Where Do Fruit Flies Come From: Infestations and How to Deal with Them
How Do Fruit Flies Reproduce So Quickly?
Where Do Fruit Flies Come from in My Home
How to Prevent a Fruit Fly Infestation from Happening in the First Place?
What to Do if Fruit Fly Infestations Happen?
What to Use When There is an Infestation?
Where Do Fruit Flies Come From: Infestations and How to Deal with Them
There is nothing more annoying than being in the middle of cooking dinner or having friends over for a barbecue when flying insects invade our space by always buzzing around us or landing right on top of the food we are about to eat. Not forgetting that these little bugs can leave stains where they land since some fruits like berries come with an extra bonus package containing juice plus it's also very unsanitary.
Fruit flies (Drosophila melanogastercan) be a big nuisance in a home. They're little and fly around your kitchen, landing on any food they find to lay their eggs. This article will teach you where do fruit flies come from? How to prevent an infestation from happening in the first place, and what to do if it does happen.
Fruit flies might seem like a seasonal thing that comes around during summertime or when there's rotting food somewhere, but they can be found all year round too since warmer seasons help them breed faster.
How Do Fruit Flies Reproduce So Quickly?
Fruit fly eggs are laid by female fruit flies after mating with male fruit flies (this is called fertilization). The average egg-laying process takes about 20 minutes which means one act of sex for these little insects holds up to 400 eggs at once. That's why even just two adult fruit flies together could mean hundreds of new larvae will be hatch within days and significantly increase the fruit fly population.
Where Do Fruit Flies Come from in My Home
They start infesting your home in several ways:
Migrating through the open windows and doors of an outdoor patio, having been hatched by adult female houseflies after mating with male fruit fly adults.
By laying eggs near sources of fermenting sugars such as overripe fruits and vegetables inside your home. So, when you leave trash lying around it becomes an easy target for egg-laying females.
It's also possible to bring these insects into your home on grocery bags holding fresh produce or even on some fruits and vegetables themselves.
How to Prevent a Fruit Fly Infestation from Happening in the First Place?
In order to not come across fruit fly infestations, make sure that you follow the tips below:
Keep your home clean at all times of the day by throwing out any trash.
Clean up spills right away so mould doesn't have a chance to grow on it quickly.
Remove overripe produce as soon as possible before these eggs hatch into larvae.
Fruit fly larvae begin feeding off fermenting sugars wherever they find it whether it's inside your home or if there is decaying matter laying around or outside by your home where you might have leftover rot fruit in the trash can.
What to Do if Fruit Fly Infestations Happen?
If an infestation takes place, the following are things that you can do:
Remove any decaying matter that may be lying around including rotten fruits and vegetables.
Immediately wipe spilled drinks or pet food plates because these are breeding grounds for flies looking to lay their eggs.
Make sure all trash is taken out right away so mold doesn't have a chance to grow quickly on them which means no dirty dishes should be sitting in the sink overnight either.
Finally, take care of any open beverages such as leftover sodas from glasses that had some missing.
Be careful also when eating outdoors on patios since placing down empty plates could female houseflies whose larvae will quickly turn it into a breeding ground for their eggs.
What to Use When There is an Infestation?
There are several methods you can try, starting with the most hands-off way which includes:
Installing fruit fly traps in your kitchen which attract adult flies then trap them inside by drowning them in soapy water that they fall into once they land on top of it.
You can also choose from gel or liquid products placed near sources where houseflies usually lay their eggs such as overripe fruits and vegetables since these contain active ingredients including sex pheromones used to confuse male insects trying to locate females during mating season while others include food dyes targeting larvae who feed off fermenting sugars wherever they find one.
Finally, some homeowners opt to use insecticide sprays that kill on contact including a fruit fly larva.
It is important that you observe pest control methods to prevent these flies from coming back and infesting your home.
Making DIY Fruit Fly Lures to Get Rid of Fruit Flies
If you prefer not to use a store-bought fruit fly trap, you can always resort to the use of DIY traps for fruit flies made of household items. What you need:
A small container
Apple cider vinegar or beer
Sugar in a teaspoon amount
Directions:
Wash bottles and jars thoroughly.
Mix the sugar and vinegar/beer together.
Use a chopstick to make a few holes at the top of your jar. These will be where the flies enter and exit after they have been lured inside by your mixture. Make sure it is not too wide where fruit flies can fit through.
Strain out any bits of food leftover from cleaning to make sure that they are only attracting fruit flies. Do not use this mixture if it has started to ferment.
Your trap is now ready to use. Simply leave it out in a room where you have noticed the presence of fruit flies and they will enter on their own.
There are pest control products that you can use against these annoying fruit flies. Products we recommend are: