Those Pesky Flies in Your Kitchen Are Probably Fruit Flies

Fruit flies are dull yellow to brown, and many have red eyes. These tiny pests lay eggs on the surface of fruit, vegetables, and fermenting organic matter. The larvae easily develop in small amounts of fermenting liquid. A sticky residue from spilled soda or juice, leftover beer in the bottom of the can, or the sticky residue in the recycling bin is all it takes. A female can lay as many as 500 eggs and their entire life cycle can take place in about ten days!

Most homeowners react with a can of bug spray spewing it all over the kitchen attempting to get rid of them. The web is filled with recipes on how to build a trap, which will no doubt catch some adults.

But true, long-term success with fruit fly control comes from finding and eliminating breeding sites!

• Complete a good inspection – find the sticky residues where larvae breed.
• If fruits and vegetables can go in the refrigerator that is the place to store them.
• Check under the kitchen mat, and clean accumulated debris, and residues.
• Clean the inside bottom of the garbage can and recycle bin.
• Pull the refrigerator away from the wall and clean the sticky spots beneath.
• Check the vegetable bin for rotted potatoes or onions and discard them.
• A wet mop or pile of dishcloths can also be a breeding source you can control.

There is no better control for fruit flies than good sanitation to remove breeding sites!

About the Author: Greg Ten Hoeve is the Technical Director of Safety at JP McHale. He has been in the pest management industry for 43 years and is in charge of the day-to-day safety operations for the fleet and personnel. Greg is also responsible for technical training, technical services, and regulatory issues.