As I type this, I occasionally have to pause and swat away tiny annoying flying bugs that seem drawn specifically to my face. In light of my plight, let鈥檚 look at some fruit fly science 鈥� specifically, how best to bait, trap and rid your home of them.
While fruit flies might seem like a warm weather problem, as temperatures cool they and become just as much of a nuisance during the cold months as when delicious summer fruits are sitting on your counter.
Although we often call the little annoying things that hover near our produce fruit flies, a perhaps better name for the various species of that annoy us is vinegar flies. This moniker not only hints at how best to bait them but helps avoid confusion with the significantly larger species of insects also called fruit flies that belong to the genus and can plague fruit plantations.
Unlike their larger cousins, Drosophila are attracted not to fresh fruit, but to chemicals given off by fruit that is rotting or fermenting. The adage of catching more flies with honey than with vinegar doesn鈥檛 hold true for these guys. While there are quite a few volatile chemicals that draw these flies in, studies have shown that most of the , ethanol, acetic acid, 2-phenylethanol, and acetoin are found in fermenting products 鈥� like vinegar. If you鈥檙e baiting traps for these bugs, , both because it contains these chemicals, and because it鈥檚 cheaper than other options like fruit, beer or wine.
As for the trap itself, you want to create something that will let flies go in, but ideally, not come out. A funnel taped onto a jar or container covered with plastic wrap poked full of holes are . You can also add to the vinegar, as this will decrease the surface tension of the liquid, making it harder for the flies to stay on the surface and avoid drowning.
You鈥檒l likely have to keep making traps for at least a couple of days, possibly a couple of weeks. Although vinegar flies only live for a few weeks, one fly can lay . To really eliminate your household鈥檚 population, you鈥檒l have to be committed.
Other than constructing traps, there are a few measures you can take to help end the infestation of your home.
Keep things dry
Vinegar flies , so generally reducing the humidity of your home can help keep them from thriving. Luckily enough, the winter months in Canada are already quite dry, but you can also try running a dehumidifier, making sure sponges aren鈥檛 left very wet, letting your houseplants dry out between waterings, towel drying your dishes and opening a window or using a range hood fan when cooking.
Remove their food
Whenever possible, try to contain your fruits and vegetables in the fridge, or other sealed containers. Definitely don鈥檛 keep those bananas you swear you鈥檙e going to use in your fruit bowl forever, and make sure you wipe down counters and take out garbage, recycling and compost bins frequently. Rinse any containers well before putting them into the recycling, and generally just try to think like a vinegar fly and .
Avoid bringing more flies into the equation
When you first bring produce home, give it a quick wash to remove any fly eggs that could be on the surface, but make sure to dry it well too!
Clean your drain
Vinegar flies can live and reproduce in your plumbing, particularly in a kitchen sink that鈥檚 full of yummy food particles. Try pouring some boiling water and soap down your drain, it might just help.
If all that fails, it might be time to question whether you really have a fruit fly problem. Are the little bugs bugging you more ? If yes then, like me, you may actually have a problem instead. Unfortunately, these critters can be even more annoying to get rid of, as they live in soil. Making sure you're not overwatering your houseplants is a good place to start, as they feed off either fungus growing in the soil or rotting plant matter, both of which are usually due to soil being too wet. There are insecticidal soaps and sprays you can try out, or if you have space, and it's not winter, you can try moving your indoor plants outdoors for a period. If all else fails, you could always get rid of the problem plant if you're not too attached.
Unfortunately for me and my 48 (at last count) house plants, I think the gnats might be here to stay.
