How To Stop Fruit Flies From Appearing On Your Produce

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

You make the healthy choice at the supermarket and bring home a bag of fresh, tasty produce. Unfortunately, this all too often comes with a whole bunch of fruit flies. These pests create a nuisance in your kitchen. How do you get rid of them once and for all so you can enjoy your produce, bug-free?

Prevention is always the most reliable way to go if possible, rather than playing wack-a-mole with this insect issue. Fruit flies want the fermenting sugars in fruits and vegetables as they ripen, so two key tactics are to slow down that ripening process if you can, and keep produce closed off so flies can't get to it. The refrigerator accomplishes both of those goals. Beyond that, try closing off your entire kitchen to them by using window screens. 

Fruit flies like damp places and anywhere they can access those sugars in fermenting, ripening foods. Employ trash bags and liners, and keep trash from overflowing so your receptacle can fully close, as the flies will breed quickly if they get into the garbage. Keep all surfaces clean and any food covered and stored, whether in the pantry or fridge. While most produce is washed before it reaches stores, fruit flies are another reason to clean your produce as soon as you get it home. While veggie washes can be pricey and come with chemicals, good old fashioned vinegar, water, and lemon juice will also do the trick.

No one wants fruit flies swarming around. Not only are they irritating, but they can carry E. coli and Salmonella bacteria. Keeping a clean kitchen with washed produce stored safely away in sealed containers should help avoid fruit flies' appearance, but what if these pests have already arrived? They live for 40 to 50 days and reproduce quickly, so you can have a problem on your hands before you know it.

Because fruit flies can breed so efficiently, it's important to try to stop that process and get rid of eggs and larvae — otherwise, you'll just be stuck squashing adult fruit flies for the foreseeable future. Use a product like these Super Ninja indoor fly traps in areas where fruit flies like to hang out like near your trash can; this should catch them before they have a chance to breed. They're safe around kids and pets, but you can also try a natural solution if you prefer. There's so much you can do with vinegar to clean your kitchen, and this is just another example: Fill a bowl with apple cider vinegar and cover it with plastic wrap, poking holes in it which help the flies get into the vinegar but won't let them out. Alternatively, try mixing vinegar with dish soap for your trap, or old beer or wine. When all else fails, it's time to call in the pros and hire an exterminator to wipe fruit flies out once and for all.