Fruit flies or, more correctly, fruit flies (lat. Drosophila) are a genus of rather annoying animals that plague us, especially in the summer months, and multiply rapidly. These home remedies and tips will help you fight the plague.
Which home remedy helps against fruit flies?
To combat fruit flies with home remedies, set up a vinegar trap by mixing fruity vinegar, such as apple cider vinegar or balsamic, with a squirt of dish soap in a bowl. The liquid attracts flies, which drown in it.
These home remedies help against fruit flies
The annoying fruit flies have many names: fruit fly, vinegar fly or fruit fly. The last name is correct, even if the animal was popularly named after its favorite food - rotten fruit. But zoologically correct name or not: fruit flies are a nuisance, especially in the summer months. Suddenly they are there - without warning - and seem to multiply by the hour. Now good advice is expensive because: How do you get rid of the critters? The home remedies presented in the following section have proven to be very effective.
Home remedies for fruit flies with vinegar
By far the most effective home remedy against fruit flies is a vinegar trap that you set up near the creatures. They will rush in within a very short time and drown in the vinegar mixture. Then simply pour this down the drain and the flies are gone! If possible, use a fruity vinegar, such as apple cider vinegar, as fruit flies appreciate the sweet and sour component most. If you don't have one at home, you can also use balsamic vinegar. Cheaper (but just as effective) is normal brandy vinegar, which you mix with apple juice (ratio: one tablespoon of vinegar to 50 milliliters of apple juice). By the way, instead of apple juice, you can also use Cola or another sweet lemonade. And this is how the homemade fruit fly trap works:
- Take a shallow bowl.
- Fill the vinegar or the vinegar-juice mixture there.
- Add a squirt (really just a small squirt!) of dish soap.
- This lowers the surface tension and ensures that the fruit flies sink into the liquid.
- Put the bowl down and wait.
- Very important: Find and eliminate the cause of the fruit fly plague! There is more information about this in the sections below.
Fruit flies drown in a vinegar and detergent trap
Fighting fruit flies without killing them
If you don't want to kill the animals, but rather capture them alive and release them somewhere further away, perhaps this vinegar trap is something for you:
- Take a plate or bowl.
- Moist these with apple or brandy vinegar.
- Cut up some sweet fruit and put it in the bowl.
- Grapes are suitable.
- Put a piece of cling film over the bowl.
- Make a few holes in it with a needle.
- Attracted by the smell, the fruit flies find a way in.
- However, due to a lack of fragrant orientation, they can no longer find their way back.
Home remedies for fruit flies without vinegar
“If you don’t like the smell of vinegar, you can put up a carnivorous plant in the kitchen to combat fruit flies.”
Alternatively, you can also try mixtures without or with very little vinegar.
- Wine: Fill a small shot glass with (sweet) white or rosé wine, add a few drops of apple cider vinegar and a small squirt of dish soap. If the mixture does not work as hoped, change the mixing ratio. By the way, red wine also works, but the fruit flies are difficult to see in it.
- Yeast: Crumble some fresh yeast or a teaspoon of dry yeast into a bowl. Add a teaspoon of sugar. Mix the mixture with a little lukewarm water to create a milky liquid. Fill this into a thin-necked bottle and place it near the fruit flies.
- Beer: Simply leave an open bottle with some beer left in it near the pests. However, sparkling wine (also in the bottle) also works well.
- Glue trap: The classic glue trap against house flies also works very well against fruit flies. Simply attach it to a suitable location and be careful not to get caught in it.
Sticky traps also attract fruit flies
Tip
Make sure that surfaces, mixing devices, bowl edges and bottle necks are free of the mixed attractant! Otherwise the fruit flies can snack on these safe places and then escape again.
What else helps against fruit flies?
video: Youtube
You see, there are many ways to get rid of annoying fruit flies. If there are too many, you can simply vacuum them away with a vacuum cleaner (then dispose of the bag tightly closed and take it outside immediately!). Alternatively, place one or more carnivorous plants in the kitchen: These are not only decorative, but they will literally eat away the flies (and not just the fruit flies!). Unfortunately, you would need quite a few carnivorous plants to get rid of the plague. That's why the best home remedy for fighting fruit flies is to find out the cause and eliminate it as quickly as possible. Cleanliness and hygiene in the kitchen are an important step.
