How to Get Rid of Fruit Flies: 7 Super Simple Steps

Do you have some unwanted house guests hanging around in your kitchen? If you’re looking for answers to how to get rid of fruit flies, you’ve come to the right place.

Nobody wants those pesky little fruit flies buzzing around their fresh produce or hovering over their morning cereal. The good news is there are some simple methods you can employ to get rid of them.

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Will fruit flies impact my health?

If you don’t tackle your fruit fly problem, there could be some potential health risks. The main risk occurs as fruit flies will pick up bacteria on their travels and then deposit this when they land on your fresh food. They are particularly drawn to manure and other faeces that contains harmful bacteria such as E. coli.

Female fruit flies also deposit their eggs into fresh fruit after mating and nobody wants to eat that…

How to get rid of fruit flies

1. Figure out where the flies are coming from

The first step to how to get rid of fruit flies is thinking about whether there is a central area where there’s a lot them. If they are congregating around an open food source, you should throw it out and disinfect the area. Any kitchen cleaner spray will do the job, just make sure you give everything a good scrub.

In some cases, simply finding, removing and cleaning the problem area will destroy the fruit flies’ home and drive them away.

2. Do a deep clean

Next, you’ll want to check and clean a few other common areas. Fruit flies particularly like to live in and breed in spaces that are warm and damp. Your kitchen sink drain is a key area to check and if it’s in need of a clean or unclogging, now is the time to do it! Again, a good kitchen spray should do the job along with drain unblocker.

Another common problem area tends to be your kitchen bin. Fruit flies like to lay their eggs in bins which will only make your problem worse. To tackle this area, you should empty your bin and then wipe it down using a heavy-duty cleaner e.g., bleach. After using a heavy-duty cleaner, you should ensure that your bin is completely dry before you start using it again.

3. Use rotting food against them

As their name might suggest, fruit flies love to feed on rotting fruit and you can use this knowledge to your advantage. If you have some rotten food available, put it into a disposable container and cover the top with clingfilm. Poke a few holes in the cling film and then leave your trap in the area with the most fruit flies.

The flies should be attracted to your trap and then you can dispose of them. You may need to repeat this process a few times to get them all.

4. Create a pool trap

If you can spare a little red wine, you will be able to make a pool trap to catch the fruit flies. Mix the red wine with some washing up liquid in a disposable container (those plastic ones you get from many takeaways work well). Like the food trap, you then cover the container with cling film and poke a few holes in the top. Make sure your holes are big enough for the fruit flies to get in.

When the flies get into this trap, they will get stuck to the liquid and drown. You can keep repeating this process until all the flies are gone.

5. Create a vinegar solution

A vinegar solution is also a great way to attract, trap and get rid of fruit flies. To make this solution you’ll need:

• A disposable container filled with water
• A few tablespoons of vinegar and sugar
• A few drops of washing up liquid

Once you’ve mixed your solution, you can leave it in an infested area. No cling film is necessary with this one as the flies should be attracted to the solution and will get stuck and drown when they land on the liquid.

6. Buy a fruit fly trap

If your homemade options aren’t working well enough, you may want to buy a fruit fly trap like this one. It’s got some really good reviews on Amazon (4.5 stars) and should be highly effective for up to of 3 months constant use. Plenty of time to wipe out those pesky fruit flies!

7. Hire a professional exterminator

As a last resort, you could look at hiring a professional exterminator. These will be very effective but can be costly. Hopefully, with the tips above you won’t need to resort to this option. 

How to make sure fruit flies don’t return

Now you know how to get rid of fruit flies, you’ll want to make sure they don’t return. You should:

• Ensure areas where you store food are kept clean and dry
• Don’t leave fresh food out once it’s been opened
• Regularly empty your kitchen bins
• Clean any spills inside or on your kitchen bins

It can take a little time to get rid of a fruit fly infestation. Be patient and keep cleaning and setting your traps. With these proactive steps, your kitchen will soon be pest-free.

Do you have any additional tips for how to get rid of fruit flies? Share them with us in the comments below and let us know how you get on with our suggestions.