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How to Control Fruit Flies Infesting Your Home
It’s that time of year again in Phoenix when those pesky little fruit flies start buzzing around your kitchen. If you’ve noticed fruit flies circling your fruit bowl or hovering around your trash can, you likely have an infestation on your hands. But don’t worry – Bill’s Pest & Termite is here to help you get rid of fruit flies for good.
Identify and Remove Fruit Fly Breeding Sources
The first step is finding and eliminating their breeding source. Fruit flies are attracted to ripe, rotting, or fermenting fruits and vegetables. Carefully inspect your kitchen counters, fruit bowl, trash cans, recycling, and anywhere else food waste may be accumulating. Throw away any produce or food items that are overripe and attracting flies.
Be sure to take the trash and recycling out frequently, and rinse cans and bottles before recycling. Also check for sticky spills or drips under appliances that may breed flies. Removing their food source is key to getting rid of an infestation.
Effective Methods for Removing an Infestation
Once you’ve eliminated any attraction sources, it’s time to remove the remaining flies. Here are some of our favorite fruit fly traps and control methods:
DIY Fruit Fly Traps
One of the easiest and most effective traps is a bowl filled with apple cider vinegar, a squirt of dish soap, and some plastic wrap poked with small holes. The vinegar attracts the flies, the dish soap reduces surface tension so they sink and drown, and the plastic wrap contains them. Place bowls around your kitchen and replace the liquid every day until flies decrease.
Cup Traps
You can also set out cups filled with wine, juice, or rice vinegar around your kitchen. The flies are drawn to the smell but become trapped in the cups.
Cleaning & Sanitizing
Be diligent about taking out trash and recycling frequently to remove any lingering food waste. Also be sure to rinse recyclable cans, bottles, and containers before putting them in the recycling bin to remove any residue that could breed flies.
In addition, thoroughly clean counters and sweep floors to eliminate crumbs and wipe up any sticky spills or drips that can accumulate under appliances and become breeding grounds. Removing access to food sources is key to controlling an infestation.
Tips for Preventing Fruit Flies Infesting Your Home
Let us help Control Fruit Flies Infesting Your Home – (602) 308-4509
Prevention is vital after eliminating an infestation to ensure fruit flies don’t come back. Here are some of our top tips:
Careful Produce Storage
Be very careful about proper produce storage. Any fruits or vegetables prone to rotting should be refrigerated in sealed containers or bags. Dispose of any produce that is overripe or starting to rot immediately. Allowing produce to linger past its prime is an open invitation for fruit flies.
Clean as You Go
Get in the habit of cleaning up as you go when cooking and prepping meals. Rinse off dishes, pots, pans, cans, and bottles immediately after use to remove any food residue. Sweep up any crumbs or food bits that fall on the floor when prepping. And be sure to immediately wipe up any spills, drips or sticky spots.
Preventative Trapping
You can also use preventative traps by setting out a DIY trap or two when you have fresh produce out on the counter. Replace the vinegar/bait every 2-3 days to keep the traps effective. This will catch any stray flies before they multiply into an infestation.
Need Help Removing Fruit Flies?
By identifying and removing breeding spots quickly, managing your produce carefully, and keeping your kitchen clean, you can avoid fruit fly infestations this summer. But if they persist, call Bill’s Pest & Termite. Our technicians can fully eliminate an infestation and help prevent future ones.
Let us help Control Fruit Flies Infesting Your Home – (602) 308-4509
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