Fruit Flies & Vinegar Flies and
Their Control
These small flies are mostly a nuisance
pest and are not a major threat to one's health. Though frequently found in
kitchen or bathroom areas, they are often found in other rooms because these
flies are
light-sensitive and will fly into those rooms especially at night as lights go on and
off in the home. They are often confused with drain flies because they are found in similar
areas and are of similar size.
One other source for fruit
flies, in some cases, is house plants. Since soil contains organic matter,
it is possible for flies to breed in the soil. We are not aware of any
solutions other than to bring the affected plants outdoors.
Solutions
The key to dealing with these, as with
all flies, is to eliminate the breeding source. The larvae (maggots), the immature stage
of these flies, breed in any type of decaying organic matter. This includes
rotting or fermenting foods or beverages, food particles, hair, soap scum, etc..
Areas to check include drains (including floor drains, sinks, bathtubs,
dishwasher, laundry and uncapped cleanout sites), leaking waste lines, refrigerator or
freezer drip pans or discharge lines. Also check damp mops or cleaning rags.
Simply eliminating the breeding source
will break the insect's life cycle and the flies will gradually disappear.
Thus, good sanitation is key to eliminating fruit flies. Cleaning of drains with a quality drain cleaner will also help eliminate
the problem.
We offer Nilozyme, an
organic, bacterial enzyme based drain cleaner which contains a fragrance to help
cover unpleasant odors while it digests the decaying organic matter in drains and grease traps. It does not contain any caustic
substances and is essentially non-toxic. If there are leaks, repair of
these leaks is crucial in solving the problem.
We offer two fly traps to help
reduce annoyance from these insects until the breeding source is located or to help
where the breeding source is difficult to control. One is the Victor Flying Insect Trap which may be filled with any
attractive liquid. Insects can fly into this pint sized plastic bottle but can't find their
way out through the specially designed top. Another trap that we sell is Natural Catch Plus
which
contains vinegar as an attractant. You can click
here to link to the manufacturer's web site to see the product and learn
more about its use. This low profile, triangular shaped plastic trap
attracts flies in, but as with the other trap, they can't find
their way out. It can be used in sensitive areas such as next to food in display
cases because it is opaque and no one knows what is inside the trap.
Finally, you may also use a flying insect
killer aerosol such as one containing pyrethrins, which is labeled for flies, to
kill any adult fruit flies and vinegar flies. These sprays will help for a
day or two at a time at most, but flies are likely to emerge again within hours of the
treatment. Once again, the key is to eliminate the breeding source.
We hope that this page has been helpful to you and
we invite your comments or questions. Contact us toll-free in the US or
Canada at 1-800-433-1128
or E-mail to us at
drbugclinic@bugclinic.com. Our
local number is 845-356-2837 and our fax number is 845-356-2836.
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