Fruit flies on a squeezed lemon wedge; see other similar pictures:
Fruit flies are pesky little creatures that are annoying, unhealthy, and mostly just plain gross. The lucky part is, once they find a source of food, they lay hundreds of eggs while eating the fermented fruit – or whatever else attracted them.
How to prevent the infestation with fruit flies
When it comes to dealing with fruit flies, the first thing to do is practice prevention, such as by removing their food sources. That means storing fresh fruit in sealed places. It is important that your kitchen stays clean and that all of your fruits are covered. You should change your tea towels and sponges regularly, while dirty dishes should be kept out of the sink and cleaned immediately or put in the dishwasher. If you wipe your counters with an all-purpose spray and a microfiber cloth, fruit flies won’t find food sources either.
More from the family craftsman
There are also many scents that fruit flies don’t like that you can use to try to keep them from settling in an area. Here are some specific scents that can help keep fruit flies at bay:
- basil
- peppermint
- eucalyptus
- Lemongrass
- lavender
- clove
How to get rid of fruit flies
If you’ve made the mistake of leaving that overripe banana on the counter, you may already be dealing with a fly frenzy in your house. But don’t worry – there are many ways to get rid of fruit flies even after they have infiltrated your home.
When pesky fruit flies invade your kitchen, reach for the apple cider vinegar to make a homemade fruit fly trap. Fruit flies cannot resist the scent of vinegar. Also, to make a traditional fruit fly trap, you will need a small bowl, plastic wrap, and a rubber band.
For an alternative fruit fly trap, you can also try mixing a few drops of dish soap in an open bowl of vinegar. As the soap reduces the surface tension of the vinegar, the fruit flies zoom in and drown.
There are other ways to attract fragrant fruit flies. When you have a small piece of red wine to spare, you can leave an open bottle on the kitchen counter. And if you have milk, sugar, and pepper on hand, you can also combine half a liter of milk with four ounces of raw sugar and two ounces of ground pepper in a saucepan. Let the mixture simmer for 10 minutes, then pour it into a shallow bowl. The flies are attracted to the meal and quickly drown in it.
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