You are hosting a party with the most delicious dishes you have in your collection. In fact, you are already thinking how much your guests will praise you for the delicacies you offer them. The party starts, the food is served, and one of your guests just mentions that there are flies around the dining table and if there is something you can do about it.
Now, you are embarrassed beyond measure. The guests know it is normal but for you, it goes deeper, you are thinking about how they will be questioning your hygiene. Apparently, you should be concerned but not for your image only but for all your safety a well.
Do you have any idea how many places these fruit flies roam before reaching your food? Let me just tell you that includes places that you wash your hand for before doing anything you do. So, today, let us find out how to get rid of fruit flies.
What kind of spray will kill fruit flies?
You have probably used aerosol to kill mosquitoes and the fruit flies sprays are no different. The ingredients may be slightly different as it has to have an odor and flavor that attracts fruits flies. Otherwise, the technique is the same. Spray it around, to attract the fruit flies and when he fruit flies take a sip, they die because of the content that does not suit them.
Step. 1
Home Remedies for Killing Fruit Flies
It is after all, ‘fruit’ flies you are dealing with and you do not want to expose your food or home to anything potentially harmful for your family. Since bought sprays and traps kill the flies, they might as well contain something harmful for you. So, here are a few home remedies you can use to be sure that you are not harming yourself. You can save some cost along the way as well.
1. Use Vinegar to get rid of your troubles
Vinegar is truly an amazing ingredient for everything. Whether it is cooking, skincare or some kind of remedy, vinegar always has a role it can play. When it comes to killing fruit flies, vinegar acts both as an attractant and also a killer.
Vinegar is a particularly popular choice in households for fruit fly elimination. Well, it seems to be effective, and it’s easy to implement. Here are the steps for making a fruit fly trap with vinegar:
- You need a jar, plastic wrap, dish soap, and cider vinegar for this simple trap.
- Pour a little cider vinegar into the jar just to cover the bottom.
- Add a drop of dish soap into the vinegar. This will break the surface tension of the vinegar, preventing the flies from just sitting on it.
- Cover the jar with the plastic wrap.
- Poke a few holes on the top of the wrap. The fruit flies will be able to get in but will likely have a hard time getting out! Not only that, but the diluted vinegar can trap them inside.
If this doesn’t seem to work for you, you may opt for commercially-made fruit fly traps.
2. Try out a Soap Trap
If vinegar is something you do not want to use then feel free to use soap. Soap is a much cheaper and easier option. What you can do is mix a small amount of soap in a bowl of water and leave it beside the place where the fruit flies stay.
The smell and the whole set up will attract the flies and when they touch the water, the soapy surface will trap them. So, you will wake up to a bowl full of fruit fly water in the morning.
3. Put rotten fruits to use
There is something that fruit flies love that we humans do not- rotten and ripe fruits. Whether it is rotten or ripe, put some of the fruits in a jar and mix a small amount of cider vinegar in it.
Then, roll a paper in the shape of a cone and put it on the mouth of the jar. Apparently, once the flies enter the jar, they cannot fly out because of the cone. So, there you go, the fruit flies are dead again.
4. Use a Candle
Candles are another thing that the world would have been dark without, literally. It not only lights up the world but changes moods and also helps to grab those fruit flies. In order to utilize candles for killing fruit flies, you have only a few small steps to follow.
- Take a bowl or plate-like dish and pour some water in it.
- Then, light a candle and leave it on the bowl near where the flies reside.
- Turn all the lights off at night and let nature take its course.
The flies naturally will fly towards the candle, the bright light. When they reach the light, they will either go for the real fire and be burnt or be stuck in water following the reflection.
5. Use Old Wine
Have some wine and beer stored that you know you won’t ever touch? If fruit flies are touching your food then you just may benefit from touching these fermented wine and beer.
All you have to do is leave the bottle open and let the smell lure in the flies. Once they are lured in, they will rarely be able to come out of the bottle.
Step. 2
How to prevent fruit flies?
Prevention is always better than cure and you will be more grateful than ever if you never have to deal with fruit flies. So, here are some things you can do to not only get rid of fruit flies but to make sure that they never come back again. The worst part about fruit flies is that they reproduce really fast. Here is some method in which you can stop the breeding of fruit flies for good.
1. Clean the drain
Drains are a good habitat option for fruit flies and many other such gnats. Therefore, in order to hit the base camp of fruit flies you have to deal with the drains. Wash the drains with boiling water regularly to not only get rid of the existing flies but also the potentially existing ones.
2. Clean spills right away
If you let crumbs, and spilled stuff rest on the tables and floor for long, you deserve fruit flies. Just clean them the moment they get spilled and fruit flies won’t get a chance to breed and stay.
3. Don’t let the dirty dishes rest
Damp and stagnant places are the ideal places for flies to grow. Wash the dishes right away when you are done eating and the flies won’t have a place to rest their eggs on.
4. Clean up places with stagnant water
It does not only happen on the sink, but water can also accumulate anywhere and it is your job to make sure you remove it. When you do, you can rest assured that fruit flies are not going to bother you.
5. Keep a check on the soil in pots
If you keep plants in your house, then potted soil is another breeding ground for fruit flies. Moreover, if the soil is not up to the mark, the more reason for fruit flies to lay eggs there. So, make sure you are using the best quality soil in the pots and replace it regularly.
Our Last Opinion
With proper care, you can completely get rid of fruit flies for good but you have to be very consistent in your efforts. The problem here is that these tiny creatures multiply quite fast. As a result, even before you have dealt with the existing ones, you find new ones on the way.
The best way of dealing with a fruit fly problem is to prevent it. Make sure to do everything possible to keep your household clean and free of the junk that fruit flies are so attracted to. Fruit fly traps can be very effective, but it’s easier to avoid a problem than try and solve it.
Just follow our guide on how to get rid of fruit flies and not a single fruit fly will ever bother you. Furthermore, if you actually want them to be gone for good, you better put in a bit more extra effort to take care of them permanently.
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