Fruit fly frustration: How to get rid of the annoying tiny insects flying around your home
They seemingly sneak in overnight and invade your kitchen. Teeny, tiny pests that dart around the apples and bananas as you swat them away out of frustration and confusion.
Fruit flies can be a nuisance throughout the year, but they tend to increase in numbers during the late summer and early fall seasons.
Knox Pest Management has seen a “slight increase” in small fly jobs this year, owner Drue Thacker told Knox News. He described fruit flies as an “occasional invader” that can be managed with proper home sanitation.
Earlier this year, 35% of responding pest management professionals reported an increase in small fly jobs in 2022 according to the “State of the Small Fly Control Market” study. Fruit flies prompted over one third of service calls.
Fruit flies thrive in warm weather and are drawn to decaying fruits and vegetables that sit on countertops and other unrefrigerated areas, Karen Vail, an entomology and plant pathology professor at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, explained to Knox News.
Along with fruit flies, several types of small flies are common nuisances, including fungus gnats, phorid flies and moth flies.
Fruit flies' rate of production is a key factor in what makes them so annoying to homeowners.
“Fruit fly females lay eggs in fermenting organic matter (and the) development time is speedy, ranging from eight to 10 days,” Vail said. “So, in a little more than a week, an individual egg can … become an adult fly.”
In the right conditions, they can lay about 500 eggs, and this fast reproduction time can lead to a rather annoying outbreak, unless the larvae’s food source is removed.
Where do fruit flies come from?
Fruit flies can naturally waft into your home from outdoors, but often they are brought inside from produce you buy at the grocery story or market, Vail said. As fruits and vegetables overripen, the flies feed on the fermented produce. This year’s hot summer could be behind lingering infestations.
“Possibly, the warm weather has extended the growing season, so there’s more fruit and vegetables sitting in yards and on counters than in previous years when temperatures cooled sooner,” Vail said.
Are fruit flies a threat?
Other than a brief freak out as you swat them away, luckily, fruit flies are not much of a threat to people. In fact, they play an important role in our environment.
Fruit flies help decay fruits and vegetables that might turn into a source of fungal or bacterial infections according to gardeners.com. That helps to deter even more undesirable pests such as rodents.
How to get rid of fruit flies
The first step in getting rid of these tiny pests is removing the decaying food source.
“Take the decomposing banana or the banana peel the kids left under the bed, place it in a plastic bag, tie it off and put it in the outdoor garbage,” Vail said.
Thacker suggests cleaning out sink drains and garbage disposals to prevent fruit flies from reproducing in those areas. Also ensure that empty drink cans and bottles are rinsed before storing, and take out garbage bags regularly, so fruit flies don’t migrate to the bin.
Fruit fly traps can lure the adult insects. These can be purchased or crafted at home.
Place vinegar into a jar and insert a rolled piece of paper to create a funnel, Vail suggested. Attracted to the vinegar, the flies will go down the paper funnel and will be unable to escape before they drown.
Keep in mind that such traps only eliminate adult flies. The food source must be removed to control an outbreak.
Ways to prevent and control fruit fly infestations
Other solutions to fruit fly outbreaks include maintaining good cleaning habits, handling fresh produce with care and various methods to make home-crafted fly traps, USA TODAY reported.
Here are few additional tips:
Inspect new and old produce for overripened spots that might attract flies.
Throw out empty produce boxes that might house hidden fruit fly eggs.
Consume your fresh produce before it becomes overripe or begins to rot.
Freeze fruits and vegetables that you don’t want to waste and use them later.
Frequently clean and sanitize garbage disposals, sinks and trash cans of food residue.
Wash dish rags and towels regularly with hot water and dry them well.
Empty and change out pets’ food bowls if they consume fresh produce.
Devarrick Turner is a trending news reporter. Email devarrick.turner@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter @dturner1208.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: How to get rid of fruit flies when an infestation happens in your home
