Fruit flies are a common and agitating nuisance found in the cleanest of homes.
They're typically seen buzzing around food, sinks and bins, especially in warmer weather. The reason for this is that they're attracted to moist, fermenting fruits and vegetables and their appearance is almost always a result of leaving food to rot in the bin for too long.
Flies are also drawn to food scraps and liquid spills including soft drinks and wine. Once they've allocated a new home to live in, it can be difficult trying to get them out.
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Also known as banana and vinegar flies, they are experts at reproducing. Female fruit flies can lay up to 500 eggs at a time and repeat every day for up to 20 days, which is why swarms can appear overnight. The larvae will start to feed on decaying fruit immediately after they hatch.
It then takes about one to two weeks to complete the entire metamorphosis. But if your home feels like it's being infested by fruit flies, don't despair – there's plenty of things you can do.
How to make your home fruit fly-free
The first step to take is to find and remove their breeding source, such as fermented or rotten food. Compost bins should be regularly cleaned and bleached, while homemade traps can be used to eliminate the pests, the Manchester Evening News reported.
Councils advise not to leave cut or spoiling fruit, vegetables and other foodstuffs exposed in open containers. Bags of potatoes and onions should also be checked frequently as an infestation can quickly spread if any are found to be rotten.
What are the best ways to get rid of fruit flies?
Apple cider vinegar
Take the cap from the bottle of cider vinegar and cover the opening in plastic wrap – secure it with a rubber band. Poke a hole in the wrap so the fruit flies can enter, but once inside they can't get out.
Vinegar and soap
If the plastic isn't working add three drops of soap to a bowl of vinegar and leave it uncovered in the kitchen for a few hours. The flies will be attracted by the vinegar, but the soap means the insects sink and drown.
Paper cone and piece of fruit
Place a bit of vinegar and ripe fruit in a jar. Roll your paper into a cone shape and put the small end into the jar. Fruit flies are drawn in, but can't get out and drown.
Milk, sugar and pepper
Mix a pint of milk, four ounces of raw sugar and two ounces of ground pepper in a saucepan then simmer for 10 minutes. Pour the mixture into a dish and leave it on the side.
The flies will be drawn to the sweet mixture and drown in it.
Red wine
Fruit flies like a drop of wine almost as much as humans. Leave a bottle open with a little bit left and watch them drop in.
Change the soil in your pot plants
Bit more of a labour intensive solution this one. If you have plants at home and you are certain that fruit flies are coming from them then you might want to change the soil in your pots for fresh.
Invest in top-quality soil, which is less likely to contain pests.
Wash the dishes
Another tip that requires a bit of elbow grease. Make sure that you don't leave and dirty dishes lying around in the sink.
Get in the habit of washing up straight after you have finished eating a meal and you won't give the flies an excuse to be there!
Keep your bins covered
Fruit flies love an uncovered bin, so don't give them chance to get at all that rotting fruit and veg by keeping a lid on it.
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