How to Get Rid of Fruit Flies Overnight

What Are Fruit Flies?

The fruit fly, also known as Drosophila melanogaster, are known for their brown bodies, small size, and red eyes. They have a close liking to ripening or decaying fruit, which serves as both a food source and a spot to lay eggs, which is how it got its nickname.

Fruit flies mature at 3 to 4 mm in length and live for 40 to 50 days. They can be an inconvenience inside a home any time of year, but they are most active during the fall.

These regular insects are found in the produce section of grocery stores. They also like to hang out around dumpsters, trash cans, and other places to get a free, tasty meal.

Fruit flies have the standard egg-larvae-pupae-adult four-stage insect reproductive system. Once the larvae hatch they begin to eat decaying fruit. The entire transition takes anywhere from one to two weeks to complete. A female fruit fly can lay up to 500 eggs and the larvae begin to hatch within 12 hours. This makes it challenging to destroy them.

What Attracts Fruit Flies?

Fruit is delicious all year round and part of a healthy balanced diet. However, it is also an open invitation for these little critters to invade your home. When they discover a food source, fruit flies migrate into the basement, kitchen, and bathroom. They are drawn to the scent of overripe fruit, decaying vegetables, and fermenting materials in garbage cans, drains, and mops. Furthermore, fruit flies could also be brought in by unwary householders using garden produce. 

Fruit Flies vs. Gnats

Fruit flies and gnats are sometimes confused with one another. The key difference between these tiny, flying insects is that fruit flies, for example, have orbicular bodies that might be brown to black with big, red eyes. They only eat ripe fruit or decaying vegetables, as they do not have biting mouthpieces. 

On the other hand, fungus gnats have lengthy, black bodies and drooping legs, giving them the appearance of little mosquitoes. If you have gnats in your home, you should anticipate some really irritating bug bites because female gnats feed on blood. In addition, gnats enter your home through the soil, so your newly purchased potted plant might be to blame. 

Best Treatments for Fruit Flies 

Luckily, there are numerous approaches to eliminating fruit flies. It is actually simple and quick to get rid of these pests, whether using homemade or store-bought solutions. Once you have gotten rid of them, be sure to wash your counters and sink drains often. 

Furthermore, wash your produce when you arrive home from the store to get rid of any possible eggs that may have been laid. Last but not least, use or discard any product that is decaying or too ripe. 

Green Gobbler Fruit Fly Killer

Your sewer pipes may become a breeding ground for fruit flies. Hence, in addition to installing traps, you should treat your pipes if you’re dealing with an infestation. The Green Gobbler gel’s citronella base instantly kills fruit flies, drain flies, and sewer flies. Just pour one cup of it into the drain. 

Furthermore, the formula is non-caustic and non-corrosive, it won’t erode the pipes, drains, garbage disposal, or septic system. This product has received more than 4,400 five-star ratings on Amazon from delighted customers who call it “wonderful” and “worth every cent.”

A DIY Concoction

First, mix 2 teaspoons of granulated sugar with 1/2 cup of milk. The sugar should dissolve after a few minutes of heating on the stove or in the microwave, with continuous stirring. Add the contents to a bowl with a few drops of dish soap to leave the liquid’s surface a little bit sticky and prevent fruit flies from escaping. 

Next, sprinkle some black pepper on top. You might find it challenging to distinguish between flecks of black pepper and potential victims, but once you try this approach, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how few fruit flies are left in your house.

How To Get Rid of Fruit Flies Overnight With Beer

That’s right – beer can ward off fruit flies in your home! Place a rotten or overripe banana in a jar. Pour just enough beer to cover the banana in it. Make a tiny hole in the bottom of a coffee filter that is shaped like a cone. Place it atop the jar and fold the paper over the jar’s edges to keep it in place and capture the fruit flies.

Rotten Fruit

Try utilizing the decaying fruit that initially attracted them. Put some rotten fruit that has been cut into a bowl. Using a rubber band, firmly wrap plastic wrap around the bowl. Next, poke a few holes in the plastic using a toothpick or needle. The fruit flies should be able to crawl through the openings, but they should not be able to escape because of their size.

Window Fly Traps and Yellow Sticky Traps

Some reviews say window fly traps work well on fruit flies and other flying insects. Hence, while this treatment may not be the best choice for other insect invaders, it does appear to be an efficient, cost-effective remedy for fruit flies. Place it behind a curtain or pot plant.

Yellow sticky traps are designed to safeguard your plants, several users assert that it also does a fantastic job of controlling fruit fly populations. You can tie them with thread-like traditional fly paper or position them next to fruit or other increased areas. 

One of the best fruit fly remedies available, setting them up could need a little creativity. This product is safe for anyone with children or pets. It is created with nontoxic adhesive and is pesticide-free.

Apple Cider Vinegar 

Vinegar can be used for things however, putting apple cider vinegar in a dish or cup, wrapping it in plastic, fastening the sides with an elastic band, and piercing a few small holes in the top is an effective way to trap fruit flies. They will be drawn to the vinegar, and once inside, they won’t be able to get out due to the plastic wrap covering.

Another option is to mix dish soap with apple cider vinegar. Dish soap and vinegar should be combined well in a container. Flies are drawn to the bittersweetness of the apple cider vinegar, and the dish soap serves to lower the surface tension of the liquid, enabling the flies to immediately fly into the mixture and are then trapped.

Katchy The Electronic Solution

The Katchy may be a little pricey, however, its consumers appear to be satisfied. This machine attacts fruit flies, house flies, gnats, mosquitoes and other insects with its UV light, capturing them in an air current, and driving them down into an adhesive glue board, this automatic method traps insects. It works best when placed near the trash, fruit or plants. Users have said they have seen a vast improvement when adding a few drops of apple cider vinger to the bottom.