Where Do Fruit Flies Come From?
Summary: Fruit flies are common pests of kitchens, but where do fruit flfies come from? The short answer is that fruit flies breed in any forgotten place where food material has slipped between cracks to decompose or where fruit has been left out too long.
James R; Johnstown, PA asks: I getting a lot of fruit flies in my kitchen during the summer. Where do fruit flies come from?
Dear James: To answer your question, "Where do fruit flies come from?", my suggestion would be that the fruit flies are coming in to your home on the fruits and vegetables that you are bringing in from the garden, grocery store or farmer's market. It's very common for this to occur during the warm summer weather.
Wash your fruits and vegetables when you bring them into the house. You can use a product like Veggie Wash if you are worried about removing waterproof pesticides. Or, refrigerate them. Either way, you want to remove the breeding source for the flies.
Ripe, soft fruits like bananas, peaches, pineapple and strawberries are some of the most frequent breeding sources for fruit flies. Once you remove the
 Fruit fly on bowl |
breeding source the fruit flies will be gone within hours. They have a very short life span so you won't see lots of breeding adult flies if they have nothing to eat or nothing to lay their eggs in.
A quick shot of any flying insect killer like Raid Flying Insect Killer will also do the trick for the adult flies. But, if you don't get rid of the breeding source you'll have the flies back in full force within a day or so.
Comments
Brenda Eisenberger
28 Jul 2008, 13:30
28 Jul 2008, 13:30
I have a problem with fruit flies in and near my bird cage only in the
summer months. What is a safe and effective way to rid of them and keep
them at bay?
Ask The Exterminator
28 Jul 2008, 13:57
28 Jul 2008, 13:57
Clean, clean and clean. Any type of "filth" fly, including fruit flies,
love decomposing matter. When the birds do their "business" it creates an
environment conducive to fly development.
Do not allow moisture to accumulate at the bottom of the cage. Freshen water supplies often. Vacuum spilled seed.
If you are feeding your pets fruit, be sure to wash it before putting it in their cage. Fruit flies are especially active in warm months and can easily be brought indoors on vegetables and fresh fruits.
Do not allow moisture to accumulate at the bottom of the cage. Freshen water supplies often. Vacuum spilled seed.
If you are feeding your pets fruit, be sure to wash it before putting it in their cage. Fruit flies are especially active in warm months and can easily be brought indoors on vegetables and fresh fruits.
Mike Renna
09 Oct 2008, 16:45
09 Oct 2008, 16:45
You say the breeding source is the bananas / fruit. Are they (the eggs,
laid on the skin of the bananas when in the field?) coming into the house
on the fruit? Or they just grow on the bananas after coming in from some
other way?
Ask the Exterminator
09 Oct 2008, 17:15
09 Oct 2008, 17:15
Fruit flies like ripe or rotting fruit. If you bring home bruised fruit
from the market it is possible it will carry breeding fruit flies.
Most times, fruit flies simply find their way inside via opening and closing doors. They are highly sensitive to smells of decaying fruit and are attracted from distances.
Most times, fruit flies simply find their way inside via opening and closing doors. They are highly sensitive to smells of decaying fruit and are attracted from distances.
walt
26 Oct 2008, 21:08
26 Oct 2008, 21:08
put a 1/2 cup of cider vineger with a drop of detergent in it and you will
kill your pests. The cider will attract them and the detergent will make it
so the surface of the liquid will not hold them.
Jennifer
09 Feb 2009, 20:23
09 Feb 2009, 20:23
For the past 2 months i have had fruit flies flying around my apt. I find
atleast 100 by my patio door, and need to vacuume them up once a week. I
have cleaned my apt and found nothing "rotting" and I have not bought fruit
or veggies. But they still wont go away. Any ideas? its grossing me out.
Ask the Exterminator
15 Feb 2009, 17:15
15 Feb 2009, 17:15
I'm betting they are not fruit flies. Sounds a lot like fungus gnats to
me.
Some apartments still have window air conditioning units. Check the filter to make sure it is clean. The filter is often a breeding spot.
Check sliding glass doors to be sure moisture is not collecting in the guide track.
Allow your plants to dry out. Over-watered planting soil can breed fungus gnats.
Look under your kitchen sink to be sure there are no leaks. Some construction uses partical board in cabinets and wet particle board can get moldy. A perfect environment for gnats.
Some apartments still have window air conditioning units. Check the filter to make sure it is clean. The filter is often a breeding spot.
Check sliding glass doors to be sure moisture is not collecting in the guide track.
Allow your plants to dry out. Over-watered planting soil can breed fungus gnats.
Look under your kitchen sink to be sure there are no leaks. Some construction uses partical board in cabinets and wet particle board can get moldy. A perfect environment for gnats.
Marianne
15 Jun 2009, 12:19
15 Jun 2009, 12:19
For the past 2-3 months I have had what I think is fruit flys in my
apartment. I read your response to another e-mail and you said they might
be fungus gnats. We have central air conditioning, can they breed in there?
Do they look similar to fruit flys? They are definitely attracted to fruit
and food. I have tried everything, cleaning everywhere, eliminating all
sources, cider vinegar, etc. They keep coming back. How do I know what I
have and do I have to have a professional come in and look at bugs?
Ask the Exterminator
16 Jun 2009, 18:16
16 Jun 2009, 18:16
Fungus gnats can breed in the filter system of any AC system. The filters
get wet and mold develops. Ask your HVAC company about the possibility of a
leak.
