Are you one of those homeowners who are worried about the fruit flies that are gathering in your kitchen? They may seem harmless but once they gather in your house, they can become nuisances that are difficult to deal with.
How Do They Come Inside Your Home?
So, how did these flies come into your kitchen? In contrast to popular beliefs, this is not a spontaneous generation. These flies are a member of the Drosophilidae small fly family. Some common types are the Drosophila melanogaster or known as the common fruit fly and the Drosophila Suzuki or known as the Asian fruit fly.
These are really small with a length of about two to four mm and their colours vary from yellow, black, and brown. Though found across the globe, they are most commonly found tropical areas that are known to having humid climates.
Fermented fruits attract fruit flies. Though they are small in size, they can easily smell ripe fruits and vegetables even from far away. If you tend to keep a bowl of overripe fruits on your counter, there’s a higher chance that fruit flies will come in your kitchen.
Since these are really small, they can easily fly through crevices around doors and windows and window screens. Once they settle in your home, flies breed easily. Within a short period of time, you will start dealing with a fruit fly infestation.
There are other various ways on how these insects can get in your home. Some of these are:
· They are hitching rides on vegetables and fruits
These flies can lay their eggs on fermenting and ripened fruits. The eggs are only on the skin and without knowing, you’ve brought home a new generation of these flies.
· Leaving vegetables or fruits overripe before harvesting
If you are one of those people with a green thumb, you might want to avoid leaving your crops overripe before harvesting them. Doing this will only result in more flies laying their eggs on the fruits. This allows them to get inside your home with the crops easily.
· Keeping unrefrigerated fruit on display
Whether you tend to keep unrefrigerated fruits displayed on the counter or those from the grocery, they can still attract these flies.
With these reasons in mind, there is a lot of ways on how these pests can enter your home, breed, and result in an infestation.
How Quickly Can These Flies Become an Infestation?
Known for their fast life cycle, fruit flies can easily go from egg to adult within a span of eight days. This only means that leaving an overly ripe fruit on the counter will attract a swarm of these small flies in a matter of a week.
These species are also persistent in staying indoors. Though female adult fruit flies can live up to a month, it can already lay about 500 eggs. Unlike what most people believe, they just don’t feed on fruits.
They can also live in slow-draining plumbing, sour mop, or an old sponge. This is among the main reasons why it is challenging to get rid of fruit flies. In a short period of time, your home can become infested with these flies.
Biology
Most people would mistake fruit flies as house flies since they are commonly found inside homes. They are known for their ability to breed quickly and develop in a short span of time. They also love human foods.
The most distinct characteristic of these flies is their red eyes. They will lay eggs, breed, and feed on any food sources. With the ability to produce about 500 offspring, it can only take around a week for them to go through all life stages and complete it.
These are all the main reasons why the populations of these flies can easily go out of hand.
Prevention and Removal of Fruit Flies
One of the effective ways to control indoor fly infestations is by determining where these flies come from. To make your home less attractive to these pests, it is essential that you get rid of any potential source of food for these flies.
Make sure that you always dispose of decomposing or old produce. Before going to bed or leaving the kitchen, see to it that drains are clean and drink spills are all wiped up.
They may seem harmless, but they are capable of spreading bacteria that may cause certain diseases. This is why you should take control an infestation seriously.
Though DIY methods are enticing, there are various products that are ready-to-use and are effective in dealing with flies. When the situation is worse than expected or DIY products are no longer working, calling for professionals is your last resort.
