Fruit flies are annoying little pests that can pop up out just about anywhere, anytime. Porter, Texas is no exception. You can try to swat them each individually, but you can also take a more long-term approach to prevention and getting rid of them when you do see them circling your kitchen.
What Are Fruit Flies Attracted To?
Fruit flies are attracted to fermenting fruits and vegetables in your kitchen, as well as beer or wine left over in almost-empty bottles. They can also seek out other forms of decaying organic material, or damp rags, sometimes cleaning supplies, etc. They are not super picky. And they can easily make their way into your home by hitching a ride on a slightly ripe piece of fruit you brought in from the store.
First, make sure you are dealing with fruit flies, and not similar looking fungus gnats or drain flies. Most fruit flies in domestic home settings range from light tan to reddish orange, to brown, with bright red eyes. There are darker (black) fruit flies that are better suited to commercial food facilities and restaurants, but we’ll focus on the red-eyed ones for now. Fungus gnats live in soils and on plants, while drain flies live and breed in and around … yes, drains. It helps to be aware of what type of pest you’re focusing on.
The Fruit fly life cycle goes by very quickly. Female Fruit flies lay their eggs (up to 500 at a time) on the surfaces or inside overripe, rotting fruits and vegetables. Once the eggs hatch, the larvae start feeding on their sugary environment for a few days, after which they become fully grown adults. They can start mating just a couple of days after they reach adulthood.
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How Do You Get Rid of Fruit Flies?
Fruit flies love fermenting matter, but they dislike cleanliness. So, how do you get rid of Fruit flies?
You can win a lot of ground in the fight against Fruit flies by:
- Keeping kitchen surfaces as clean as possible, and by not letting dirty dishes pile up in the sink.
- Cleaning spilled fruit juice, soft drinks, beer or wine immediately.
- Rinsing recyclables (juice, wine, beer) before placing them in your recycle bin.
- Keeping your drains free of food crumbs
- Getting rid of organic residue in and around the drain (pouring a bleach/water solution down your drain occasionally will help. It will also help against drain flies).
Not addressing Fruit flies immediately will give them space and time to breed. And certainly you don’t want more of them to deal with, do you?
Fruit flies are not dangerous, but they can definitely crowd up and overrun your kitchen if left unchecked. They may also attract many unwanted spiders that our out to hunt them. While you can take steps to help prevent them, if there’s a big enough infestation in your kitchen, you can save time, money, and lots of headaches by calling our Porter, TX pest control experts today. We’ll take care of those pesky Fruit flies for you, and show you how to help keep your home pest free.
