Your home is clean, you sweep and take out the garbage regularly but no matter what you do, fruit flies always show up in the fall. Does this sound like you? If you’re like thousands of homeowners here in the greater Springfield area, fruit flies are an ever persistent annoyance, especially in late fall. So the question remains, how do you get rid of fruit flies?
First, it’s good to understand where fruit flies come from. While they seem to miraculously materialize out of thin air, this isn’t the case. Despite being such small creatures, fruit flies are able to detect the yeast produced by fermenting fruit from great distances. Attracted in this way, fruit flies are able to enter your home through the most miniscule entrance points, including around loose fitting screens and windows in your home. Additionally, it’s possible that fruit brought into the home may have microscopic larvae embedded in the outer skin.
Good sanitation, however, can prevent the vast majority of decaying organic material that fruit flies like to lay eggs in.
Consider the following tips:
- If you keep fresh fruit on the counter, check it often for signs of over-ripening and dispose of rotten fruit in sealed garbage cans or outside.
- Clean and sanitize in and around garbage cans, counter tops, sinks, garbage disposals and floors.
- Inspect the drip pan of your refrigerator. Decaying debris and detritus can make its way from your refrigerator into the drip pan and is attractive for fruit flies.
- Clean dishes after meals, especially when there is a current infestation.
- Replace mops and sponges regularly. Fruit flies are attracted to old food particles and other decaying material found on items like these.
- Consider a homemade fruit fly trap:
- Place apple vinegar and a few drops of dish soap into a cup or bowl and place it in an area in and around the fruit fly infestation.
Fruit flies are an incessant annoyance. Follow the above tips to get rid of fruit flies and get back to enjoying your home!
If the infestation proves to be a determined and persisting problem, don’t hesitate to contact us.
