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?
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
Tara
02 Aug 2009, 13:26
02 Aug 2009, 13:26
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.
gary
21 Dec 2009, 18:17
21 Dec 2009, 18:17
put a piece of bannana in a pop or juice bottle and keep the lid handy in a
few hours put the lid on most of the gnats will be in the bottle do this a
few times and they will be gone
tina
23 Apr 2010, 17:40
23 Apr 2010, 17:40
Hi..I too have a problem with fruit flies.
but this works...buy a bottle of apple cider vinegar {very cheap} put about an inch or two in a glass and put in one or two drops of dish detergent mix leave in you kitchen over night or for days and they will go to it and drown. Really this works!!
but this works...buy a bottle of apple cider vinegar {very cheap} put about an inch or two in a glass and put in one or two drops of dish detergent mix leave in you kitchen over night or for days and they will go to it and drown. Really this works!!
Amelia
27 Apr 2010, 00:44
27 Apr 2010, 00:44
I have tried the apple cider vinegar with dish soap trap for about a month
and a half now. I check it and empty it a couple of times each week, and I
ALWAYS have at LEAST 30 flies floating around dead in it. I store all my
fruits and vegetables in the fridge, clean my counters, remove my trash, do
my dishes daily or every other day, don't leave other foods lying anywhere,
and STILL they are swarming!!! I can't understand it!! I never see them
anywhere except in those darn apple cider vinegar and dish soap traps until
I go to cook or eat! I guess I'll try some of those other traps, but it
seems like they come out of nowhere!
Ask the Exterminator
27 Apr 2010, 09:16
27 Apr 2010, 09:16
The traps don't solve the problem. You need to find the breeding source. It
has to do with decaying food matter. Check under, behind and the sides of
your stove to be sure they are "slick" clean.
Amanda
14 Jun 2010, 12:59
14 Jun 2010, 12:59
I have fruit flies all over my kitchen and for some odd reason they have
migrated upstairs to the bathroom...which I keep extremely clean. Weird!
Last year we found a "trap" that worked wonders and were rid of those
stupid fruit flies within a day or so. Take some fruit and place it in a
bowl. Cantaloupe works for us, but I bet anything will work. Cover the bowl
tightly with plastic wrap. Seal it off with a tight fitting rubber band.
Poke random holes in the plastic with a toothpick. They will look tiny, but
they will work. Sit the bowl out on your counter and the flies will be
attracted to it. They can get in the holes, but they can't get out. It
looks extremely gross with a bowl of flies, and it's quite humorous. ;)
Maybe this will help!
Brenda Lee
05 Aug 2010, 00:04
05 Aug 2010, 00:04
These fruit/produce flies are driving me nuts. I can't sit and eat my food,
or go on my computer, or sit in my bedroom and read a book without having
them flying around my ears or crawling up my arms. I don't have any fruit
in the house, and the produce that I did bring in the house a month ago is
no longer in the house. My biggest problem is, they are all in my
refrigirator and in the freezer. I have cleaned out the whole frig and they
are still accumulating in my frig and in my freezer. How is it that they
are in my freezer every day? How are they getting in there?
Ask the Exterminator
05 Aug 2010, 11:11
05 Aug 2010, 11:11
They are not in the freezer, but they may be breeding around the rubber
gasket of the door to the freezer and frig. Check it to see if it has food
residue.
Anne K
02 Sep 2010, 10:19
02 Sep 2010, 10:19
If you are noticing them coming from your sink, and if you have a garbage
disposal, there's a rubber collar inside the disposer that food splashes up
under when you run it. If the collar in your unit pops out, remove it and
clean (you will be shocked). If it doesn't come out, get a small brush
with a handle and some dishsoap and/or bleach and scrub up underneath it.
Yuck. This happened to my mother recently so now she knows to clean it at
regular intervals. Good luck.
jacob p
11 Sep 2010, 00:09
11 Sep 2010, 00:09
im tellen u i hate friut flys i work in a shop every day and there like 50
flys and there in there all day long the shop is not nasty at all oil and
grease
and cars
and cars
Ask the Exterminator
11 Sep 2010, 06:43
11 Sep 2010, 06:43
Maybe they're not fruit flies. Find out what fly species you have and
you'll discover where they are breeding.