Excursus
Why chemical pesticides are unnecessary for fruit flies
Chemical agents against fruit flies are available commercially or many people use conventional fly or insect spray against the pests. However, you should stay away from them for various reasons: These sprays not only harm the flies, but also you, your family and your pets - the toxins they contain also have a harmful effect on other living beings. In addition, these sprays are simply not necessary, as the home remedies mentioned are much cheaper and more effective.
Where do fruit flies come from?
video: Youtube
In most cases, you unintentionally bring the fruit flies home with your shopping, for example because you bought fresh fruit. This often already contains a lot of fruit fly eggs and larvae, but these can be removed with cold or warm water. So be sure to wash all fruit thoroughly before eating! In other cases, the animals come in through the open window from outside, attracted by the seductive scent of slightly rotten fruit. Unfortunately, insect screens are of no use here because the fruit flies can still get through the mesh due to their small size.
Excursus
Fruit flies don't just lay their eggs on fruit
If you don't have a fruit basket but still have a huge fruit fly plague and are wondering about it: The tiny insects lay their eggs not only on soft fruits, but also in other places. Particularly popular items are (organic) waste containers, drains (e.g. the second drain in the sink), leftover food, open bottles or even the solids filter in your dishwasher. There are often food leftovers here, which the little animals are only too happy to use as food for their brood.
How to prevent fruit fly infestation
Cut fruit should not be left open
Every home remedy for fruit flies, no matter how good it is, helps to contain the acute infestation, but not against the actual plague. If you want to get rid of fruit flies once and for all, you definitely need to clean thoroughly.
- Clean all kitchen surfaces thoroughly. Remove any food residue stuck anywhere.
- Clean all drains and filters regularly and thoroughly.
- Don't leave fruit and vegetables lying around openly.
- Fruit baskets may look pretty, but they reliably attract fruit flies in summer.
- Take out all rubbish regularly and promptly - even if it is only small amounts!
- Fruit flies love organic and household waste and reproduce extremely diligently in it.
- Clean all garbage containers regularly and thoroughly.
- Never leave opened fruit juice packs and lemonade bottles open.
- Reseal returnable bottles and/or pack them away so that they do not smell.
Frequently asked questions
How long do fruit flies live?
A single female fruit fly lays up to 400 eggs at once, from which the tiny larvae hatch within a few days. These prefer to feed on fruit pulp and pupate after just three to five days. This phase doesn't last long either: After another three to four days, the finished fruit fly emerges from its cocoon and is sexually mature at just 24 hours old. As adults, female fruit flies can live between two and eight weeks, while males have a significantly lower life expectancy of around ten days.
Do fruit flies also come from potting soil?
Flies in potting soil are usually fungus gnats
Small flies that come out of the potting soil are usually so-called fungus gnats. These are just as tiny as fruit flies, but black, which is why they are sometimes called “black fruit flies”. In fact, it is a completely different species. You can get rid of these little animals with baking soda (not baking powder, as it usually does not contain baking soda!) or vinegar. Add both directly to the potting soil. Commercially available nematodes also help very well.
Are fruit flies dangerous?
Fruit flies are not particularly appetizing - especially if you know that you will unintentionally eat the eggs and maggots - but they are completely harmless. They don't transmit diseases, don't sting or bite, and are primarily pretty disgusting for us humans.
What do fruit flies do in winter?
Traditionally, fruit flies overwinter in the larval stage and only become active again when it gets warmer in spring - at least in the wild. Unfortunately, it is now the case that fruit fly infestations can occur all year round. This is due to the good living conditions in our warm apartments and houses as well as the fact that there is enough to eat for the animals all year round. Fruit bought in winter also contains fruit fly eggs and larvae, which then really perk up when you get home.
Tip
If you don't have any juice or lemonade at home, you can also mix 50 milliliters of sugar water with a little apple or brandy vinegar and a splash of dish soap.
