Fruit flies: 8 tips to get rid of them in a flash
When I came back to my house recently after staying at my boyfriend’s for a while, the fruit bowl (which had by then turned brown) was full of them: fruit flies. Ugh. Gross. Throwing out the fruit and running the vacuum over it helped a little. But with these tips, you can really get rid of the little pests.
They weren’t completely gone after my first attempt, so I asked my trusted friend Google for advice. ‘Tips for dealing with fruit flies in the hospitality industry: How can you repel and control them?’ I read on Misset Horeca. Well, if anyone is going to be thorough when it comes to fighting fruit flies, it has to be the hospitality industry, so this seemed like an excellent source to share with you, supplemented with some other (and my own) research:
Tip 1: plants
I love the smell of sage, basil and lavender, but fruit flies apparently aren’t so fond of them. What am I saying: they hate them. A few plants on your windowsill will give you a lovely-smelling and fly-free home. Perfect.
Tip 2: herbs
Don’t have green fingers? Herbs such as garlic and cloves are said to work too. ‘Placing a bowl of cloves with a garlic here and there keeps the flies out,’ advises Misset Horeca. I still prefer tip 1, because just like fruit flies, I’m not particularly fond of the smell of garlic and cloves either (except in my food, of course).
Tip 3: eat it
Eat your vegetables and fruit before it’s too late. Overripe fruit and fruit with bruised spots especially attract the little pests like flies to, well, you know. Er… those other flies.
Tip 4: empty your bin regularly and clean it
The food scraps in a bin are basically McDonald’s for fruit flies. They’re lovin’ it. So empty your bin regularly and clean it afterwards too. You could even add some basil oil. Putting the bin outside can help as well.
Tip 5: cover it
Their name may suggest otherwise, but fruit flies aren’t only fans of fruit. They also like vegetables, vinegar and empty bottles containing leftover beer, wine and soda. So store everything properly and cover it as much as possible, or put it in a cool place if you have one.
Tip 6: coffee grounds
Besides everything mentioned above, these little rascals also enjoy a cup of coffee. Or rather, the leftovers, of course. Coffee grounds and old tea bags: they love them. So throw them away in time.
Tip 7: airflow
Turn on the air conditioning, run a fan or throw open the windows. Fruit flies hate drafts.
Tip 8: clean, cleaner, cleanest
Fruit flies are filthy little creatures. They don’t just like food, but also dirty cleaning cloths, mops and dishcloths. Don’t ask me why, but the acids in cleaning residue attract them. So rinse those things thoroughly after use. That’s the advice in general: clean properly. Don’t leave the dishes for too long, rinse them at the very least and keep your kitchen as clean as possible. ‘Don’t give even the smallest food scraps a chance,’ says Misset Horeca. And then you should be able to lead a relatively fruit-fly-free life.
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