Fruit Fly Control
Drosophila melanogaster most commonly knows as fruit flies are particularly attracted to ripe or fermenting fruits and vegetables. An infestation of fruit flies indoors can start by bringing something in from the garden or leaving something out to ripen from the store. In addition, they can reproduce in trash, drains, and mop buckets. Standing water and moist organic matter are all they require for development.
Female fruit flies can lay up to 500 eggs on fermenting fruit or other decomposing matter. The eggs hatch in under 30 hours, and the larvae emerge after 4 days of feeding. They then pupate. Pupae develop into adults, who are prepared to reproduce and deposit additional eggs. Fruit flies may quickly grow to be a serious issue throughout the summer, both indoors and outdoors, due to the fast pace of their life/reproductive cycle.
Think Preventative
The best way to manage fruit flies is prevention.
Remove any sources of food to deter their interest; ripe fruit should be consumed or stored in the refrigerator. If a fruit or vegetable is contaminated, the overripe portions may be removed since the larvae do not pass over the unripe parts and do not lay their eggs there. Throw away anything that is bad.
What works best for Fruit Flies?...
The beneficial insects that will help with fruit flies are:
Other alternatives to beneficial insects that can be used to control Fruit Flies include:
If you think they could be in a drain or garbage disposal, cover the drain with tape or tape a plastic bag overnight and check what you can find.
If fruit flies are reproducing there, thoroughly clean the drain with Tweetmint or other enzyme cleansers to get rid of any organic material accumulation. You can also use insecticides such as neem oil as growth inhibitors to prevent eggs from hatching and larvae from pupating.
Use a fruit fly trap like Natural Catch - Fruit Fly trap to catch the remaining adult fruit flies. Place traps nearby high activity areas.
