The overlooked kitchen mistake attracting flies this summer – and it’s not your fruit bowl

Flies are everywhere right now. Even our Good Housekeeping offices have been all abuzz (excuse the puns) with complaints of airborne invasions tacking over our homes. From big, beefy blue bottles to irritating incessant fruit flies, it seems we all have a problem – despite how clean we keep our homes.

Flies are attracted to rotting organic matter, including rubbish, food scraps, overripe produce and sugary liquids such as spilled juice and alcohol. But for many of us, the confusion comes because we keep a tidy home. If you’re wiping surfaces regularly, emptying bins regularly, chucking expired foods and overall running a tight ship the frustration of why these pesky bugs are still hanging around becomes infuriating.

But, as it turns out, there is another place you haven’t checked – and likely haven’t cleaned. A place that offers the ideal conditions for flies to lay their eggs and wreak havoc on our kitchens. This place allows the flies to lurk in plain sight but, lucky for you – we know exactly how to flush them out. Here’s the most overlooked kitchen spot attracting flies this summer – and it’s not your fruit bowl.

The overlooked spot: Your kitchen sink

Flies love fermentation. Which is why they become so much more of a problem in the summer, when warm temperatures naturally speed this process along. And, while we know to check on the fruit bowl and empty the bins more regularly for this exact reason, there’s another spot in our kitchen, covered in fermented food waste and creating the perfect cosy temperatures for fruit flies to lay their eggs. The kitchen sink.

I know, it’s disgusting to think that the place where we clean our plates and wash our hands is actually a disgusting hot bed for bugs – but it’s true. Kitchen drains are warm, wet and dark but it’s also completely lined with a layer of stomach-turning sludge that flies love. The sludge is made up of a build up of food residue. And before you argue you always clean off your plates before washing, this residue is pretty unavoidable. Even the tiniest bit of cooking oil, grease, pasta water and scraps can build up over time.

You don’t need to have blocked pipes or a foul smell for this to be the case. Even if we can’t smell it, the flies can. They slip inside and lay their eggs right into that slimy film, they then hatch into larva that feed on the sludge, thus beginning their life cycle. A female fruit fly can lay up to 500 eggs in organic matter, eggs that will then hatch in the next 24 hours – that’s why where there’s one, there are hundreds and why your home can feel so overrun. So, yes, keeping a beautifully clean kitchen above the surface is great and essential, but not quite enough.

The solution

Now we know the cause of these persistent flies, it’s time to get rid of them – luckily, the solution is pretty simple. In fact the remedy is probably already sitting in your cupboard.

Start by pouring some hot water down the sink for about 20 seconds. Not boiling as this can cause damage to your pipes, but just hot enough to start softening and loosening any of that clung on grime. Follow this with half a cup of bicarbonate of soda, straight down the drain – this will cling to the sides and begin the dissolving process. Follow this with another household hero, white vinegar. Pour a cup of this down after to really get that fizzing reaction going. Once the fizzing appears to have stopped, finish it off with a little bit of washing-up liquid for any lingering grease near the surface. Now leave it for at least an hour – but the best method would be overnight, if possible. Giving all the ingredients enough time to seep through and destroy that breeding ground.

If you already have an avid fruit fly problem, try doing this nightly until you see an improvement (alongside the regular cleaning of your kitchen, of course). Then throughout the summer to keep them away, try doing this once a week to keep on top of your pipes cleanliness and keep any new arrivals well away. And make sure any plug or drain covers remain properly cleaned, too, this can often be one of the grimiest items in our whole kitchen.

What else attracts flies?

• Food waste and crumbs – Even tiny scraps left on worktops, floors or in bins release odours that flies can detect from surprisingly long distances.
  
• Overripe fruit and vegetables – As produce ripens and begins to ferment, it releases sugars and smells that fruit flies especially love.
• Uncovered rubbish bins – Kitchen bins are always going to be a hot bed for flies. Anything containing food waste, especially meat, fish or leftovers, emit strong smells that quickly draw flies indoors.
• Sugary spills and sticky drinks – Spilt juice, fizzy drinks, alcohol and other sweet residues can attract flies even after they’ve dried if they aren’t cleaned away thoroughly.
• Pet food and pet waste – Bowls of wet pet food left out for hours, along with pet waste in the home or garden, provide both food and breeding opportunities for flies and many other pests, too.
• Standing water and damp areas – Some species, such as drain flies, thrive in damp environments where stagnant water and decaying organic matter collect. These areas can also attract mosquitos, especially in warm weather.
• Warm, humid conditions – Heat speeds up food decomposition and creates ideal breeding conditions, which is why fly activity often surges during warm summer weather.