josie
30 Sep 2010, 22:45
30 Sep 2010, 22:45
Fruit flies lay their larvae inside fruits, even when you wash them and
scrub them the larvae is inside the fruit. Once the fruit becomes rotten
and at a certain temperature it hatches..... I once spilled a bottle of
wine in my car during the summer, I always lock my doors and shut my
windows, the next hot morning, I had fruit flies galore...??????? I
never knew how or where they came from out of know where and they have
blood when you kill them.. So one day in Maine, as bored as bored can be,
I looked up fruit flies, and read that, they lay larva into the fruit, it
goes dormant into the ground over the winter into the soil, they resurface
the summer months when a certain temperature hatches them, that's why there
is more fruit flies to larva the next year of fruit....... so basically
everyone is not only eating the pesticides for not washing properly, they
are also eating the bug larvae... sounds gross but there you go... my dear
friends,, this is the truth of the fruit fly....
jim cunningham
11 Oct 2010, 14:50
11 Oct 2010, 14:50
I tried a remedy that really works!
half a glass of apple cider vinegar and a little (few drops) of dishwashing liquid. the fruit flies are drawn to it and die. leave it near bananas, onions, anyplace you'vre seen fruit flies.
half a glass of apple cider vinegar and a little (few drops) of dishwashing liquid. the fruit flies are drawn to it and die. leave it near bananas, onions, anyplace you'vre seen fruit flies.
Brad F
11 Oct 2010, 19:17
11 Oct 2010, 19:17
Here is a great solution to capture those fruit flies (which we are going
through an investation of, though we don't have any fruit or veggies in the
house). Put two or three chunks of banana in a small bowl. Cover the bowl
with Sarah Wrap - tightly, like a drum. then poke 10 - 12 holes, using a
tooth pick, may have to very slight enlarge the holes with the tooth pick.
Within MINUTES, they'll start showing up. One recent catch - we had 50 in
8 hrs. Good luck.
Ask the Exterminator
11 Oct 2010, 23:04
11 Oct 2010, 23:04
Okay! Enough of these "remedies". All you are doing is attracting and
capturing adult flies. You are doing nothing to locate and eliminate the
breeding site. The flies are breeding in decaying matter. Find it. Clean it
up. End of flies. Fruit flies can lay eggs and start new generations of
flies every 48 hours. Stop kidding yourselves with your traps. You are not
eliminating the flies!
Mary-Anne
05 Dec 2010, 13:23
05 Dec 2010, 13:23
I didn't have any fruit files in the house until after my mother died and I
brought home a few of the flower arangements. I beleive decaing flowers are
also a good enviroment for a fruit fly breading ground, as the summer was
long over here in Ontario, CAN. I'm not ready to get rid of the flowers yet
so I am putting up with the little pests and I am using many of the little
remedies for now.
Don't forget those of you who compost those little bins we use for our compost are a great place to bread too even though they seal tight.
Don't forget those of you who compost those little bins we use for our compost are a great place to bread too even though they seal tight.
Denise
28 Apr 2011, 04:44
28 Apr 2011, 04:44
I don't know if these are fruit flies, they are real small and I even think
i had them in the winter. I don't buy bananas anymore for that reason. Do
houseplants bring them in?
Ask the exterminator
28 Apr 2011, 09:31
28 Apr 2011, 09:31
Houseplants surely breed small flies and gnats. Allow the soil to dry out
for a few days. Lack of moisture will kill off any soil breeding flies.
Katherine Dittoe
11 Jul 2011, 18:04
11 Jul 2011, 18:04
A great way to get rid of those pests is poor some apple cider vinegar in a
small container add a few drops dish detergent, mix and you'll be amazed at
how many you collect.
Abe lloyd
22 Jul 2011, 22:45
22 Jul 2011, 22:45
why is that even the fruits are not yet perished there are so many flies
roaming around beside it?
Ask the Exterminator
25 Jul 2011, 11:36
25 Jul 2011, 11:36
It's summertime. Flies flourish in the heat. They can lay their eggs at the
base of stems or in the hole where the stem has been removed. Thoroughly
wash fruits and vegetables as soon as they come inside the house. These
flies will hatch in hours and are capable of laying eggs in only a number
of hours after emerging as adult flies.
Angie
08 Aug 2011, 12:30
08 Aug 2011, 12:30
I have a worm farm in Texas. Recently I tried a new bedding mix and now I
have some sort of soil breeding fly infesting my barn. It looks kinda like
a flea with wings, fruit fly I assume. How can I eliminate the fly without
killing my worms?
Naomi
24 Sep 2011, 00:55
24 Sep 2011, 00:55
Hello:) I have regular flies not fruit flies in my truck and home.I can't
use raid bc I have 2 babies.I've been cleaning both like crazy and killing
them all day n they never go away.I can't even sit in my house with food or
put babies in truck bc they land on there faces and its freaking me out.I
thought about the strips that hang from ceiling but I want to know where
there coming from n kill them from the source. Thank you so much!
