How to get rid of fruit flies in the kitchen quickly

Home & Garden

A terrific way to maintain good health is to stick to a diet full of fruits and vegetables. But few things spoil the appetite more quickly than a cloud of flies lingering over the fruit bowl.

Sometimes it seems like these tiny pests are everywhere in the kitchen, from the bins to the sink.

Scientists say that it only takes eight to 10 days for a fruit fly egg to hatch into a fully fledged fruit fly, which can make the problem more difficult to control. Like so many other household problems, fruit fly infestations can be prevented.  Here’s how:

Clean up

Wipe down counters and eating surfaces promptly after mealtimes, leaving no food source or drink residue that might attract fruit flies.

Trap them in vinegar

In a bowl or cup, place a small amount of vinegar at the bottom. (Don’t use white vinegar, but a cider variety, such as red wine, balsamic, or apple cider vinegar.)

If you haven’t gone completely zero-waste in your kitchen yet, cover the top tightly with plastic wrap. It may also help to place a rubber band around it to make sure the plastic wrap stays in place.

Prick some small holes in the wrap. The flies will crawl in, but they won’t be able to crawl out.

Use a banana as a trap

Create the same trap as vinegar with the funnel and the jar, except using a bit of ripened banana or other fruit with or without the vinegar.

Once the flies vanish, make sure that you keep the food storage area clean and dry. Don’t leave food open. Make sure that the garbage box is cleaned regularly and there are no spills inside it.

Try the simple water and coin hack

This water and coin trick became a firm favourite a few years ago on social media when cleaning forums were filled with praise for this simple yet seemingly effective fly deterrent. 

The simple trick uses water to repel flies from entering the house. So how does it work? It’s really quite simple, working on the basis that flies have compound vision, meaning that their two eyes are essentially the equivalent of thousands of eyes so they see vast multiples of everything. The bag of water is multiplied in a fly’s eyes and will therefore appear to be a bigger body of water to repel them from approaching. 

The coins inside are added to create a prism of colour via the reflection of the water to add to the effect, to overwhelm the fly’s eyes to stop it from approaching an open window. 

Having tried this method we can attest it did appear to ward flies off from entering through the open windows, but of course, it won’t work after dark.

What you’ll need:

1 x Clear sandwich/freezer bag

A length of string

Several small coins

Water

How to make a DIY fly deterrent: 

Half-fill the clear bag with water, drop in five or six coins to sink to the bottom and seal tight.

Cut a length of string to tie the bag securely to hang inside the window frame – we suggest tying it to the handle of a top-opening window or suspending it from the blind or curtain pole above a side-opening window. 

The bag needs to be hung to ensure the light can pass through and capture the reflections of the coins inside.

Put plants near the windows

Mint and basil are commonly thought of as scents that flies dislike, meaning their presence acts as a simple repellent. 

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If you have herb plants indoors, place the pots near the open windows in an attempt to stop flies in their tracks from crossing the threshold.

“Flowers can be the best repellent of them all,” suggests Kameliya. “Nature knows how to deal with pests and has provided us with several herbs and flowers to prevent them from entering our homes.

“Just place some basil, marigold, lavender, bay leaves, or catnip around windows and doors. They will not only keep insects at bay but also beautify your surroundings. 

If you don’t have plants indoors but have a patch of mint or basil in the garden, pull a bunch of leaves and pop them in a glass to act as a vase and pop that by the window instead. “You can also plant them in your garden to keep insects even further away,” adds Kameliya.

Keep your bin smelling fresh with baking soda

Keep your bin smelling sweet to deter flies from coming inside to explore what treats await them at the bottom of the bin. Flies feast on decaying food waste and sugary substances, making the best kitchen bin an irresistible temptation. 

Keeping your kitchen bin clean and smelling fresh can eradicate the problem before it starts, as we discuss in our guide on how to get rid of fruit flies.

A simple trick to keep the bins fresh is to sprinkle a small serving of baking soda directly onto the bottom of your bin before placing a bin bag in. Discovered when cleaning with baking soda, this will help to catch any moisture should anything spill from the bin bag once it’s in use while subtly scenting the bin in the meantime. 

You could also try the viral cleaning hack of soaking cotton wool balls in your essential oils to emit a further scent that repels flies with ease. -IOL Lifestyle