How To Get Rid Of Fruit Flies
A Quick Guide on How to get Rid of Fruit Flies
How often have you asked yourself how to get rid of fruit flies? They are probably the most annoying of tiny insects. They visit you in a horde, and before you can grab a can of Raid, your whole kitchen buzzes with the tiny, klutzy bugs. The process to rid yourselves of them is fairly easy, as long as you are thorough.
First, are you sure that the bugs that are “bugging” you are fruit flies? Catch one of them and look at it under a magnifying glass. Use flypaper to catch a few; they're hard to catch by hand. Common fruit flies generally won't be longer than an eighth of an inch and they usually have yellowish or brownish bodies, and red eyes. They are ungainly flyers as well – it's not uncommon to have a fruit fly buzz right into your arm or your face.
Now that we know what they are, we can move on to how to get rid of fruit flies. You need to cut off their ability to eat, shelter themselves and breed. Their eating and breeding grounds tend to be one and the same, so if you eliminate one, you eliminate the other. But be sure to eliminate all the food that could attract them, because they will find more if you remove only one source.
Fruit flies breed as well as eat within organic, moist materials. Generally this means vegetables and fruits (especially if you have some that are over-ripe). They also like dirty sponges, juices, wash-cloths and messes and spills. Generally they are found in the kitchen, so that's the best place to start, utilizing these instructions about how to get rid of fruit flies.
In the kitchen, remove any wet fabrics, and clean your garbage disposal and drains with ammonia. Re-clean them often, so that the ammonia stays in the pipes. Keep your trash can lids on tightly, and empty the trash before it is totally full. Check your cabinets and pantry for open foods that may be rotting. Potatoes are common targets of fruit flies. Put your fresh vegetables and fruits in the refrigerator until you have gotten rid of the fruit flies.
Move potted plants and herbs outside if the weather permits, and use an insecticide on them. Clean under your sink, paying special attention to any rotting wood or moist areas. Sniff around the room for anything that's spoiled or rotten. That makes it even more imperative to determine how to get rid of fruit flies.
Now that you've eliminated their food, it's time to kill the flies. You can use store-bought traps or a bug zapper, or even fly paper. Fly paper is ugly but very effective. If you hang your fly paper near a light it will catch more fruit flies. It takes some work, but you can rid yourself of fruit flies, if you are thorough.