Val
14 Jul 2009, 08:44
14 Jul 2009, 08:44
my co-worker drags in old fruit in which carries in fruit flies ... he is
convinced that it's the plant on another co-workers desk - this idiot is
dead wrong. he does have issues with owning up to anything. rock on ed -
Sergio
15 Jul 2009, 16:32
15 Jul 2009, 16:32
I don't know if what we have is fruit flies or some other kind. We forgot
to take the trash out on a 4 day trip. When we came back there were
maggots in the carpet near the trash. We think we killed and remove most
if not all of them. We have not seen any more. However, a few days later
we had some 30 flies and then today another 30 or so after an uneventful
night. Is there any end to this? We don't really see the flies coming out
of the carpet so where are they coming from? Any treatment or ideas to
stop this for good?
Ask the Exterminator
16 Jul 2009, 08:41
16 Jul 2009, 08:41
Getting the flies identified will tell you where they are breeding. Take a
couple of flies to a local exterminator for an ID.
Tara
02 Aug 2009, 13:26
02 Aug 2009, 13:26
Please help! We have had what we think are fruit flies for a few months
now. Their tiny but from what I can tell they have red eyes and are
slightly humpbacked. I see the majority of them near the kitchen sink or
kitchen window. I have done LOADS or research and we have taken apart all
of the drains and cleaned them. We have also used a drain gel. They seem to
go away for a day or two after, and then they are back. We have even
stopped our sinks with the rubber stoppers for a few days to make sure
nothing can come up from the drains. They still seem to be around, so does
that eliminate drains from being the source? Also checked the overflow
drain.
I have checked fridge pans, cupboards for rotting food, we have sealed off windows to eliminate the possibility of them coming from outside. I have looked everywhere and still can't find the source.
Am I missing something? There does seem to be fewer but not completely gone. They are bugging...every time I cook something on the stove they hover around and sometimes get into whatever I am cooking. I have found them in our sack of bread. Must have flown in while making a sandwich and didn't realize it before sealing it up. Really annoying...
Any suggestions?
I have checked fridge pans, cupboards for rotting food, we have sealed off windows to eliminate the possibility of them coming from outside. I have looked everywhere and still can't find the source.
Am I missing something? There does seem to be fewer but not completely gone. They are bugging...every time I cook something on the stove they hover around and sometimes get into whatever I am cooking. I have found them in our sack of bread. Must have flown in while making a sandwich and didn't realize it before sealing it up. Really annoying...
Any suggestions?
Ask the Exterminator
03 Aug 2009, 10:39
03 Aug 2009, 10:39
Summer brings fruit flies. They reproduce rapidly and can be brought in via
fruits and veggies that you purchase from the store. They breed in any food
source including those hard-to-get-at spots on the sides of your stove or
those grease splatters on the wall at the back of the range. Don't forget
the entire gasket around the door of the refrigerator.
A dirty broom or sour mop head can breed these flies. Un-rinsed pop or beer bottles are a breeding spot. If it's food or contact with food, it's a breeding spot.
A dirty broom or sour mop head can breed these flies. Un-rinsed pop or beer bottles are a breeding spot. If it's food or contact with food, it's a breeding spot.
Lisa Wolk
10 Aug 2009, 23:27
10 Aug 2009, 23:27
I get fruit flies every summer. I know it's from the fruit I bring in from
the store. I wash them and leave them in a bowl ready for the kids to grab.
I then start to get the flies. So, I use fly traps and they work wonders. I
put one up above the bowl, hanging from the ceiling and one above the
garbage can. I know they are ugly looking, but they work great. It gets rid
of them every time and they're cheap. Just thought I would give some advise
to anyone asking.
Good luck.
Good luck.
Questionable
28 Sep 2009, 15:03
28 Sep 2009, 15:03
I am experiencing a fruit fly infestation. I am disliking it very much. I
do not know where they came from, I do not buy many vegetables, nor fruits.
When I do they are refridgerated, but washed off before hand. Nothing is
left out on the counter, dishes are always done and the garbage is always
taken out. It just seems like they're multiplying and multiplying. They're
not only in my kitchen, they're in my closets, bathroom and bedrooms. I am
going to have to use raid to get rid of them, but i hate the thought of
having to wash everything down after wards. Is there anyway I can get rid
of these easier than spraying raid throughout my apartment?
Florence Robinson
18 Oct 2009, 13:33
18 Oct 2009, 13:33
I represent a group of people that like to know.
I dried pears yesterday. I had no fruit flies before and after (I threw out-side all the peelings and core) today I have a house full of fruit flies. I am convinced the flies must have had the eggs in the fruit. Beautiful sprayed fruit from my yard!
No rotten or spoiled fruit in my house!
I dried pears yesterday. I had no fruit flies before and after (I threw out-side all the peelings and core) today I have a house full of fruit flies. I am convinced the flies must have had the eggs in the fruit. Beautiful sprayed fruit from my yard!
No rotten or spoiled fruit in my house!
james collins
06 Nov 2009, 15:39
06 Nov 2009, 15:39
My home is infested with fruit lies how do I get rid of them? I've gotten
rid of all the garden vegetables.
bailey
11 Nov 2009, 01:17
11 Nov 2009, 01:17
Hey there! We are a non-drinking of alcohal of ANY sort. However, we were
told to buy some very cheap wine and sit the (half full) bottle on the
center of the kitchen table. It would attract the fruit flies, and they
can not make their way out of the bottle. We have noticed that most of
them migrate to the bottle and we manage to catch them and shake them up in
the bottle. (Sorry if this offends anyone) But, we have never had this
problem and I HATE those flies! Good Luck
elsie
15 Nov 2009, 19:11
15 Nov 2009, 19:11
I have this infesttion of very small black flies. I've noticed them mostly
on the ceiling above and around the lights. They are mostly in the kitchen
my den (which is open to the kitche). I have never seen them before. I
have used Raid to kill but they come right back. What are they and how do I
get rid of them. I thought they were friut flies but I have had fruit on
the counter and never seen them before. Please help me.