Anyone who enjoys keeping fresh fruit in their kitchen is likely all too familiar with the household scourge that is the fruit fly. These pests show up en masse and before you know it, you can go from one fly to a full scale infestation. Anyone who has ever left fruit out on the counter over a long vacation is probably all too familiar with this. Because of their ability to appear almost by magic and out of nowhere, one of the most common questions we get from our customers and friends is: how long does it take for fruit flies to appear? The answer is, it depends. Fruit flies can enter your home a few different ways, which we will talk about here!
How long does it take fruit flies to appear after I buy fruit?
This is one of the most popular questions we hear. It seems that a lot of people think that fruit flies begin hunting your fruit as soon as you bring it home from the grocery store. This is not necessarily true. There are a couple of ways fruit flies can enter your home to attract your fruit. The first is the most common method. As your fruit ripens, it begins to ferment. This creates an odor which fruit flies are highly attuned to, and can smell from far away. Like sharks smelling blood in the water, they will come from a distance, find their way into your home, and begin feasting on your fruit and laying eggs to increase their numbers. Because fruit flies can go from egg to adult in 8 days, before you know it, you could have a full blown infestation on your hands.
Another way fruit flies can enter your home is on the fruit itself! Sometimes, there are already fruit flies or fruit fly larvae on the fruit you get from the grocery store. These flies wait until the fruit juices start to ferment, and then get in and feast. To help avoid this, make sure to wash all fruit thoroughly once you get it home, to clean of any unfriendly pests who may be hitching a ride.
How can I get rid of fruit flies?
So the fruit flies have found you! Now, you have to get rid of them. Unfortunately, due to their size they can be hard to simply swat at to kill. You can always contact our Clegg’s team for help, but there are also a variety of popular traps you can set with household ingredients to kill the pests. The first step is always to throw out the fruit that is attracting them. This will prevent more flies from coming into your home.
To kill the fruit flies buzzing around, you can use one of our favorite and most effective home remedies, the apple cider vinegar trap. Take a small glass you don’t mind using, or a plastic cup, and put about 1-2 cups of apple cider vinegar in it. Then, add 3-4 drops of dish soap to the vinegar. This will allow the flies to sink once they fly in. As a final option, you can cover the top with plastic wrap. If you do so though, poke or cut plenty of large holes in the plastic wrap so the flies can get in. They will flock to your trap because of the apple cider vinegar, fly in, get trapped, and die. Boom! Fruit fly problem gone. We have found this to be a very effective method.
Still having a problem with fruit flies or something more serious? Call Cleggs!
If you are still having a problem with fruit flies though, you can call our Clegg’s team at (888) MRCLEGG to speak to one of our pest control heroes about how we can help. Whether you have flies, ants, roaches, termites, bed bugs, or something else that crawls, our Clegg’s Pest Control team of experts are here to help!
