Get rid of annoying fruit flies

No sooner have you bought a little fruit than the annoying fruit flies are already buzzing around the whole house: here are a few tips on how to get rid of them:

Help, where on earth do these tiny flies come from?

The fruit fly is clearly to be distinguished from the common housefly. The fruit fly is only 2.5mm in size and belongs to the genus Drosophilae. Actually, the term fruit fly is incorrect here. We actually mean vinegar flies, because fruit flies or tephritid flies usually lay their eggs in plants and are more likely to be found in the wild. Nevertheless: the tiny flies are annoying and in spring and summer they can become a plague, especially in the kitchen – where you mainly store fruit and vegetables.

The vinegar flies multiply really rapidly! They lay their eggs near food. These eggs quickly develop into larvae and new flies hatch within four days.

Traps for fruit flies

Vinegar trap

Mix some Fruit juice, beer or wine with Vinegar (mixture 2:1) and a dash of Dish soap in a Jar (e.g., an old jam jar) and place this mixture uncovered in the affected room; in no time at all, this room will be fly-free. Because the drops of dish soap cause the surface tension of the liquid to be reduced, and the insects drown in it. Simply place the glass or bowl out of sight, then it won't look unappetizing either.

Adhesive tapes

Stick adhesive tapes in the affected room; the flies simply get stuck here. After a while, the adhesive effect unfortunately wears off and must be replaced regularly.

What measures are helpful besides the trap?

It is best to eat fruit and vegetables quickly and, above all, do not leave old and rotting fruit out in the open. If you don't want to set up traps or adhesive tapes, you can also try these tips:

Scents

A somewhat less 'cold-blooded' option compared to adhesive tapes is to repel the flies with scent: they don't like Bay leaf, juniper or Lavender. For example, hang up a few branches of it, or spray a few drops and the flies will stay away from the room. Another possibility is to let some vinegar evaporate on the stove.

Cloves

You can also protect the fruit from the pests by adding a few whole Cloves to it. This also works with half a lemon studded with cloves. Place the half fruit near the fruit bowl and the fruit flies will stay away from it.

Lemon and clove

Cut a lemon into two halves and then stick cloves into the fruit flesh. The lemon scent attracts the flies and the clove then kills them with its ingredients.

Vacuum cleaner

If you tap against the fruit bowl or the fruit nest, many fruit flies often buzz up. Then the vacuum cleaner method is useful: simply suck up the flies with the nozzle – it works perfectly.

Boiled tea leaves

If these little flies are constantly buzzing around the plants, you can help yourself with tea. Sprinkle the leaves of boiled tea onto the soil and after a short time the annoying insects will have disappeared.

Photo by Sabine, meinhaushalt.at

Also read: Home remedies for combating ants in the household