How to Get Rid of Fruit and Drain Flies in Your Home
We get a ton of questions from our clients regarding fruit flies and how to get rid of them for good. Let’s be real, these flies are annoying as they hover in the air, carry disease, buzz around our face or just sit on that apple you were just about to take a bite out of. These flies seem to be everywhere. Where do they even come from? But the real question is, how can you get rid of them? We have come up with tips and tricks that have worked for many of our clients over the years!
Where Do Fruit and Drain Flies Come From?
Typically, fruit flies can come in from a batch of fresh produce from a grocery store or even a local farmer’s market. They can also breed in plants or flowers that you bring into your home. Another way for them to enter your home is through open windows or even through screens on windows as well as doors. In some cases, they find their way in through damaged sewer drains and can breed on organic material in the drain pipe.
Why Do I Keep Seeing Them Coming Out of My Drains?
Fruit and Drain flies need a dark and damp place to breed and your drain is perfect for just that. Fruit flies can lay up to 500 eggs in your drain alone! Yes, you read that correctly, 500 eggs! That is the reason why you’ll often find them hanging out in your kitchen, your bathroom or around other sources of water. For fruit flies, your drain is the most suitable home to hide, lay eggs, and multiply. This is why it is extremely important to keep your drains clean and cover them at night to keep them out and prevent them from breeding. You can use products such as drain degreasers or microbial cleaners to prevent and eliminate them (Note that common cleaners such as bleach, vinegar, etc – are not as effective as they do not deal with fruit and drain flies at the source – the organic material). On the other hand, you can also use homemade traps or remedies to keep them at bay. Though it does take consistency and effort, you can get a fruit fly infestation under control and keep them away for good.
It may seem difficult to get rid of fruit and drain flies for good, but you must be diligent and consistent in order to prevent them from coming back.
How to Get Rid of Fruit or Drain Flies:
If you would like to get rid of fruit and drain flies with items found in your kitchen, then we have several traps for you to try. Here are some of the most successful homemade tricks to get an infestation quickly under control.
Note: Make sure to keep the traps clean and in place for a couple of weeks.
When you spot fruit or drain flies in your home, it is best to take action immediately before they get a chance to multiply.
Apple Cider Vinegar Fruit Fly Trap
A shallow bowl of apple cider vinegar left on the kitchen counter will most certainly attract fruit flies just by its strong scent. Cover the bowl of apple cider vinegar with a piece of plastic wrap (or a lid) in which you’ve poked a few small holes with a toothpick. The flies will go in, but they won’t come back out. For the best results, please be sure to change the vinegar daily.
Red Wine Fruit Fly Trap
A bottle with an inch or so of red wine or beer is practically a magnet for fruit flies.
Add a paper funnel at the top so they fly in but can’t easily get out. Use a kitchen funnel or roll a piece of paper to form one and insert the narrow end into the bottle. Tape it in place if needed. For the best results, please be sure to change the wine daily.
Get Rid of Drain Flies With Boiling Water
For eliminating drain flies combine ½ cup of salt with ½ a cup of baking soda and 1 cup of vinegar, and pour mixture down the drain. Leave overnight, and finish by boiling water in a medium-large sized pot and pour it into the drain. Do this twice a week until you no longer see any flies.
Once you’ve done the work to kill the fruit or drain flies, keep them from coming back with these easy and practical steps below. We always tell our clients to integrate these steps into their daily household routines for best results.
Easy and Practical Steps in Preventing Fruit and Drain Flies
- Keep your sink drains clean and free of old food and debris
- Sanitize all counter tops, sinks, and open surfaces
- Create traps using apple cider vinegar and dish soap
- Do not leave any food on the counters
- Throw away old fruit and vegetables that attract the flies
- Store produce in the refrigerator
- Wash produce as soon as you bring it home to remove larvae that might be present
- Take out the garbage frequently
- Clean your drains, garbage cans, pet bedding, litter boxes, and toilets regularly
We hope you found this post helpful, if you have any questions about our services please feel free to call us at (226) 641-0003 or visit our website to learn more www.thespiderguys.com