Preventing Fruit Flies

Fruit flies can be a real nuisance in the house and can make it difficult to keep fruit out on the counter. Preventing them from multiplying in your house will ensure that they don't take over your home. This is a guide about preventing fruit flies.

Solutions: Preventing Fruit Flies

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Preventing Fruit Flies

The best way to avoid fruit fly problem is to water wash all produce, especially bananas, as soon as possible. I put the wet produce on a kitchen towel or paper towel, blot it a bit, and let it sit out until its dries thoroughly. If I have a lot of produce, I use a large tray lined with a towel.

Fruit flies lay eggs on produce. The eggs hatch when the fruit and vegetables sits out on the counter. We usually have the problem when I forget to wash any produce or wait a day or two.

Use cider vinegar to trap fruit flies. I put some of the vinegar in a wide shallow bowl with a drop or two of liquid dish detergent for hand washing dishes. I don't cover it. You can smell the vinegar but we put up with it for a few days. At night, I put the bowl near the night light in the kitchen. Usually clears up the problem in a few days. Don't forget to keep any produce out of the kitchen until the problem clears up.

Source: My future son-in-law.

By Mkymlp from NE PA

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Covering Your Fruit Bowl

This is my screen cover, that is used for covering food when I eat outside. Most of the time it sits in my cupboard. After watching fruit flies around my fruit bowl, I came up with this idea. I put the cover over my fruit bowl. It looks decorative, protects the fruit from flies, and you can still see the fruit.

By Sheila from Ontario

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Microwave Bananas To Eliminate Fruit Flies

To eliminate getting fruit flies from bananas try this tip. When you bring home bunches of bananas, put the bunch in the microwave for 10 seconds. I have used this method for years and it has been wonderful in eliminating fruit flies in my kitchen.

By FrugalCA from CA

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Preventing Fruit Flies

This tip was sent in to our paper, The Saturday Star, in their tip section.

Those annoying fruit flies. Where do they come from?

Her suggestion, was to wash bananas immediately when you get them home from the supermarket. As the adults have laid their eggs on the banana skins. You put them in your house, the warmth hatches them. If you wash the bananas right away, you get no fruit flies.

Evelyn

Venus Fly Traps

I know this sounds silly but I have two venus fly traps and a pitcher plant next to my fruit bowl in my kitchen. I have no more fruit or drain flies. The fly traps are getting ready to go dormant for the winter, but I'm sure the pitcher plant can handle my kitchen pests on its own, plus they are neat to watch!

By sarah_bellum

Preventing Fruit Flies

Since I live in a part of the country where fruit is seasonal and I like to buy a lot of it, I am wondering if anyone can give me a tip on how to avoid fruit flies or, at least, control them. I keep a bowl of fruit on the table covered with a cloth and the remainder I refrigerate until I am ready to use them but the flies are starting to bother me. I will appreciate any help I can get. Thanks.

Orva from Toronto, Canada

RE: Preventing Fruit Flies

I read somewhere to mix up a concoction of Dawn dish soap, apple cider vinegar and a little water. That is supposed to draw the fruit flies and then they drown. I haven't tried it but heard it really works. (07/31/2007)

By Terrijb

RE: Preventing Fruit Flies

To Terrijb: You are absolutely right. I tried it and it works. It's amazing how that solution attracts the flies and drown. Thank you. (07/31/2007)

By Stainless

RE: Preventing Fruit Flies

Once you have fruit flies in your house, they are a pain to get rid of. They can also live in garbage, some house plant soil, and in recycle bins. In my school, we sometimes have a fruit fly problem in the bins where we recycle juice boxes and pop cans. We used to keep a big bin of composting earthworms, and the worst thing in that was the peel from Christmas oranges. We controlled them in that bin by keeping a toad, but that is not something you can do in your kitchen!

Fruit flies have such a short life span, that even if you kill them, with Raid, or some less poisonous method, they hatch another batch, so you have to figure out where they are breeding and living, besides in your fruit bowls.

Another place they like to infest is a bucket I keep for compost, before I put it out into the garden. If this gets infested in the winter, I just put it outside for 1/2 an hour or so, and that kills the flying ones. (07/31/2007)

By Louel53

RE: Preventing Fruit Flies

The fruit fly only lays it's eggs on 'ripening' fruit. Even if just a section of it is say bruised and starting to rot somewhat. Try to seperate that out and maybe can that or process it first (if thats what you do) That May help. (11/13/2007)

By Dutch 1962