How long can a fruit fly survive in the refrigerator?
Wonderful, that warm weather—but such a shame about those annoying fruit flies. Before you know it, an entire colony is flying around your kitchen and your fruit bowl is full of them. Sometimes they even end up in your refrigerator. But how do they actually get there? And how long do the flies survive among the chilled food?
Summer fly
The reason you see many more fruit flies in summer than in winter is that at higher temperatures, the eggs develop into flies more quickly. In addition, a fruit fly’s lifespan in summer is about a month. As soon as it gets colder, its lifespan is reduced by one to two weeks, so you will see them less often. A cold refrigerator is therefore not exactly a suitable place for the flies to survive.
How, then?
But how does a fly end up in the refrigerator in the first place? It does not happen often, but when they do end up in the refrigerator, it is probably because the mother fly has left her eggs on an overripe piece of fruit, which you then put in the refrigerator. And we are not talking about two or three eggs, but between fifty and one hundred! So it could easily happen that you have a fruit fly invasion in no time. Ugh.
They probably will not last long there because of the cold temperature; after about a day, they die. But of course, you want to get rid of them in a flash, both inside and outside the refrigerator. You can do that with these 8 tips!
Also read:
- How a single fruit fly can ruin your entire bottle of wine
- Eggs: in the refrigerator or outside it?
- Tried and tested: tips for preventing refrigerator odors
