Fruit flies can be really annoying. Whenever you leave your fruits in the open, like in the basket, fruit flies have to be there and they come out of nowhere; especially near bananas and apples. They are not harmful but they certainly irritate you and who would like to eat fruits on which fruit flies sit? They can also be carrier of diseases in very rare cases. Even when you put a net on the fruits, fruit flies keep buzzing over the net so there needs a permanent solution! Here are some ways to fight fruit fly invasions:
FLY TRAP
Fly trap can be placed near your fruits so that they enter the trap and don’t keep buzzing over the fruits. There are 2 methods: You can either simply pour wine in a mason jar and place a cone shaped paper on it like a funnel on it or you could simply place a film or plastic on it and poke holes using a fork. Flies are attracted to the wine fermented smell just like they are attracted to ethylene fermentation and get in the trap with no way out.
FRUIT WASHING
Fruits if washed properly can reduce the ethylene gas smell that attracts fruit flies. Ethylene gas is released by the fruit itself for natural ripening and this is the case with almost all the fruits you buy, especially bananas. Bananas release more ethylene thus attracting more fruit flies. To wash fruits, fill a large bowl with water and add vinegar to it. Mix it and place fruits in it. Now, gently rub the fruit surfaces in order to scrub away any unwanted things like pesticide film and to eradicate the gas smell. Wash under cool tap water and wipe it dry.
ANTI-FLY SPRAY
You can make an anti-fly spray using lemon essential oil and water that will keep flies away from your fruits and home as well. Simple fill a spray bottle with hot water. Add 15-20 drops of lemon essential oil and give it a very good shake. Spray it around the fruit basket, near the windows and in all the corners of kitchen. Do this whenever you7 have fruits at home. Make it a routine to spray after you dust your home.
REMOVE BREEDING GROUNDS
To completely6 get rid of fruit flies and to prevent them from coming back, you need to get rid of the breeding grounds. Throw away all the fruit packaging materials, they might contain eggs. Throw away beer or wine cans or bottles from the house. Kitchen sink drains often harbour fruit flies, since food bits can get trapped in there and start to rot. So make sure you keep the sink and garbage clean.