How to Eliminate Fruit Flies

Fruit flies are small flies found in large numbers, especially during the summer season. Not only are they extremely annoying, but they also contaminate fruits and other foods. Hence, eliminating fruit flies becomes necessary. Get to know how to eliminate fruit flies through the following article.
How to Eliminate Fruit Flies
What are fruit flies? Where do fruit flies come from? How do these annoying little creatures look? How do we eliminate fruit flies? If these are the questions buzzing in your brain, then you've reached the right place for the answers. There are many species of this insect, but the most commonly found species is the Drosophila species. These flies are always found around fruits, and that is the reason why they are called fruit flies. They are also called vinegar flies, as they get attracted towards vinegar. Fruit flies are smaller than normal flies, and have red eyes, so it is easy to recognize them.

Cleanliness First

Fruit flies are different from flies in some ways, but all said and done, they are flies after all. They are attracted to fruits, and they breed on moisture and dirt. So, it is important to maintain cleanliness everywhere in the house. Dispose all rotten or over-ripe fruits and get rid of leaking faucets and damp cloths. Remember to empty your dustbins before they start overflowing, and avoid leaving any leftover food in the sink, as all these places are breeding grounds of fruit flies. Also, keep in mind, fruit flies reproduce at an exceptionally fast rate - they can lay around five hundred eggs, all of which hatch in just thirty hours! So, try to maintain cleanliness so that you don't have to bother about how to eliminate fruit flies.

How to Get Rid of Fruit Flies?

Fruit flies are found everywhere, right from restaurants to homes, but the ways of eliminating fruit flies are the same for every place. These are home remedies for fruit flies elimination which are simple. So here is the answer to the much coveted question 'How to eliminate fruit flies?'

Glass Trap: You get ready-made glass traps in the market, but making a glass trap is easy, so you don't really need to buy one. Fill a glass with red wine and do not touch the wine after it is poured into the glass, as this can break the surface tension. Keep the glass near the breeding ground of the fruit flies like, under the sink, near the gas stove, near fruits etc. Leave the glass of wine overnight, and in the morning you will find the surface of the glass full of dead fruit flies. This is because fruit flies get attracted to the sweet taste of wine and then, get drowned in it. Repeat the same procedure for three days. After three days, there won't be any fruit flies in your house.

Bowl Trap: Another trap that you can use is the bowl trap. Take a bowl and put a ripe banana without skin inside the bowl. Cover the bowl with a paper and fasten it around with a rubber band, as you should have a flat surface on the bowl. After this, take a needle and make holes in the paper. Leave this bowl overnight. The smell of the banana will definitely bring the flies to the bowl. And once they enter the bowl, they will get trapped in the bowl and won't be able to escape.

Hair Dryer: Using a hair dryer is an easy way of answering the question on how to eliminate fruit flies. All you have to do is, switch on the hair dryer and face the back end of it near the flies. All the fruit flies get sucked in it because of the vacuum. This technique will be more effective if you first bait the flies by keeping some fruit nearby, and then switch on the dryer.

Apple Cider Vinegar: Vinegar has innumerable uses, and getting rid of fruit flies is one of them. Use apple cider vinegar instead of white vinegar, as white vinegar is not effective on fruit flies. Simply put apple cider vinegar in a bowl, add dish soap or detergent, and stir the mixture, as this will lead to bubble formation. In fact, we add dish soap because it helps maintain the surface tension, and thus, the fruit flies get caught in the bubbles. If there are too many fruit flies, repeat the procedure for some days.

I hope you have got an answer to the question 'how to eliminate fruit flies?'. Besides these remedies, electronic fly traps or cedar wood are also said to work effectively. There are also some traditional ways to get rid of fruit flies, like, by hanging a fly paper (but fly papers are poisonous and ugly, so it is better to avoid them). The bottom line is, if you keep your house spic and span, there won't be any need of eliminating fruit flies because there won't be any fruit flies!

By Girija Shinde
Published: 10/29/2009
 
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