Ask the Exterminator
25 Sep 2011, 11:07
25 Sep 2011, 11:07
The flies have to be breeding in some type of decaying matter. It could be
around the yard or near where you park the truck. If you don't want to
apply pesticides you might consider the the Mini Silo Fly Sentry
(http://shop.asktheexterminator.com/flies/mini-silo-flysentry.html) and
Maxforce Fly Spot bait
(http://shop.asktheexterminator.com/flies/maxforce-fly-spot-bait-bottle.htm
l). Hand the silo outside near the fly activity.
sally
04 Oct 2011, 20:59
04 Oct 2011, 20:59
i cant seem to find the breeding source of the fruit flies. they are really
annoying me now, i was making a cake and they were swarming around me when
i was making it. i dont know what to do. please help
me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ask the Exterminator
05 Oct 2011, 13:12
05 Oct 2011, 13:12
Fruit flies breed in decomposing materials. Finding the source is a matter
of careful examination of your kitchen surfaces. Touch things to see if
they are totally clean. Sides of the stove. Refrigerator doors. Air filter
over the stove. Inside of garbage cans.
Nancy
14 Oct 2011, 18:17
14 Oct 2011, 18:17
I just renovated my kitchen a couple of months ago. Everything is brand
new, but now we have fruit flies. Not only in the kitchen but in other
rooms. Yes, the traps work to catch them, but it doesn't eliminate them. I
don't know where to look to find the breeding source. Help!
Ask the Exterminator
15 Oct 2011, 09:10
15 Oct 2011, 09:10
Read my responses in the comments.
Lisaann
15 Oct 2011, 23:15
15 Oct 2011, 23:15
I understand to get rid of fruit flies is to find the source but what if I
can't find the source. My house is covered with millions of them. They are
in every room in my house. My daughter has a million on her windows. One
minute they are in one place and then later I'll find alot of them
somewhere else. If I put the air conditioners on in my house will they go
away.
mary
20 Oct 2011, 00:53
20 Oct 2011, 00:53
I have a problem with fruit flies in my bathroom and bedrooms and near the
kitchen windows since last Thurs..They are all near the windows and they go
on the mirrors..There are so many..I have never ever had this problem and I
have lived in my home for 20 years..Please help Im desperate..What can I do
and what can be causing these fruit flies to come..They are not coming out
of the drains and we donot eat in the bathrooms or bedrooms. There seem to
be alot by the windows and I have kept my windows closed and look to see
where their coming from but cannot find where they are coming from
Ask the Exterminator
20 Oct 2011, 07:22
20 Oct 2011, 07:22
Flies move towards the light, so the windows have nothing to do with fly
breeding. I would also guess the flies are not fruit flies, but Phorid
flies. These flies breed under the floor tile or behind the tile walls of
the shower. Tiny cracks in the grout allow moisture to accumulate under the
tile, creating a breeding area for the flies. Revmoving the tile and drying
the surface under the tile is the best solution.
Nancy
20 Oct 2011, 09:06
20 Oct 2011, 09:06
well, I have done a thorough cleaning of my house and still have not found
the source. I am lucky that I can say I don't have "millions" of these
things. There always seem to be just one buzzing around. I see about 3 or
4 every day in different rooms. Sometimes I am successful at smaking them
to death between my hands. I have gotten rid of the traps (they were too
gross) and I've search everywhere for the source. I have two small
children so I was hoping to find an apple core under their bed or
something, but I didn't. My husband thinks I am obsessing over nothing.
He claims he hasn't seen any in days. I wonder if I should just give up.
Jennifer
28 Oct 2011, 17:15
28 Oct 2011, 17:15
I've been heeding your advice and trying to locate the breeding source of
my fruit flies, but have not found any decaying/rotting food anywhere.
Could they be breeding in my trash can if I don't empty it every day? If I
empty it, say, every other day, could this give them enough time to breed
in there?
Ask the Exterminator
28 Oct 2011, 17:17
28 Oct 2011, 17:17
Small flies can breed in as little as 10 to 20 hours in warm conditions.
The garbage can should have a liner. Check the bottom of the can to be sure
it is not sticky to the touch. Check around the rubber gasket of the
refrigerator, too. Touch everything for sticky surfaces.
Roennike
18 Dec 2011, 11:05
18 Dec 2011, 11:05
I fertilized a home plant with compost, and the fruit flies are breeding
there clearly. No matter how many traps, sticky fly paper I put up, they
do not disappear. Will it help just removing the compost layer from the
plant, or what else can really be done about this problem which has
persisted for a couple of months. They don't seem to move to other plants
I also feed compost.
