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Fruit flies are known to fly around and pick up bacteria that they then deposit onto fresh foods. If you notice fruit flies in your drain, you might be looking for an instant fix — like pouring bleach down the drain. Doing so might kill some larvae, but it will not kill enough of the eggs or larvae to eliminate the problem. That's because bleach passes down the drain too quickly to do a thorough job. Fruit flies and gnats look similar from afar, but fruit flies are often lighter in color than gnats.
What causes a fruit fly infestation?
Any one of the above methods can help you get rid of fruit flies with just a few minutes of prep time. Once you solve your fruit fly problem, learn how to get rid of flies in the house so you can enjoy a pest-free home. Pouring bleach down the drain also isn’t good for the environment.
How to get rid of fruit flies - keep these flying critters out of your house for good
Fruit flies at all stages of development survive off of fruits. Freshly hatched larvae survive exclusively off of the food that they’re laid on. This is one of the main reasons they’re considered a common household pest. Another popular DIY option is trapping the flies in a bottle—a beer, fruit juice, or wine bottle with just the dregs left works perfectly. Put plastic wrap over the bottle’s opening, secure it in place with a rubber band, then poke a few small holes in the top.
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Bottle Trap
However, as a long-term solution, you’ll also want to clean your kitchen and remove any overripe fruit or vegetables where the bugs could lay eggs. Pour apple cider vinegar (ACV) into a small bowl, then mix in a few drops of dish soap. Apple cider vinegar works better than white vinegar for fruit flies because it smells like fermenting fruit. Red wine vinegar will also work, but it tends to be more expensive than ACV. Microwave the mixture for 20 seconds or so to enhance the smell of the vinegar, then place the bowl in an area with a lot of flies. The scent will draw the bugs in, and because the dish soap reduces the surface tension of the liquid, they’ll get stuck and drown.
How to kill fruit flies
Deciding how to get rid of fruit flies depends on your preferences. If you need to kill the bugs, consider spraying a spinosad insecticide. You can do this by filling a garden sprayer with the solution, then spraying it directly onto the fruits in your yard to kill any fruit flies who try to land for a snack.
Can I use bleach to kill fruit flies?
In the morning, you can simply throw away the paper and replace it with a fresh one. If you notice fruit flies buzzing around your homegrown fruits and vegetables in the backyard, use Spinosad insecticide to kill them. Fill a garden sprayer with the solution and apply it around the base of your home.
What is the fastest way to get rid of fruit flies?
And if they find an adequate food source in your kitchen, they’re more than happy to set up camp. If you want to rid your home of these bugs forever, let our expert tips guide you. You'll learn about various homemade traps using apple cider vinegar, old wine and beer. You can even create a spray with alcohol and water to spritz on plants, or use dish soap and vinegar to trap and drown them in a mason jar or bottle. Some of these ideas work overnight and can even kill fruit flies on the spot. There are many common household items you can use to make a fruit fly trap.
Fruit flies also tend to hang out near overripe food, while gnats are more attracted to damp soil—you’ll find gnats near your houseplants more often than your food. Fruit flies can lay eggs too small to spot, especially in small rotten spots on fruit like berries at the grocery store. Rinse them off as soon as you get home to be sure they do not hatch and reproduce in your house.
Homemade Fruit Fly Traps
Since then, she has become a regular contributor for Real Homes and Ideal Home, and become even more obsessed with everything interior and garden related. For this option, keep the bowl uncovered for the best results. Also known as sink flies, sewer gnats or moth flies, these non-biting gnats are light grey or tan, are around 1.5-5mm long, and their wings are feathery-looking.
Try one or several of the following methods for how to get rid of fruit flies in the house for good and avoid using harmful pesticides. As suggested by their name, fruit flies are big fans of fruit. And while you might not think anything of having a fruit bowl on your kitchen counter, this could be doing more harm than good. That’s because fruit flies will do everything they can to get near ripened fruits and vegetables - and they’ll even lay their eggs on them. If the little suckers have already infiltrated, here’s one way to kill them.
We chatted with Diana Ludwiczak, a home pest inspector certified in New York City, to snag some of her tips for expelling fruit flies from the home. Spraying insecticide will provide temporary relief, but it's important to tackle the root cause. This is usually standing water found in places such as infrequently used toilet bowls, sink or floor drains, or drain pans under refrigerators. Dirty bottles and jars or containers from last night's takeaway are a magnet for fruit flies. Sunnier days can herald the arrival of annoying winged intruders in your home, and chief of these is the fruit fly. Stone fruit, like mangos and nectarines, can go in the fridge as soon as they’re ripe to better preserve them.
While very few people actually enjoy washing up, it’s something you probably need to do more of if you want to keep fruit flies out of your house. Adult fungus gnats are greyish brown flies around 3-4mm long, and can often be seen running over the surface of seed trays and pots or flying slowly around plants. This applies even to hard-to-see spills, such as of sweet fizzy drinks. You might not be able to see it, but a fruit fly will detect it instantly. Once they take up residence, it can feel that it's almost impossible to get rid of these pesky insects.
Overripe fruit, rotting food, and fermentation can all cause a fruit fly infestation. Remember that fruit flies can lay up to 500 eggs at a time (it's gross, we know). It will take a little time and patience to get rid of all of them completely. Be diligent about cleaning and keep your traps out on the counter for a couple of weeks. You can also place a few traps near sinks or trash cans to ensure you get rid of all the fruit flies. If you think the flies have made a home in your drain, try pouring a mix of boiling water and vinegar down the drain to kill the flies and eggs.
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