Get Rid of Fruit Flies Fast

The common fruit fly is a species of fly known as Drosophila melanogaster. To distinguish a fruit fly from other common house flies, take a look at their eyes and body. If their eyes are red and have a tan thorax, you’ve spotted a fruit fly.

Fruit flies’ main food source is ripening or rotting fruit (hence their name), which is where they lay their eggs, but pretty much any decaying organic matter will attract fruit flies. In fact, what attracts flies to your house are these decaying materials like food scraps, trash, and drains.

Fruit flies can become bothersome to homeowners and detrimental to businesses, especially in the food industry. They can be found in homes, restaurants, grocery stores, gardens and anywhere else food is decaying or fermenting. Fruit flies make their way to places such as drains, trash containers, garbage disposals, empty beer and soda cans and wet mops. Trying to get rid of fruit flies on your own can be difficult, so a fruit fly control and prevention program is recommended.

Do not try getting rid of fruit flies on your own as they are very difficult to remove. If you're wondering how to get rid of house flies, it’s best to call in the professionals who have the right tools and expertise. If you suspect fruit flies in your home or business, contact Ehrlich at 800-837-5520 or fill out the online contact form here.

Where do fruit flies come from?

Fruit flies get their name because of their fondness for the moist surfaces of fruits. They prefer fruit that is fermenting, which occurs the moment you put fruit on a kitchen counter. Fruit flies also like vegetables that are ripening in an open area. Finally, these pests will also gladly accept any leftover scraps of fruit or food that ends up in sink drains, caught in filters or in the garbage.

Fruit flies will lay eggs on the moist areas of fermenting fruit. They can lay up to 500 eggs at a time, which means a fruit fly infestation can happen very fast. The newborn fruit flies feed on the surface of this organic matter, as do the adults.

As for how fruit flies get in the house, they can easily sneak in via groceries or any fruit brought in from outside. Fruit flies can also hitch a ride  on fruits and vegetables from your garden, too. Since they are so small as eggs or larvae, you may not see them and once they get inside, they grow to adults, lay more eggs and then become a problem.

How do you get rid of fruit flies?

Ehrlich understands the feeding and nesting habits of fruit flies, so we’ve adapted eradication methods to efficiently get rid of fruit flies and remove fruit fly infestations.. These methods act best as supplements to a fruit fly removal program. They include: 

• Insect Light Traps: Many flies are attracted to certain wavelengths of UV light. This makes insect light traps very effective in attracting and capturing flies once they enter a building. 
• Liquid Residual Insecticides: There are insecticides that work great at eliminating adult flies and larvae. Various liquid pesticides are ideal for only adult flies.
•  Fly Baits: These baits use sugars and fly pheromones to lure flies into the trap.

Ehrlich technicians incorporate the methods listed above with their ERDM approach to ensure your property has long-term protection from fruit flies. ERDM stands for: 

• Exclusion 
• Restriction 
• Destruction
• Monitoring

How to control fruit flies in restaurants

Getting rid of fruit flies in restaurants reduces food contamination and protects the reputation of your business. With restaurant reviews becoming public on social media, nothing will put a dent in your sales like a customer writing a review about a fruit fly infestation. We understand how valuable a restaurant’s reputation is so that is why we use industry standard solutions to protect your business. 

Luminos is our Electronic Fly Killer for our food retailer companies. It’s suitable for a variety of internal work environments and business needs. For restaurants, this is a powerful and hygienic fly killer that can be placed in public areas due to its subdued design. Using one of these electronic fly killers is an effective way to control fruit flies in restaurants.

Fruit fly life cycle

The average fruit fly life cycle begins when the adult fruit fly female lays around 500 eggs near the surface of rotting fruit or vegetables (or poorly attached containers with food inside them). Their eggs hatch in about 30 hours, developing in a vinegar-like liquid, near food sources and eating mostly yeast from rotting produce for 5-6 days.

Before pupation, the larvae crawl to drier areas of the food or elsewhere. Newly adult flies mate in about 2 days and their life cycle is finished in 8-10 days. Flies reproduce quickly so it is important to control a fly infestation as soon as possible.

Fruit fly infestations

The best way to spot a fruit fly infestation is seeing the insects themselves. If you see an adult fruit fly, that typically means its larvae are close by. Fruit flies are most active during the spring and summer but can be active indoors year round given the proper conditions. They are typically brought into homes through produce bought at groceries or food markets. We recommend cleaning food prior to consuming or cooking it to remove any trace.

How to prevent fruit flies

There are many tips home and businesses owners can use to prevent a fruit fly infestation from occurring. More specifically, here are some fruit fly prevention steps we recommend following to ward off fruit flies:

1. Remove breeding sites for fruit flies is the key. For reproduction, flies need a climate of at least 60 degrees Fahrenheit so refrigerate fruits and vegetables
2. Wipe down countertops or other food areas after use
3. Clean out sink or floor drains to remove pieces of food
4. Remove food or liquid seepage at the bottom of garbage cans
5. Hire a pest control service to routinely check for signs of a fruit fly infestation

Getting rid of fruit flies fast with Ehrlich

Ehrlich Pest Control service is the most effective way of preventing and treating an existing fruit fly infestation. Our specialists will customize a treatment plan for your needs. For professionals solutions you can rely on, call Ehrlich at 800-837-5520 or contact us online.