August 30, 2023

How to Get Rid of Fruit Flies

There’s nothing quite like enjoying a juicy watermelon on a hot day or whipping up a batch of banana bread with produce from the local market. However, humans aren’t the only ones enjoying that delicious fruit. If you keep fresh fruit around, you might find yourself victim to fruit flies.

Fruit flies are relatively common, but that doesn’t make them any less pesky. Luckily, there are several easy methods for getting them out of your home. Try one of these tricks the next time you find an unexpected visitor in your kitchen.

What are Fruit Flies?

Fruit flies are tiny bugs that can lurk in kitchens, around drains, and near garbage disposals. They have red eyes and are either light or dark brown. Males are slightly smaller than females and have black patches on the abdomen.

Female fruit flies can lay hundreds of eggs in a matter of hours, and newborn fruit flies only wait about a week before beginning their own reproductive cycle. The quick reproduction cycle explains why it can be so hard to rid your home of fruit flies once they’ve invaded.

Be careful not to confuse fruit flies with other common house pests. If the bugs are only present around your garbage disposal or drain and don’t match the description of a fruit fly, you could be dealing with drain flies instead. Another similar insect is the fungus gnat, which will hang around overwatered houseplants.

What Attracts Fruit Flies?

As the name suggests, fruit flies are attracted to fruit and other produce, no matter whether it’s ripe or rotting. That’s why you might see fruit flies at the grocery store in addition to your own home or apartment. Fruit flies can also be attracted to fermented goods like wine and beer. You might find them trying to find their next meal in your trash can or near fruit that’s been left on the counter.

Thankfully, there are several easy solutions for killing the fruit flies in your home and keeping them away for good. Many of the most effective methods for killing fruit flies involve ingredients that you likely already have in your pantry.

Getting Rid of Fruit Flies with Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar (or ACV) is a great option for getting rid of fruit flies. It’s commonly found in pantries all around New York and gives off an irresistible scent that fruit flies can’t get enough of. If you implement one of the solutions below, be sure to use ACV and not distilled white vinegar, as it doesn’t have the same attractiveness to fruit flies.

For an easy at-home solution for fruit fly infestations, leave a cup of apple cider vinegar on your counter. Fruit flies are attracted to the scent and will become trapped in the liquid, making them easy to dispose of. To make sure they’re caught for good, pour some apple cider vinegar into a glass and cover it with some plastic wrap. Poke a few holes in the plastic wrap to let the flies enter. (Don’t worry; they won’t be able to escape!) You can keep the bowl out and replace it every two or three days until the entire infestation is taken care of.

You can also put very ripe fruit in a jar, pour a bit of regular vinegar on top, and stick a paper cone into the jar. The cone prevents the flies from escaping once they’ve entered the trap. This method is a great way to use up some of your overripe fruit, and once you’re done, you can recycle or compost your homemade funnel. Get rid of the trap within a week to prevent new fruit flies from hatching inside!

Another simple option: add three drops of dish soap to a bowl full of vinegar and leave the mixture on your counter. There’s no need to add a cover to this solution; the soap cuts the vinegar’s natural surface tension, so when fruit flies come down for a snack, they’ll get pulled to the bottom of the bowl.

Getting Rid of Fruit Flies with Other Methods

Don’t have any vinegar handy? Not to worry. There are several other ways you can get rid of fruit flies in your New York home or apartment.

If you have an old wine or beer bottle handy (preferably with a bit of leftover liquid), you can leave it out and wait for the flies to be attracted. The skinny neck of the bottle will trap the flies. You can add a couple of drops of dish soap to the bottle to make sure the flies are trapped.

When you see fruit flies, fill a spray bottle with some rubbing alcohol and spray the bugs directly to kill them. If you do implement this practice, be careful not to spray the alcohol onto your fruit or other food. The alcohol may cause your food to spoil more quickly than it normally would, which could bring fruit flies right back into your home.

There are plenty of store-bought fruit fly solutions, including Aunt Fannie’s FlyPunch and Fruit Fly BarPro. Store-bought solutions use active ingredients like malic acid and sodium lauryl sulfate to attract and kill fruit flies, letting you make quick work of your kitchen pests. You can also use an indoor aerosol insecticide to deal with large swarms; just note that these products are not safe around food, so don’t use them on cooking surfaces.

Keeping Fruit Flies Away

Once you’ve gotten rid of the fruit flies in your home or apartment, you want to keep them away! Easy preventative measures can stop fruit flies in their tracks and keep your kitchen pest-free.

First, store your fruits and vegetables in the fridge instead of on the counter. Fruit flies are less likely to get to your produce when it’s in the fridge, and your produce will last longer. Just be sure to give it a good wash before it goes in the bin; this practice will ensure that you haven’t brought any fruit flies home from the grocery store with you!

Once your fruit does become overripe, get rid of it as soon as possible. Take out the trash in your kitchen regularly and be quick about cleaning up spills. Spilled liquid, particularly juices or alcoholic beverages, can attract fruit flies in a matter of minutes.

If you notice fruit flies hanging around your garbage disposal, you can keep it clean with two easy steps. First, run cold water for a few seconds before and after using the disposal to help the discarded food move all the way through the pipes. Second, implement a weekly kitchen cleaning routine.

To clean your garbage disposal, you’ll need a few thin slices of lemon, a tablespoon of baking soda, and a teaspoon of bleach. Add the ingredients, along with a big handful of ice cubes, to the disposal while it’s off. Run the disposal (without running water) until the grinding stops. Then, keep the motor running and flush the disposal with cold water for a minute or so.

Working with White Glove Cleaner

White Glove Cleaner can help you deep clean your kitchen to eliminate pests like fruit flies, and with regular cleanings, you’ll have peace of mind knowing the bugs won’t return. Our team will clean your kitchen sink, take out the trash, and wipe counters to get rid of fruit flies and keep your kitchen sparkling clean. Our team of house cleaners in nyc goes above and beyond when it comes to caring for your space. We can provide regular cleaning services every week, two weeks, or month, as well as special one-time services for spring cleaning, moving, or Airbnb bookings. To learn more about all of our services, contact us today!