3 tips for purging fruit flies from your kitchen

No matter how clean you keep your kitchen, you can still be at risk of having fruit flies invade your produce and annoy you while you eat. Below are three tips for getting rid of these flying pests.

If fruit flies have nothing to eat, they can’t survive and make more baby fruit flies.

• Throw out any over-ripe fruit or vegetables that are on the counter. Take out the trash immediately and thoroughly clean the counters. Clean the trash cans.
• If you have an indoor compost, empty it and clean it thoroughly.
• Remove any bottles and cans in your indoor recycling. Clean the bin to remove any juice or bits of food.
• Don’t leave dishes in the sink. Clean, dry and put them away immediately.
• Immediately take out the trash if you dispose of food scraps.
• Check potatoes and onions if you keep them in a cupboard. Just one rotten vegetable can be the perfect place for fruit flies to lay eggs.
• Clean the entire kitchen to remove any hidden food bits or dripped juice.

Fruit flies are pretty simple and will fall for any trap so long as it smells like it's rotting.

• Sacrifice some red wine in a glass covered tightly with cling wrap secured by an elastic. Make a few small holes in the top with a fork and put it in fruit fly territory.
• You can also use apple cider vinegar, rotting fruit or baby food.
• Keep the fruit flies away by growing fresh basil in a pot near your fruit bowl. Fruit flies are not fans of basil.
• Nor do they like the smell of lemongrass or lavender oil. Make your own essential oil by mixing 10 drops with 2 ounces of hot water and putting it in a spritzing container. Not only does this keep fruit flies away, it makes your home smell great!

If you see fruit flies, you need to know that they have laid eggs somewhere. Even if you swat and kill all the adults, those pesky eggs will hatch and you’ll be back to square one.

• Fruit flies enjoy moist areas, so clean out your sinks and drains. Pour baking soda followed by white vinegar down the drains to kill any eggs. Bleach, though stronger, also works.
• Throw out dishrags, sponges and mop refills, as fruit flies can lay eggs in those wet places as well. Even your wet toothbrush can be a breeding ground.