When it comes to plants with distinctive scents, lavender may top them all. And fruit flies hate it! The hate it so much they will steer clear at every opportunity (as will spiders, rodents and even deer). A hardy plant, lavender prefers full sun and well-draining soil.
Sundews can help get rid of some of the small bothersome indoor bugs. They're often found trapping and eating fungus gnats, fruit flies and the occasional flea.
In the small, larval stage, fruit flies are susceptible to becoming victims of ant and beetle larvae. One of the most common predators of flies, including fruit flies, is the frog. Although frogs eat a diverse diet, they feed on flies as often as they can. The spider is also a common predator of the fruit fly.
What Smell Do Fruit Flies Hate? Fruit flies dislike the smell of herbs, such as lavender, basil, mint, and rosemary. Hang or grind up these natural strong scents to help repel fruit flies and keep your kitchen smelling clean.
Pour apple cider vinegar (ACV) into a small bowl, then mix in a few drops of dish soap. Apple cider vinegar works better than white vinegar for fruit flies because it smells like fermenting fruit. Red wine vinegar will also work, but it tends to be more expensive than ACV.
To create a DIY fruit fly trap, mix a quarter cup of either apple cider vinegar or white vinegar with a few drops of dish soap. The idea is that the irresistible vinegar attracts the fruit flies, while the soap breaks the vinegar's surface tension and drowns them.
Fruit flies love foods containing yeast. A new study now shows that they are attracted to and have dedicated olfactory neurons for detecting the scents produced by yeast metabolizing common phenolic compounds in fruit.
The butterwort is a carnivorous succulent plant that can actually take care of your pesky flying bug probs. Butterworts attract insects to their greasy and sticky foliage, only for the poor bugs to end up trapped on the leaf surfaces and then digested.
Sundews, also known as drosera, are super cute — and super dangerous to fungus gnats. Of the more than 150 species, Cape sundews tend to be the easiest to cultivate. You're likely to get one of these if you're buying a beginner pack of carnivorous plants.
Butterwort plants trap fungus gnats (as well as fruit flies and other prey) with the resin on their leaves. They have microscopic glands on their leaves that produce a sweet mucous full of digestive enzymes. The bugs get stuck on the dewy substance, and the enzymes in it slowly digest them.
A fruit fly infestation won't just go away on its own—it'll likely only get worse. Even if the adult fruit flies die, you'll continue to get new fruit flies every day unless you cut off the source. If you do nothing, they'll just breed on unnoticed crumbs, spills, and food particles.
How Long Do Fruit Flies Live? Despite the popular myth that fruit flies only live 24 hours, the average lifespan of a fruit fly is to 40-50 days under ideal conditions. During that time, female fruit flies can lay several batches of eggs, allowing the fruit fly population in a home to grow quickly.
Create a fly and wasp repellent.
This DIY pest repellant should be a staple in the Southern home. Pour equal parts water and Pine-Sol in a spray bottle to spritz on outdoor furniture, the deck, and indoor areas where flies are most likely to flock to, such as kitchen countertops.
Within 24 to 30 hours, fruit fly eggs hatch into larvae known as maggots. These maggots feed on the fruits within which they were laid. Within one week, maggots burrow through the decaying matter and molt. After five to six days, larvae move to a dry surface and transform into pupae.
Fruit Fly Biology
It can seem as if fruit flies come from out of nowhere to infest a home. This perception is due to the pests' quick breeding, development, and love of human foods. Fruit flies typically lay their eggs directly on rotting fruits and vegetables or else inside drains that are not kept clean.
To begin to inspect where fruit fly infestations come from, look first for fruit fly sources in areas where vegetables or fruits are stored outside refrigeration. Also, look for fruit fly sources in garbage cans, under appliances, and recycling bins.
Simply pour some distilled vinegar into a bowl and add a couple drops of dish soap. You can leave the bowl uncovered on your counter or any surface near where you tend to add fruit flies. The flies will be attracted to the vinegar, and the dish soap will cause them to sink so they can't escape.
Apple Cider Vinegar and Plastic Wrap Trap
Fill a bowl or glass with apple cider vinegar, cover with plastic wrap, seal the edges with a rubber band, and poke tiny holes in the top. The vinegar will attract the fruit flies, and once they're inside, they won't be able to escape the plastic wrap barrier.
Very high temperatures above 100 degrees even for a few minutes will kill adults. Fruit flies infesting rotten and overripe fruit are rather easy to manage, since removal of the rotten and overripe fruit from the garden or field will remove the food source for these flies and result in their departure.
Key Points: Fruit flies prefer to lay their eggs in places such as your pantry or kitchen sink so that their larvae can have a food source to survive on. Not only does hydrogen peroxide work to repel fruit flies, but it can eliminate them and keep them from coming back if used correctly and consistently.
Fruit flies themselves are not associated with any specific illness However, there are some concerns about them carrying bacteria from one place to another and contaminating food with infectious microorganisms such as salmonella, E. coli, and listeria.
Bleach is an effective product to use in drains to help get rid of fruit flies. The bleach will help get rid of the clogged decaying organic material that is attracting the fruit flies. Pour bleach into the drain, following label instructions, and then flush the drain with fresh water.