Just when you thought your fly problem couldn’t get any worse – fruit fly season is here! Cue the endless minuscule insects that constantly hover around your face.
Fruit flies surge in profusion in the late summer, thanks to the warmer weather and the readily ripening fruit that comes with it. On the hunt for such food, they find their way into our homes and, naturally, set up shop in our kitchens. We don’t need to tell you, once they’re in, it’s an uphill struggle to get them out.
But what if you could stop fruit flies from coming into your home in the first place? Turns out, there are five things you’re keeping near your windows that are unknowingly luring the flies in. Move them away and you’ll make your home less appealing – simple as! Here’s what you shouldn’t keep near your open windows.
1. Fruit bowl
An obvious point, but it needs to be said. Displaying a full fruit bowl near an open window is like leaving a buffet on display for all passing fruit flies to peruse. They’re attracted to fermenting fruit: fruit that has passed its best and is starting to break down.
In fact, fruit flies aren’t even interested in the fruit itself, but more so the bacteria and yeast on its surface as it rots. These provide the nutrients their larvae need to grow. They’re a particular fan of bananas, grapes, melons and peaches; anything that readily breaks down or produces fermented alcohol and acid.
Fruit flies are looking to lay their eggs on the surface of the fruit; one female can lay up to 500 eggs in her lifetime, which is why one fruit fly can quickly turn into a problem!
Move fruit out of reach from fruit flies where possible. Once ripe, some fruits are better protected and preserved in the fridge, such as nectarines and mangoes or any stone fruit; it can help them to last longer, too. There are protective mesh covers you can buy for your fruit bowl, too, but fruit flies are so small that they can likely fit through these. Above all, make sure fruit is eaten promptly once ripe and isn’t left to rot on the side.
2. Dirty dishes
If your dirty dishes are stacked near an open window, they’ll attract fruit flies, too. The food residue smeared across the plates is another food source for flies, and a potential spot for a female to lay her eggs; she wants residue that’s moist and sweet, such as a fruity jam or ice cream. So dirty plates can be as much an attraction as your rotting fruit.
Once scraped, loading your dishes straight into the dishwasher can help, but the door would need to be kept shut to seal off the aroma. There’s always the option of rinsing away final traces of residue, but this is wasting water if you have a dishwasher. Try to wash your dishes as soon as possible to prevent this attraction and be mindful of the residue that’s likely to lure them in; empty cups of fruit tea and traces of red wine are prime candidates, too.
3. Damp plants
If you’ve noticed little flies hanging around the plants by your window, those are more likely fungus gnats rather than fruit flies. They’re attracted to damp, rotting conditions in the soil, where they can lay their eggs. So any plants that are overwatered are likely inviting more tiny flies into your home.
According to Brandon Runyon, entomologist at Swat Pest Management: ‘You can use yellow sticky cards as traps, or apply the right kind of nematodes to the soil, or just dry out the soil a bit.
‘The fungus gnat larva is feeding on the wet fungi and decaying organic matter. Yes, fruit flies can also feed on decaying organic matter, but they focus on the yeast and bacteria put off by the matter. So there are likely much better sources around for them.’
4. Condensation
Fruit flies are attracted to condensation because it’s a source of moisture – the same reason they can end up hanging around your drains (and if there’s food residue inside your drains, the flies will happily lay eggs there, too).
Of course, it takes more than moisture to bring them indoors. Fruit flies are primarily looking for food, but damp conditions around your windows will make the space more alluring.
Brandon says ‘The condensation could have a film of microscopic food particles on it that the fruit fly could be feeding on. If you have a sink under a window with a waste disposal unit, you might be shooting tiny food particles up on to your window every time you use it – creating little feeding and drinking stations on your window.
‘Also, the condensation acts as an easily available water source. But if you see tiny flies sitting on these damp areas and there’s not a ready source of food near by, they could be fungus gnats or drain flies. The good thing about the drain flies and fruit flies is you can help to reduce their population by running a bit of ice through your waste disposal every week.’
Here are 5 ways to stop condensation on windows if this is a regular problem.
5. Recycling
You might think your recycling is harmless, but if there’s any sweet, sticky residue here, or obvious sources of fermenting sugar and yeast, then that too can lure in fruit flies. That means empty beer bottles, cartons of fruit juice or even jam jars could turn into a potential spot for a female fruit fly to lay her eggs.
To fix this, you need to rinse any obvious residue away before it goes on the recycling pile. It’s also recommended that you keep your recycling out of the sun, as well as away from the windows, to prevent residue from breaking down more readily.
What to do if fruit flies are already in your kitchen
Even if you do all of the above, fruit flies can still find their way in. For a quick fruit fly trap:
- Half-fill an empty jar with cider vinegar
- Squeeze a few drops of washing up liquid on top
- Stir to create bubbles
And that’s it! The washing up liquid will reduce the surface tension of the water, so fruit flies will be lured in by the vinegar, but then sink rather than sit on the surface.
Fruit fly removal kit
