Fruit Flies

Appearance

Drosophila melanogaster is one of the thousands of types of flies. Grown-ups are quite small in size measuring from up to  3 to 4 mm long, and they also have red eyes. Fruit flies are dark or tan in color. Fruit flies lay their eggs and breed in decaying fruit, pickle mustard, fermenting liquid, etc, and their small, slender white larvae or maggots sometimes may be found in large numbers in jars of preserved fruit and pickles, that have been left open or imperfectly sealed.

Due to their small size, it is difficult to get rid of fruit flies from houses by means of ordinary fly-screens. They also may make their way into paper bags or other containers in which overripe or fermenting fruit is brought into the home. They reproduce rapidly; their entire lifecycle from egg to winged fly only lasting less than two weeks.

Conduct, Diet & Habits

Fruit Flies in North Carolina tend to be most active during the late spring, when it is warm and their is copious food available to them. Fruit flies are usually very common year-round if they stay indoors.  

How To Kill Fruit Flies

The most effective way to prevent fruit flies is to make sure kitchen areas and any surface that has come in contact with food is cleaned thoroughly. This mainly includes food or refreshments that have spilled; taking out the trash regularly; washing dishes; and putting away meat products in the refrigerator rather than on the counter, particularly after it has matured. The flies will swarm any container of food when it has been left out too long.

To clean surfaces after the flies have been killed, splash them with a cleaner, then with some water, and afterward wipe it down with a paper towel. Fly swatters are usually a good method to killing these flies.

Once a house is loaded with natural product flies, it’s best to find and take out excess food to prevent reproducing. The reproductive nests must be gotten rid of or cleaned or else there will continue to be fruit fly issues—paying little respect to how frequently bug sprays are utilized. After discovering where they are reproducing and killing them, it’s best to use a pyrethrum-based, vaporized bug spray to dispense with any flies that are still flying around.

Overripe or decaying fruit should be removed and destroyed as soon as noticed. Jars of preserved fruits should be sealed well and when opened should not be left exposed where the flies may lay their eggs in the contents.