Abell Pest Control
They're tiny and a nuisance, but fruit flies do more than just hover over fruit that's left out in your kitchen. Like many flying insects, they can spread bacteria and disease into your home. If left to multiply, you could have a sizable population of these pests infiltrating your kitchen.
How to prevent fruit flies before it gets to that point can be accomplished by recognizing their source and getting professional help from a pest control service like Abel Pest Control, which will provide a pest inspection, customized treatment plan and advice on how to prevent a recurrence.
Fruit flies can disturb your home at any time of the year, although their population increases significantly throughout the summer. When fresh fruits and vegetables are harvested in late summer to early fall, they're at their highest numbers if you don't take steps to limit their growth.
Wash and store fruits
There are some simple steps that homeowners can take to prevent fruit flies from taking up residence in their dwellings. Instead of putting fresh fruit in the refrigerator as soon as you get home from the market, take time to wash each piece before putting it away.
All the fruit needs to be put away. Although fruit like bananas ripen better outside the fridge and often discolor more quickly in the cold, putting everything away prevents fruit flies from hovering in the kitchen and nesting somewhere inside the house. Seal your fruit in containers with lids, airtight bags or in the produce bin of the refrigerator to deter fruit flies from surviving in your home.
Many people think that fruit flies are only attracted to fruit that's rotting, but they're also drawn to fresh fruit that has no signs of decay. If you must have a basket of fruit on your counter, or prefer to ripen some fruit outside the refrigerator, cover it with a cake dome.
Wash out bottles
While fruit flies probably came into your home with fruit you brought from elsewhere, they're also drawn to other substances that have a sweet odor. For instance, fruit flies multiply near trash disposal areas, where they're as likely to be as attracted to the sweet aroma of discarded liquor, beer and soda bottles, which should be rinsed before recycling.
Most communities have only one trash pick-up each week, so in the meantime, place organic waste in a large airtight bag before throwing it away. Clean up counters every time you cut fruit so there's no residue the flies will be attracted to.
