Fruit flies are a common kitchen pest. Here's how you can prevent and eliminate them.
. If you end up with some in the kitchen, don’t feel ashamed. They’re just a part of nature in your kitchen. “Everyone gets them,” she says.
Here’s what you need to know about these ubiquitous insects, including where they come from, how to prevent them and how to eliminate them once they show up., or “black-bellied dew lover” — “probably one of the more poetic names out there,” Dellinger says. They’re small and winged, with characteristic red eyes.
Fruit flies “don’t need a whole lot” to flourish, according to DeVries. A single potato, for example, can support 500 fruit flies, if not more, he says. One of the reasons you see them more in warmer weather is that we tend to, including tomatoes, peaches and melons, that we leave out on the counter, and even forget when we go on vacation. The fruit flies are then attracted to the food, where they lay their eggs, and the circle of life continues.
You can also trap them. Dellinger says there are commercial traps out there, but you can make one with materials you likely have on hand. Fill a small jar or container with half an inch of fruit juice, vinegar, apple cider or wine, and add a couple of drops of dishwashing detergent. Cover with plastic wrap and then punch a few holes in the wrap. The flies will be attracted by the bait, but won’t be able to escape because the soap breaks the surface tension of the water, trapping the flies.
But these steps only eliminate the adults. “If you don’t find the breeding source, you’re going to have the same problem in a few days,” DeVries says. So you need to find what’s attracting them and clean it up. And make sure you eat or refrigerate your ripe produce before it starts to go off.In a word, no. In theory, DeVries says, a fruit fly could carry bacteria from a dirty spot such as your trash can or sink and convey it to a food you end up eating, but this is pretty improbable.
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