How To Get Rid Of Fruit Flies In South Africa
Overview
Fruit flies hate clean surfaces. But if you’ve cleaned countertops and scrubbed every surface and you’re still seeing fruit flies, we’ve researched several effective ways to become fruit fly-free in no time, from all-natural remedies using vinegar and other household items to chemical sprays that will eliminate them for good. Fruit flies often infest homes with ripe, rotting, or decayed fruit and produce. They also enjoy fermented items such as beer, liquor, and wine. Fruit flies also may breed and develop in drains, garbage disposals, trash cans, and mop buckets.
How To Get Rid Of Fruit Flies In South Africa
1. Clean all surfaces. The first (and perhaps easiest) step to eliminating fruit flies is quite simple: Thoroughly wipe down all countertops. Keep sink drains free of food particles and residue as best you can. If you don’t, these spots become the perfect place for fruit flies to breed.
2. Throw out too-ripe or rotting produce. Check all fruits and vegetables for rot, decay, or over ripeness. Dispose any questionable pieces to avoid female fruit flies from laying their eggs on these surfaces.
3. Use apple cider vinegar. Fill a bowl or glass with apple cider vinegar, cover with plastic wrap, seal the edges with a rubber band, and poke tiny holes in the top. The vinegar will attract the fruit flies, and once they’re inside, they won’t be able to escape the plastic wrap barrier.
4. Mix apple cider vinegar and dish soap. Fill a bowl with vinegar and add a drop of dish soap, mixing well. The stale sweetness of the apple cider vinegar tempts flies, and the dish soap works to decrease the surface tension of the liquid, causing the flies to become immersed immediately upon investigating the solution and unable to escape.
5. Try beer or wine. Leave a bottle of old wine or beer out near where the fruit flies were spotted. They’ll be lured in by the stale beverage, but the narrow neck of the bottle acts as a natural barrier to keep them trapped.
Frequently Asked Questions(FAQs)
What is the fastest way to get rid of fruit flies in South Africa?
Fill a microwave-safe bowl with apple cider vinegar and a few drops of dish soap. Microwave the bowl so the mixture becomes even more aromatic. Leave the bowl out uncovered as fruit fly bait. The soap will reduce the surface tension, causing any fruit fly that lands on the surface to drown.
Are fruit flies harmful?
Fruit flies are known for their small size, red eyes and brown bodies. These pests are not harmful on their own, but they can be indicative of unsanitary household conditions.
How long until fruit flies go away?
Dispose the flies and repeat daily, if necessary. If you don’t have apple cider vinegar on hand, try white vinegar with a sprinkle of sugar. The sugar-dish soap combo can last up to 14 days. Quick tip: Make a few traps and place them near the problem areas, typically kitchen counters, trash cans, and garbage disposals.
Do fruit flies turn into house flies?
Immature flies (larvae) are legless and may live in drains, standing water, rotting foods, potting soil, or garbage. Smaller house-infesting flies include drain flies, fruit flies, phorid flies, and fungus gnats.
Where do fruit flies hide in the house?
In drip pans under the refrigerator. In sink or floor drains. Under kitchen appliances where fruit juice or vegetable juices may have spilled. Around or under loose floor or counter tiles.
How do you get rid of a lot of fruit flies in your house?
Boil white vinegar or just plain boiling water and then pouring them into shower, kitchen and bathroom drains are both great ways to rid your home of fruit flies.
What causes lots of fruit flies?
Fruit flies are mainly attracted to moist, fermenting fruits and vegetables. However, they are also drawn to things such as drains, garbage disposals, empty bottles and cans, trash bags, cleaning rags and mops. Essentially, they are drawn to food waste and moist environments.
Why do fruit flies keep coming back?
They’re attracted to fermented waste: Sinia says you’ll frequently find fruit flies lingering near “ripened fruits and vegetables, moist fermenting or decaying organic matter, as well as dirty mop heads and buckets.” They also congregate near discarded beverage containers and recycling bins.
Where do fruit flies come from all of a sudden?
Infestations have to start somewhere. Fruit flies move into kitchens, bathrooms, and basements if they sense a food source. Overripe fruit on the counter or any fermenting matter in drains, mops, and trash bins appeals to them. Unsuspecting homeowners may also bring these pests inside on garden crops.
How do I get rid of little flies in my kitchen?
Cover the glass with plastic wrap. Secure the plastic wrap with a rubber band and poke small holes in the top. Flies will be attracted to the vinegar in the glass and will fly through the holes. However, the dish soap causes the flies to sink instead of being able to land on the vinegar.
Why won’t fruit flies go away?
However, your problem won’t go away when the adult flies die away. If conditions like moisture (in your sink, via juice from rotten fruit, or even due to humidity), decaying food, and dirty drains continue, so will your fruit fly issue, Baldwin explains.
The average natural life span of fruit fly adults in optimal temperatures is 40 to 50 days. Female fruit flies are capable of mating and laying several batches of eggs in that time, allowing the fruit fly population in a home to multiply quickly. The life span of the fruit fly is heavily influenced by temperature.
Do fruit flies turn into house flies?
Immature flies (larvae) are legless and may live in drains, standing water, rotting foods, potting soil, or garbage. Smaller house-infesting flies include drain flies, fruit flies, phorid flies, and fungus gnats.