In the monsoon season, you’ll often find tiny flies roaming around in your kitchen. These flies are the fruit flies that come from the array of delectable fruits and vegetables that you relish this season. Unfortunately, the ripe delights are home to these flies. Although these flies do not cause harm to your skin, they carry various germs that can negatively impact our health. Although you can shoo away the flies with your hand, they will approach again in no time.
Fruit flies take a ride to our kitchen from the fresh groceries we bring from the market. They are minuscule and feature a reddish-brown hue. If overlooked, these flies will rapidly multiply and infest your entire household. As per the entomologists, a single female fry can lay hundreds of eggs at one time. These larvae take less than a week to multiply.
7 Hacks To Keep The Fruit Flies Away
There are several hacks to tackle the issue. It is important to maintain hygiene. In this article, we will guide you through some of the fundamental steps that you must follow to keep these flies away:
- Keep Fresh Produce Clean:
It is important to attend to the fresh produce brought from the market. Clean it thoroughly and store each item appropriately.
- Discard Any Rotten Or Overripe Fruits:
Don’t forget to overlook the rotten fruit or vegetables in your kitchen. These rotten or overripe items are the breeding grounds for these flies.
- Seal The Lid Of Your Container:
Closing the lid of the containers is a crucial practice to prevent flies from breeding in the stored food.
- Routinely Clean The Kitchen Countertop:
After using the kitchen countertop, always give it a soapy wash. Make a solution of detergent and water and spread the paste on the countertop. Rub it off with a clean cloth. This prevents the flies from infesting.
- Wash Utensils Immediately After Eating Or Cooking:
It is important to clean the utensils used for cooking or eating. Flies breed from leftover foods or food that sticks to utensils.
- Regularly Dispose Of Garbage:
Accumulated garbage provides a breeding ground for flies, allowing them to lay eggs and multiply rapidly. By promptly emptying trash bins and ensuring proper waste disposal, you disrupt the life cycle of flies and reduce their population.
- Allow Natural Light And Air To Circulate:
Sunlight and natural air prevent moisture and excess dampness from settling in the kitchen, which prevents the flies from breeding.
DIY: How To Trap And Kill Flies?
Although pest control is always an option, we recommend trying natural alternatives to avoid introducing chemical sprays into your kitchen environment. For making this, you’ll need: peels of overly ripe fruits and vegetables; apple cider vinegar (ACV); and dishwashing liquid. You can even use white vinegar instead of ACV; however, the latter is considered more effective for attracting and trapping flies.
- Take a glass jar and pour a portion of vinegar into it.
- Add the peels of fruits and vegetables.
- Add three to four drops of dishwashing liquid to the mixture.
- Cover the jar’s opening with plastic wrap and securely fasten it with a rubber band.
- Create small openings in the plastic wrap and position the jar in the corner of the kitchen.
- The scent of vinegar and fruits will allure the flies, leading them to enter through the opening. The dishwashing liquid diminishes the surface tension of the vinegar, causing the flies to sink to the jar’s bottom. This is an effective method, and you must try it at home.