The annoying fruit flies become a nuisance within a very short time. They sit everywhere in the apartment and infest food. In the summer months the animals spread out en masse. At least the cold season offers a short break. But what helps against vinegar flies?
How do I get rid of vinegar flies effectively?
To get rid of vinegar flies, make a trap with a liquid such as wine, fruit juice or vinegar and dish soap, cover it in a bowl and poke several holes in it. To do this, you should remove bad or cut fruit and close the compost container tightly.
What to do against vinegar flies?
The first aid against fruit flies is to use a vacuum cleaner. If you slowly approach the insects sitting on the wall, you can easily vacuum them up. This allows you to quickly get rid of the majority of insects. In order to remove the escaped flies, you should use various means.
Build a trap
Take a small bowl or glass and fill it with a liquid or fermenting fruit such as grapes. Pull plastic wrap over the opening. Poke several holes in the foil with a nail. These serve as entry openings. The insects find their way inside easily because the aromas only flow out of the openings. This way you can easily catch and eliminate the annoying flies because they can no longer escape the trap.
| Effect | Advantage | |
|---|---|---|
| denture cleaner | repels vinegar flies | more pleasant than the smell of vinegar |
| Erythritol | attracting, paralyzing, killing | not harmful to he alth |
| Tomato leaves | chilling aroma | no odor nuisance |
Flytrap with wine
Fill a shot glass with white wine and add a few drops of dish soap to reduce surface tension. A little apple cider vinegar ensures an even stronger attraction. Place the jar near the fruit baskets. The liquid gives off a more intense smell than the fruit, so the insects fly to the shot glass. If they try to settle, the insects will drown.
Variations:
- fruit juice
- Beer
- Champagne
Yeast milk
Let a quarter of a fresh yeast cube dissolve in lukewarm water and stir in a teaspoon of sugar. When the milky liquid sits in a warm place, fermentation begins. Pour the milk into a bottle and place it in the kitchen.
The fruit flies are magically attracted to the scent and fly into the narrow neck of the bottle from which they cannot find their way out again. When no more bubbles form and fermentation stops, you can always feed the yeast with a little sugar. If there are too many vinegar flies in the liquid, replace them completely.
Carnivorous plants
Carnivorous plants “eat” vinegar flies, but they cannot destroy a pest
Venus flytrap, butterwort and sundew are ideal plants for the bright windowsill in the kitchen and living room. The carnivores do not grow too large and are relatively easy to care for if the water balance is right. Since the plants have a limited absorption capacity, they cannot kill large numbers of vinegar flies.
It usually takes several days until an insect has been digested and the plant can invest energy in the production of digestive secretions again. Therefore, carnivorous plants are suitable as a preventive measure against the spread of fruit flies. You can contain the population right from the start and prevent the insects from multiplying uncontrollably.
Large-leaved and vigorous species:
- Drosera: D. capensis, D. spatulata, D. aliciae
- Pinguicula: 'Sethos', 'Tina', 'Weser'
- Dionaea: 'Crocodile', 'Akai Ryu', 'Bimbo'
Excursus
Natural trap – This is how carnivores catch their prey
Sundew and butterwort produce aromas that magically attract vinegar flies. As soon as the insects land on the sticky leaves, they are trapped and can no longer escape. The Venus flytrap has developed a different catching mechanism. As soon as an insect sits on the red glowing leaves, fine hairs are touched and deformed. This sends the signal that the flap must close.
Once the carnivores have caught their prey, a secretion ensures digestion. The fruit flies will decompose over the next few days, leaving the indigestible chitin shell behind. These remains dissolve over time.
Drive away from the cake
Vinegar flies are also attracted to fruit on cakes and other baked goods. Since a trap near food is not only repulsive but also appears unhygienic, you can use another trick.
