The summer months, when it gets warmer, you see them in every kitchen: fruit flies. Very annoying, so what can you do about it? Preferably, of course, in a way without chemicals and animal-friendly.
Where do fruit flies come from?
Fruit flies can smell fruits or vegetables that are rotting from afar. They also prefer alcohol and sweetened drinks. In the evening we like to drink a beer and not much later a fruit fly is already swimming in it.
Because they are so small, they can easily enter through small openings.
But you can also bring them yourself in your home. If you buy ripe fruit in the store, fruit flies may have already laid their eggs on it.
We have some tomato plants in the garden and my grandfather also has some, so in the summer we always have cattle tomatoes in the house. Then it dares to happen that one cracks or gets a rotten spot. Guaranteed that there will be a lot of flies on it.
That is no reason for me to keep the tomatoes in the fridge because that isn’t good for a tomato.
It is also possible that you still have leftovers on the dishes, they come to that too.
Prevent fruit flies
Flyscreens
Flyscreens can prevent fruit flies. But beware, even the smallest opening that is not properly closed or if it has small damage in the flyscreen can already ensure that they can enter.
Wash or refrigerate your fruits and vegetables
Since the purchased fruit can already contain eggs, you can first wash the fruit and vegetables with some baking soda in the water.
Put 1 to 2 teaspoons of baking soda in water and put your fruits and vegetables in it. Let it soak for 15 minutes and then rinse well. This is not only suitable for removing eggs, but also for removing pesticides (if you have not bought organic fruits or vegetables) on the peel.
You can also store everything in the fridge instead of putting it on the counter in your fruit bowl. I am not such a fan of that myself because it can be at the expense of the taste. Especially with tomatoes.
Cover your fruit
You can place a food cover over your fruit bowl. They may still be able to enter your house, but they cannot use the ripe fruit to lay their eggs on.
Remove leftovers or rotting fruit immediately
As soon as you have spilled some alcohol or soda, it is best to wipe it off immediately. It is also best to remove a rotting piece of fruit, the waste when you make food (peeling), leftovers of food that remain in the sink. For this, it can be useful to use a lockable compost bin, possibly one with a filter. That way you don’t have to keep walking every second to the big compost outside.
You can also use a bokashi bin to make your own compost.
Dish cloths and kitchen towels
Put away used dishcloths and kitchen towels after use. This is where they come to and they also lay eggs in it. So don’t leave used dishcloths on the counter.
What to do against fruit flies – how do you get rid of them?
You couldn’t prevent everything. There are already fruit flies in your kitchen. You might see a few yesterdays and today it is already crawling with flies. They reproduce very quickly.
Most of the solutions you come across are either not ecological or animal friendly. Products are often used with chemicals in them. Or one uses a jar with a little apple cider vinegar or beer in it at the bottom. This is then closed with plastic wrap with a hole in it.
Here it comes: my animal-friendly and ecological solution to get rid of fruit flies.
Homemade fruit trap for fruit flies
Use a glass jar. Place a piece of rotting fruit at the bottom. Now make a funnel out of a piece of paper. This way the fruit flies can get in but not out.
Another way is to put a piece of fruit in a glass jar. Make some small holes in the lid (with a nail and hammer). Screw the lid on the jar.
Because there is no liquid in it (as is usually done) they will not drown. This way you can regularly throw the piece of fruit in the compost bin.
Fruit flies reproduce very quickly and lay about a thousand eggs. Then it only takes about eight days before such a fruit fly is adult. You see how fast it can go before they are massively present.
That’s why it’s important to apply these tips as soon as possible. Make sure everything is kept clean, remove anything that starts to rot immediately, and make the fruit trap so that you can quickly put them out of the way.
Now you know what to do against fruit flies. Let me know at the bottom of this page in a comment what you thought of these tips.
