No doubt, you've experienced the frustration of fruit flies hovering around your fruit! Fruit flies tend to increase in numbers during the warmer months. These pesky little guys reproduce at incredibly fast rates which can make tackling a fruit fly infestation tricky.
Why do fruit flies appear in your home?
Fruit flies are attracted to moist, fermenting fruit and veggies - this means very ripe or decaying items in your kitchen. This is often why you will see fruit flies hovering around a fruit bowl, particularly if there are any decaying or close to decaying items.
How can you avoid fruit flies?
You have a few options here! Firstly, if possible, you can consider storing your fruit and veg in the fridge. This will solve the issue. However, this isn't always ideal and some fruits may benefit from gradually ripening at room temperature. So make sure you wash all your produce before placing in a clean bowl, to ensure there are no larvae on any of your fruit and veg that will eventually become flies.
Another top tip is to not let fruit and veg rot! This is a benefit for many reasons, not just deterring fruit flies. If you have a piece of fruit that you know is starting to ripen, place some "Use It Up" tape on it, so you don't forget to make the most of it. Or, move it to the fridge.
What if you don't have fruit or veg, but there are still fruit flies
Sometimes fruit flies can appear around rubbish cans, drains or overwatered plants. They are looking for that moist environment! Make sure you have a lid to your garbage, that your drains aren't blocked and your plants aren't too moist.
Once you tackle those, do a deep kitchen clean to make sure you are removing the possibility of any fruit flies hatching!
What else can you do?
Apple cider vinegar is the most popular go-to item for fruit flies. Leave a shallow bowl of apple cider vinegar on your kitchen bench. Fruit flies are attracted to the "fruit-like scent", and it will act as a natural way to get rid of them.