This deters vinegar flies:
- Halve the lemon
- Crumble the cloves into the pulp
- Distribute lemon halves between cake plates
- Use fresh lemon every two to three days
Identifying vinegar flies
Drosophila melanogaster, the most common fruit fly in our country, has red eyes
Fruit flies are a family also known as fruit flies. A common species that prefers to be close to humans is Drosophila melanogaster. This insect is about three millimeters long and can be recognized by its yellow-brown shell and red compound eyes. The species, originally from the tropics, has spread worldwide thanks to humans and overwinters in houses.
| Black-bellied fruit fly | Cherry vinegar fly | |
|---|---|---|
| scientific | Drosophila melanogaster | Drosophila suzukii |
| Size | approx. 2.5mm | approx. 2 to 3.5mm |
| Special feature | Male with dark colored abdomen | Male with dark spot on wing tips |
Tip
Vine flies prefer citrus fruits to lay their eggs. Therefore, you should dip open lemons and oranges in a vinegar bath.
Sad gnats and fruit flies
Behind the fungus gnats there is a family that is only distantly related to the fruit flies. It belongs to the suborder of mosquitoes, while vinegar flies are classified in the suborder of flies. The larvae of these small black flies develop in the potting soil. The females lay their eggs on bare substrate so that the larvae can bore into the protected soil. They feed on plant roots. Fungus gnats like a humid and warm microclimate.
The small black flies that come out of the potting soil should not be confused with vinegar flies.
Drilling flies and fruit flies
Drilling flies have yellowish-green eyes
Drill flies are a family more closely related to fruit flies, for which the German common name fruit flies has also become established. These flies have strikingly marked wings and lay their eggs with a drilling stinger in parts of plants and fruit. Some species cause significant damage to fruit growing. However, they are not considered pests in private households.
Where do vinegar flies come from?
Fruit flies buzz around the compost heap in the warm summer months or look for overripe fruit in the garden. They are attracted by sweet smells and enter the apartment through open windows. But you often bring vinegar flies home with your shopping bag.
Fruit flies occur here:
- on overripe and damaged fruit
- in supermarkets with openly stored food
- on the compost
Life cycle and development
The females can lay up to 400 eggs, which they attach to ripe to rotten parts of plants. In this way, the larvae that hatch later are supplied with food. They feed on dead plant remains, rotten fruit and microorganisms such as yeast and bacteria, which decompose the fruit.
During their development, they go through three larval stages before pupating. Depending on environmental conditions, development takes ten to 14 days, meaning fruit flies can develop several generations per year. In this way they quickly become a nuisance in the kitchen.
How can I prevent an infestation?
Since vinegar flies thrive in a warm and windless environment, you should ventilate rooms thoroughly and regularly. Leftover food that settles in niches behind the oven or next to the refrigerator serves as a food source for fruit flies. Therefore, you should clean such corners well. Wash all fruit thoroughly, even if it has no damage or contamination.
You should pay attention to this:
- Avoid contaminated fruit and vegetables when buying
- store fruit and vegetables in the refrigerator in warm summer
- Wipe off sticky residue from spilled drinks packs
- Store organic waste in closed containers and dispose of it regularly
Tip
The eggs need moisture so that larvae hatch from them. Therefore, do not leave any food open.
Frequently asked questions
What can you do against vinegar flies?
As the name suggests, vinegar flies are attracted to vinegar. Set up a container that you fill with a mixture of vinegar, dish soap and wine or fruit juice. Cover the trap with cling film and poke a few holes in it. The fruit flies will find their way to the liquid, but will no longer be able to get out of the container.
These smells are off-putting:
- dried olive herb
- fresh tomato leaves
- crumbled cloves
Where do fruit flies live?
The females lay their eggs on rotten parts of plants and fermenting fruit so that the larvae that hatch later find enough food. Unlike fungus gnats, they do not live in the potting soil. The insects prefer a warm and windless environment. They need moisture to lay their eggs. Leftovers from spilled beverage cartons are enough to make a living. The insects spend the winter as pupae in food scraps or compost.
How can I recognize vinegar flies?
The insects are two to three millimeters long. Females are usually slightly larger than males. They are recognizable by their typically red-colored compound eyes. Their bodies shimmer from yellowish-brown to reddish, with males of some species having a dark colored abdomen. Other fruit flies have a dark spot on the tip of their wing. The eggs cannot be seen with the naked eye.
Do commercial fly traps help against fruit flies?
Many products are efficient ways to combat fruit fly infestations. They use liquids that act as attractants. The flies are caught in a container using a funnel. However, you can build such traps yourself using simple means to save money. An empty wine bottle with small residues is enough to catch fruit flies.