Fruit flies are nothing but a nuisance. We'll show you how to get rid of them and how the flying pests don't even find their way into your four walls.
Whether you call the little flies in the fruit bowl fruit flies, vinegar flies, fruit flies or Drosophila melanogaster , one thing is certain: they disturb us in everyday life and are therefore so-called nuisances. This means that there is no direct harm from the fruit flies, but we still don't want to see them in our home.
Fruit flies: how to get them inside
Sometimes it feels like these flies appear out of nowhere. Unfortunately, we are often responsible for the fruit fly plague in our house. We usually bring the fruit fly eggs home from the supermarket, because they are often already on vegetables or fruit. Then they only have to hatch and you have the tormentors in your four walls. Especially by storing our fruit and vegetables incorrectly, we ourselves encourage the appearance of fruit flies.
The fruit flies also find their way into our living area through open windows and doors when they are attracted by specific smells. The smell of very ripe fruit is attractive, and the fruit flies are particularly attracted to the vinegary smell of damaged or rotten fruit and vegetables. Therefore, fruit flies are sometimes also called vinegar flies.
As soon as you have adult fruit flies in the house, they will look for fermenting substances or liquids again in order to feed themselves and lay their eggs. The fruit flies are not only annoying, but can also be responsible for our fresh fruit rotting faster. Fruit flies are so-called hygiene pests. They walk around on our food and on their breeding grounds, spreading germs. When they lay their eggs, they spread germs and rot takes hold of our fruit more quickly. In general, however, the fruit flies do not spread any germs that could be dangerous for us, although a fruit fly larva can easily become an involuntary side dish.
Keep away fruit flies and prevent pests
So you don'tcaught by a plague of fruit flies, you should pay attention to the following points:
- Check fruit after shopping
Once you have brought your fruit home from the market, check it for any bruises or injuries. The fruit flies are attracted to precisely these bruised areas. It is best to consume it immediately. - Proper storage
Keep your fruit under a cover or in the refrigerator. - Empty trash can often
Organic waste in particular, but also residual and plastic waste are breeding grounds for fruit flies. They are also attracted by the smell of the trash can. - Clean the drain thoroughly
Food leftovers and unpleasant odors don't just come from the trash can. The small flies can also multiply happily in the sink drain. - Close the dishwasher
Dirty dishes in the dishwasher can also be very attractive to fruit flies. Therefore, you should always keep it closed when there are dirty dishes in it and you don't want to turn it on yet. - Airing often
Since the fruit flies are attracted by sour, fermenting smells, it is advisable to air the apartment more often. This removes these odors from the rooms. Fly screens are very useful to prevent insects from entering during ventilation. - Be attentive
Leftovers on a plate in the sink, a forgotten apple or open bottles of drinks are enough to attract the little flies. Be vigilant and remove these items as soon as possible.
These tips should keep those little buggers at bay. The basic rule is: fermenting smells attract the little pests. Keep your surroundings clean and try to store your fruit in a sheltered place (refrigerator, hood).
Eliminate and successfully combat fruit flies
If fruit flies do appear in your home, there are a few ways to get rid of them effectively. You can buy special traps for this or try home remedies.
Fruit Fly Trap
Because fruit flies are easily attracted, various traps are available at drugstores, hardware stores, and retail stores. These traps contain an attractant, usually vinegar-based, and are completely non-toxic. This will attract the fruit flies. These liquids are not insecticides, only fragrances,designed to attract flies. There are also live traps that you simply put a piece of fruit in to attract the fruit flies.
There are also traps with glued surfaces that the flies don't stick to and also traps with small holes that the fruit flies climb in and can't find their way out of. The disadvantage of glue traps is that they can only be used once, live traps can often be used several times. You can also use yellow boards from the garden for this. The fruit flies are attracted to the yellow color and then stick to the sticky surface. The disadvantage of live traps is quickly clear. What do you do with a cup full of fruit flies? Because if you let them out, there's always a risk they'll find their way back inside.
There are also fruit fly traps for the socket available in stores. These traps usually only have a limited function in controlling fruit flies. The principle of the plug traps is that they emit UV light and thereby attract the fruit flies. The animals are either killed by an electric shock or they stick to a foil. When using these UV traps it is also important that you do not light them directly in your dining area. The dead flies then lie under the plug - not an appetizing sight in the kitchen.
Other allies in the fight against fruit flies are carnivorous indoor plants, such as the Venus Flytrap. It is best to get several of these plants and place them near the swarms of flies. The plants have sticky drops, the smell of which attracts the flies. Once the plant snaps shut and catches the fruit fly, it remains closed for a few days.
Fight fruit flies with home remedies
Often it is not necessary to buy complicated and expensive traps in the trade. You can often get rid of fruit flies effectively with home remedies and you can do it all easily with things you already have at home.
Attract fruit flies with vinegar: Put a mixture of vinegar, juice and some sugar in a bowl and add a few drops of washing-up liquid. The fruit flies are attracted to the smell. The detergent ensures that the surface tension is lower, so that the fly is then in theliquid goes down. It is best to use a yellow peel, as this color is particularly attractive to fruit flies. You can also put the liquid in a screw-top jar and poke a few holes in the lid to keep the flies from escaping. The flies will climb in and won't be able to get out.
Another bait is wine or champagne. The fruit flies are also attracted by this smell. So leave some wine in an opened (not too expensive) bottle and put it near your fruit fly infestation. The flies will climb into the bottle and either drown in the liquid or not come out.
Home remedy 1: catch fruit flies alive
You can easily make a live trap, for example. To do this, you take a glass, put a (fermenting) fruit in it and attach a paper funnel. This attracts the little flies and makes it difficult for them to escape.
Home remedy 2: vacuum up fruit flies
In the event of an acute infestation, you can intervene with the vacuum cleaner and simply suck up the swarms of fruit flies. Since the fruit flies are relatively sluggish, this method works quite well for the first fight. However, immediately empty the vacuum cleaner bag outdoors, otherwise the flies may climb out again.
Home remedy 3: Repel fruit flies with smells
Fruit flies are also deterred by the intense smell of herbs. The fruit flies are said to have a particularly bad smell of basil. How strong the repellent effect really is has not been proven, but the herb pots also look good on your windowsill. The intense smell of cloves also deters fruit flies. Scatter a few cloves on the fruit plate and you'll quickly see that the unwelcome guests avoid this area.
Fight Fruit Flies with Electric Net Bat
If you want to get rid of fruit flies forever, you can also get electric net bats. Such electric fly swatters work with batteries and generate an electrical voltage at the push of a button. They look like a tennis racket, instead of the normal net you will find wires that generate electricity. When you hit a fruit fly with this bat, you'll electrocute the insect, so be careful when using it. Especially childrenbetter not use those electric fly swatters.
Various plants can also help to repel flies. Here you will find an overview of plants against flies.