Not only are fruit flies nuisance pests, but they can contaminate your food with harmful bacteria.
Fruit flies are attracted to ripened fruits and vegetables. You may find these pests year-round in your house in places like the kitchen, bathroom, and basement.
Fortunately, there are many natural ways to get rid of these flies that are both effective and safe.
Here’s how to get rid of fruit flies naturally:
1. Paper Cone Trap
Fruit flies may show up when there are rotting fruits and vegetables lying around. Additionally, they love fermented foods, so it’s very easy to bait and trap them.
Make a DIY fruit fly trap by rolling up a sheet of plain paper into a cone. Next, fit the narrow end of the paper cone inside a jar or bottle, leaving the wide part as the entry point.
A jam jar is ideal for this purpose, containing some overripe leftovers. You can also pour in some cider vinegar as bait.
Once the flies are in the jar, the cone shape will make it hard for them to exit. They will eventually drown.
2. Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar is a simple home remedy to catch fruit flies and kill them. ACV has a fruity aroma that attracts these critters.
To get rid of fruit flies with apple cider vinegar, fill small bowls with ACV and cover them with plastic wrap. Next, punch a few holes through the wrap to allow the flies to enter.
Once they drop in, they will find it hard to get back out and will eventually drown. This vinegar trap can also get rid of fungus gnats.
3. Vacuum Cleaner
If you have a vacuum cleaner, this is an easy way to eliminate fruit flies.
Just turn it on and point it at the fruit fly infestation. The suction will pull the flies up into the vacuum!
4. Discard Overripe and Rotten Fruits
The scent of overripe or rotting fruits will attract fruit flies from outside the house. So, the best way to avoid this situation is to properly store all ripe produce and discard the spoiled ones.
5. Essential Oils
There are many essential oils that deter insect pests like fruit flies. These include lavender, basil, eucalyptus, lemongrass, peppermint, cloves, and even camphor if used with care.
The smell of these oils will help keep fruit flies away. Therefore, saturate some cotton balls or scrunched-up paper towels with your essential oil of choice and place them around the kitchen and near doors and windows.
6. Dish Soap and Vinegar
This soapy mixture works great for getting rid of fruit flies in the house. Add some dish soap to a bowl with some apple cider vinegar to make a killer solution.
Place the bowl on the kitchen countertop or other areas where these pests appear. The smell will attract the flies, and the soap will cut the surface tension of the vinegar, causing them to drop in and drown.
Alternatively, you can make a homemade fruit fly spray. Just combine 3 cups of white vinegar, 2 tablespoons of liquid soap, and 10 drops of essential oil in a spray bottle. Shake well and use it to spray them.
7. Stale Beer
This is one of the best home remedies for fruit flies, as they are attracted to the smell of fermented drinks like stale beer.
Therefore, fill some bottles halfway up with beer. This will likely attract fruit flies. After entering, they will find it hard to escape via the narrow neck of the bottle.
Mason jars can also be used by punching holes in the cover. After flying around inside for a bit, they will eventually get tired and drown.
8. Clean Up
Cleaning up the inside of your house and the outdoors is a good way to get rid of all types of flies.
Remove dirty food dishes and pans from kitchen sinks and surfaces as soon as possible and wash them. Also, check any damp cloths used to clean surfaces and wash and put them to dry.
You should also check for fruits on the ground outside and dispose of those that are rotting away. Keep the compost bin covered as well to help get rid of fruit flies from the garden.
9. Wash Produce Thoroughly
Ensure that you thoroughly wash produce. Washing fruits and vegetables will help prevent flies from lurking around them.
10. Empty Garbage Cans
Garbage cans indoors and outside the home need to be emptied to prevent all types of insects from infesting the house.
Firmly close the tops and keep the areas around them clean. Garbage bins can also be given an extra wipedown and baking soda sprinkled on the inside.
11. Clean Drain Areas
This is also essential to keep all kinds of flies and insect pests away. Cleaning out drains is an unpleasant task, but it is necessary to avoid them becoming breeding grounds for certain pests.
Use baking soda and vinegar to help clean drains and eliminate odors that attract flies. Borax is also powerful and is even more effective when used with salt and vinegar.
Alternatively, purchase an environmentally friendly drain-cleaning agent such as EM-1 Septic Treatment.
12. Arber Bio-Insecticide
Arber Bio Insecticide can help control or suppress fruit fly infestations. This product also acts as a long-lasting deterrent to many other garden insect pests.
Use it according to the instructions.
13. Deciduous Fruit Fly Trap Kit
This product helps to control walnut husk fly, apple maggot flies, black cherry fruit flies, blueberry maggot flies, and others.
It works as a lure and sticky trap that catches adult flies. In doing so, it prevents them from laying eggs, thus disrupting the life cycle.
Takeaway
Successful gardeners often have the pleasure of overproducing crops. This happy situation often leads to excess produce left lying about in the garden or at home, which will likely attract fruit flies.
However, the above natural ways of controlling fruit flies will help keep the problem under control.
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