Fruit flies are coming for Ohio homes. Here’s how to keep them away for good
Female fruit flies can lay 500 eggs to one time and during hot weather, a single generation can be made in just one week. Yikes.
Sure, it isn’t hot in Ohio yet, but even when warmer weather comes, these little pests will swarm your home. Here’s more about the tiny flies and how to keep them away from your home.
Why do fruit flies come inside?
Just like any other pest: they want food.
Their scientific name, Drosophila, means “lover of dew,” which shows their natural tendency to flock towards moist, sweet foods and juices. Fruit flies love “drains, garbage disposals, empty bottles and cans, trash bags, cleaning rags and mops,” according to Arrow Exterminators.
Fruit flies also snack on ripe bananas, apples, melons and squash, but they also gravitate towards unclean countertops or thin films of water in sinks, showers and pipes.
How to get rid of fruit flies & keep them gone
Here are some tips to get rid of these pests, according to General Pest Control in Cleveland:
- Check areas of your home where moisture builds up and check for rotting debris like old fruit.
- Remove the can liner and inspect the bottom of your trash can. Keeping it clean can also keep the pests away.
- Beware of empty soda pop cans. The small amounts of juice or sugary soda inside your recycling could mean lots of fruit flies.
- Clean up used coffee grounds daily.
- Inspect under every food preparation counter or table. Remove food and debris that is trapped behind rear table legs or wedged against the wall.
- Open up floor drains to brush and scrape out old food. You may need to use a degreasing solvent and a stiff brush to loosen the material. Do not pour bleach down the drain. It will not solve the problem.
- Put fruits and vegetables in the refrigerator for storage if they aren’t being eaten immediately.
- Look for standing water under ice machines and around floor drains.
- Make sure mops are hung properly and allowed to dry completely. Fruit flies can breed in the food that accumulates in the top of the mop head.
- Keep doors and windows closed or install a mesh screen door.
If you still have problems with fruit flies when all is said and done, it’s probably time to call a local pest control expert in the Mahoning County area.
How often do you see fruit flies in your Ohio home? Comment below to let us know.
