How to get rid of fruit flies

Fruit flies are small in size, but a big pest problem for everyone.

Fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) is one of the most common flies species that become bothersome year-round to many homeowners and business owners, especially in the food industry.

The common fruit fly favourite food is mainly from overripe or rotting fruits, but these small flies are also known to make their way to many other places in order to feed on the residue remaining on damp materials, including drains, trash containers, damp sponge and wet mops.

Getting rid of fruit fly infestation on your own can be incredibly difficult without the help of professionals. This mainly because people tend to target a group of fruit flies to kill them on contact, instead of eliminating the potential fruit fly breeding sites and source of attractions.

Contact Rentokil online or alternatively you can fill out the online contact form below for the right solution to keep fruit flies away from your premises.

First thing first, you have to ensure that the fly problem you are currently facing is fruit flies by looking at its physical appearance.

Below are some tips to distinguish a fruit fly from other common house flies:

• Fruit flies are a small species of fly in which the adults are only growing about 3 - 4 mm long
• Have bright red or dark red eyes colour
• Yellow or brownish in colour
• Have a tan thorax with a black and grey abdomen

The best answer to the question above is by identifying the early sign of fruit fly infestation and the main attraction which causes them to come at your property.

There are three main signs to look out to know whether or not you are dealing with fruit fly infestation at your property, such as:

1. Live adult flies
2. Larvae
3. Droppings

Fruit flies are one of the common prevalent pests in tropical and subtropical countries like Indonesia. The most obvious sign of fruit fly infestation is the presence of adult fruit flies flying around your property. They are highly active during the day and can live indoors year-round given the proper conditions.

Fruit flies are commonly seen swarming near spots like trash cans or drains, as well as hovering close to their primary food of choice such as fresh and overripe fruits or vegetables.

Fruit flies undergo 3 different life stages in their life cycle before reaching the adult stage, including eggs, larvae and pupa.

The fruit flies larvae or also known as maggot are white in colour with a flat and pointed head. The female fruit flies are known to breed in a short period of time by laying their eggs on the surface of rotting fruits or other decaying organic matter that hatches into larvae in just a matter of hours.

The other signs of fruit flies infestation are the appearance of fruit fly droppings, which consist of pheromones materials that they use to tell other flies about newly discovered food sources.

As the name implies, fruit flies generally infest a property through their breeding habits on ripe, rotting, or decayed fruit. Although they are called fruit flies, they are also attracted to other food-related things on your property, including leftover foods or fruit scraps in the kitchen sink strainer or fermented products like vinegar or beer.

However, if your house is clean enough you may wonder how this tiny pest comes from? The fruit fly infestation doesn’t always mean that you have a dirty house because in fact they can also be brought into homes through produce bought at groceries or food markets.

Additionally, due to its tiny size, it's not a big deal for fruit flies to sneak in into your house through the window gaps or any tiny cracks indoors.

An infestation of fruit flies in your kitchen can be extremely annoying. Unfortunately, your kitchen will always be susceptible to fruit fly due to many food sources that can be easily found here.

The only key to get rid of fruit flies in the kitchen is to maintain a proper sanitation habit. There are some recommended actions to make your cooking space less inviting for fruit flies to live, including:

• Don't leave ripened fruits or vegetables such as bananas, grapes and tomatoes exposed in the countertops
• Immediately eat the ripe fruit, and if it will be consumed at another time - keep the fruit in the refrigerator
• Store your food in sealed containers
• Don’t leave dirty dishes around the kitchen sink
• Clean the kitchen sink strainer to remove any leftover pieces of food
• Clean your trash bin regularly, and make sure it always cover all the time

Do fruit flies live in the drain? The answer is yes. Fruit flies can be found breeding anywhere in a damp, moist and decaying organic matter can be found - these include inside your drains.

Thus, if your drains have not been cleaned in a while, then don’t be surprised if you could see fruit fly thrive on decaying organic matter that is commonly found clogged inside moist drains.

Keep your drains clean and frequently run the water down the drain whether you use it or not to clear any clogged decaying organic matter are some of the preventive measures you can take to avoid fruit flies in your drain.

There are plenty of DIY methods as well as home remedies which sometimes over-promising that your fruit fly problem will go away easily. In fact, without proper breeding site elimination, the fruit fly infestation will remain near in the future.

Rentokil specialists can help you find where the fruit flies are coming from and determine any potential breeding sites. Our technicians have the experience and expertise for more than 50 years in Indonesia to understand the feeding and nesting habits of fruit flies in order to deliver the most effective way of preventing and treating an existing fruit fly infestation at your property.

If you have been finding fruit flies around your home and property and want to want to get rid of them, contact Rentokil online today!