Fruit flies feed on sugary substances, and that is why they are most commonly found buzzing around your fruit dish and even alcohol. A fruit fly infestation can be detrimental to your kitchen. Fruit flies have the ability to produce as much as five hundred eggs at once! If you do not act fast, your apartment’s fruit fly issue will increase exponentially.
Don’t Give Fruit Flies a Chance
Take all the preventative steps to keep fruit flies from entering your apartment. Onions, potatoes, tomatoes, apples, pears, strawberries, or every other fruit should be kept in the refrigerator so fruit flies can’t access it. Any vegetables in dry storage need to stay in their packaging or sealed properly so they won’t spoil. All alcohol bottles and cans should be rinsed in the sink before placing them in your recycling bin. Be sure to wash out both your garbage and recycling containers regularly, as scraps of food and dried sugar and alcoholic drinks will attract fruit flies.
Create a Fruit Fly Trap
Creating a fruit fly trap is both cheap and painless. Take a cup or a jar, a sheet of paper, tape, and vinegar or fruit. Pour the vinegar or place the fruit into the cup or jar. Roll the paper into a cone, leaving about a half inch opening at the end. You want the funnel to fit tight around the cup or jar so the fruit flies can’t escape. Leave about an inch or two of space between the bottom of the cone and the cup or jar. When the vinegar or fruit draws the fruit flies in, they will not be able to escape. An even easier trap is to fill a cup with apple cider vinegar to draw the fruit flies in and dish soap to kill them.
Plants to Repel Fruit Flies
Plants can be more than decoration! Rue is a plant native to southern Europe and lives well in kitchens. Rue has an unpleasant bitter taste, however it is said to have been used as a medical cure in folklore. The shrub-like herb releases a strong scent fruit flies greatly dislike, which is a perfect deterrent.
Stay Clean
Keeping your apartment clean is the best way to keep fruit flies away. Frequently cleaning up food crumbs in your kitchen and other rooms in your apartment is imperative to prevent the attraction of fruit flies. Most pieces of food are easy to see, but you will have to go out of your way to check sink drains, the dishwasher, sides of the stovetop and oven, corners of the floor, and the front and back of the refrigerator. Fruit flies will not be drawn to your apartment when every area is kept as clean as possible. For extreme infestations, consider purchasing a commercial fruit fly trap or repellant.
