flies from breeding
Again, removing breeding sites is the best way to get rid of fruit flies, Baldwin says. This likely means fruit and other produce you have lying out, or it could be your garbage can. That’s why our experts recommend removing damp things from your kitchen, keeping things clean, and storing your produce in sealed containers. Overall, you simply want to find fruit flies where they’re breeding and knock out the source.
Fruit flies vs. gnats: What’s the difference?
Fruit flies look like gnats, but they’re actually different. Gnats are about half the size of a mosquito, have long dangly legs, and are often dark gray or black, DiBiase says. They tend to crowd around potting soil or organic materials, so they’ll likely be found near your houseplants.
Fruit flies, on the other hand, tend to hang out around stuff that’s fermenting, like spoiling fruit.
“Fruit flies are often lumped into the ‘gnat’ category, but they are not truly gnats, although gnats and fruit flies can share some behaviors,” says Troyano, like invading very suddenly. But let’s be real: Both are a nuisance.
Why are there always so many fruit flies?
These tiny pests breed quickly, which is why you might notice one on any given day, and then a bunch more not long after. DiBiase says they have a short lifespan, but reproduce quickly–as many as 500 eggs at one time.
“When fruit and vegetables that we eat are ready to come off the vine or tree, fruit flies will abound in nature,” Troyano says, adding that they “can easily come into your home from nearby areas. You may also inadvertently bring them home from the grocery store or that farmers' market.”
Fruit flies also tend to proliferate when you’re not super careful about deeper cleaning in your kitchen—say, your garbage disposal and trash areas—which creates more breeding and feeding sites for the flies, Baldwin says.
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