How to Get Rid of Fruit Flies

How to Get Rid of Fruit Flies

Placing all fruit and vegetables in the refrigerator and thoroughly cleaning all counters, tables, and cutting boards is the first step in killing off a fruit fly infestation. Trash cans should be clean and have airtight lids. Food in cupboards and pantries should be kept in airtight containers. Standing water behind kitchen faucets should be kept cleared and drains and garbage compactors should be kept clean of sticky debris and bacteria. While fruit flies normally infest fruit, because they are attracted to sugary food sources they are also capable of breeding in liquid such as soda or alcohol, so keeping spills cleaned up and glasses rinsed out is yet another line of defense against the fruit fly.

Finding the Breeding Spot and Trapping the Rest

Fruit flies keep coming until every breeding spot is gone, so start with a hunt:

• Check the bottom of potato and onion bins, fruit bowls and produce drawers for anything soft or leaking.
• Rinse recycling, especially beer, wine, juice and soda containers.
• Look under the refrigerator, dishwasher and stove for spilled juice or rotting food, and empty the refrigerator drip pan.
• Replace or sanitize sour mop heads, sponges and dish rags.
• Scrub sink drains with a stiff brush to remove the slimy film, then flush with hot water.

Once the sources are gone, catch the remaining adults with a simple trap: a small jar of apple cider vinegar, or a splash of wine, with a drop of dish soap to break the surface tension. Traps reduce adults but won’t end an infestation on their own.

Common mistakes include spraying flies in the air while the source keeps producing more, and pouring bleach down a drain, which rinses past the film where larvae live instead of removing it. Because a new generation can develop in roughly a week in warm weather, expect a few flies for a week or two after cleanup.

When flies persist, a professional inspection looks for hidden sources such as floor drains, cracked grout, broken drain lines and spaces under heavy appliances, then recommends sanitation fixes, with targeted treatment and follow-up where needed. If the flies run across surfaces more than they fly, compare them with our humpback fly page.