How to get rid of fruit flies: find the breeding spot, clean it, then trap the rest

The short answer: how to get rid of fruit flies for good: find what they're breeding in, clean or remove it, and only then trap the adults that are left.

• Check fruit bowls, trash cans, recycling bins and drains
• Traps alone don't stop the next batch from hatching
• Vinegar trap: apple cider vinegar, one or two drops of dish soap and plastic wrap
• A weekly prevention routine below
• Next step: Plan it with the Cleaning Schedule ($4.49).

Here's how to get rid of fruit flies for good: find what they're breeding in, clean or remove it, and only then trap the adults that are left. Traps alone catch flies, but they don't stop the next batch from hatching. That's the advice from university extension entomologists, and it's why fruit flies keep coming back when people only set traps.

Below: where fruit flies breed, a one-hour clean-up plan, two traps that work, how to tell fruit flies from gnats and drain flies, and a weekly routine to keep them away.

Why fruit flies show up

Fruit flies are drawn to anything ripe or fermenting. According to the University of Kentucky entomology fact sheet on fruit flies, they're common all year but especially in late summer and fall, when people bring in tomatoes, melons, grapes and other garden produce. Rotting bananas, potatoes and onions from the store attract them too.

Michigan State University Extension's guide on getting rid of fruit flies adds two reasons they seem to appear out of nowhere. They can arrive on produce that already has eggs inside, and they're small enough to pass through window screens. MSU notes that ripe tomatoes can become a breeding ground in just a few days.

How fast fruit flies multiply

University of Maryland Extension's fruit fly fact sheet says the adults are about 1/8 inch long, usually with bright red eyes. Females lay eggs on the surface of fermenting food or liquid, the larvae feed for 5 to 6 days, and the whole life cycle takes 8 to 10 days. The University of Kentucky says a female can lay about 500 eggs.

That's why a handful of flies on Monday can be a cloud by the weekend, and why a clean-up has to be thorough.

Step 1: Find where they're breeding

The flies you see are the adults. The real problem is wherever the eggs and larvae are. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension's guide to indoor flies lists the most common breeding sites. Check each one:

• Fruit bowls and counters: overripe or damaged bananas, pineapples, strawberries and tomatoes left out of the fridge. Bake spotty bananas into banana bread before they draw flies. Turn soft strawberries into strawberry shortcake the same day. Ripe bananas also work well in a banana pudding recipe.
• Potato and onion bags in the pantry, especially at the bottom.
• Trash cans, including the wet bottom of the can if a liner has leaked.
• Recycling bins with unrinsed wine, beer or soda containers.
• Bottles with loose lids: vinegar, wine, beer or cider.
• Damp mops, brooms and cleaning rags.
• Drains and garbage disposals.
• Spills under appliances: the University of Kentucky warns that fruit juice spilled under a refrigerator can breed thousands of fruit flies.
• The forgotten potato: the same fact sheet says a single rotting potato or onion at the back of a closet can do the same.

Step 2: Test your drains

Drains are the hardest place to check, because you can't see inside. The University of Kentucky and MSU both suggest a simple test: tape or lay a clear plastic food storage bag over the drain overnight. If flies are breeding there, adults will be caught in the bag in the morning. Test the kitchen sink, the garbage disposal and any floor drain.

If a drain is the source, clean the drain and trap as well as you can, then pour boiling water down it, as MSU recommends. Our guides to how to clean a garbage disposal and how to unclog a drain walk through the cleaning.

Step 3: Clean up (the one-hour plan)

Work through the kitchen in this order:

1. Produce. MSU says ripe or damaged fruit should be eaten, refrigerated or thrown away. Cut damaged spots off firm fruit; the University of Kentucky notes larvae feed near the surface, so the rest can be kept.
2. Trash. Take it out, then wash and dry the can before adding a new liner. In a bad outbreak, MSU suggests emptying the kitchen garbage every evening.
3. Recycling. Rinse cans and bottles thoroughly, and keep recycling out of the living space if you can.
4. Spills. Pull out the fridge and other movable appliances and clean any juice, wine or beer underneath.
5. Pantry. Check drawers and bins where you keep potatoes and onions for anything soft or leaking.
6. Drains. Clean and flush with boiling water.
7. Mops and rags. Maryland Extension notes there can be enough food and moisture on a damp mop or towel for fruit flies to develop, so wring them out and let them dry.

Step 4: Trap the adults that are left

Once the breeding sites are gone, traps catch the adults still flying around. MSU recommends two homemade designs:

Maryland Extension describes a similar trap: apple cider vinegar in a jar with a drop of dish soap, plastic wrap held on with a rubber band, and a tiny hole poked in the top. Commercial fruit fly traps work the same way.

Do sprays work?

Not by themselves. MSU points out that the adults you see may already have laid eggs, so killing them has only a small effect on the next generation. The University of Kentucky says that unless breeding sites are removed or cleaned, the problem continues no matter how often insecticides are applied. Texas A&M agrees that traps or sprays give temporary relief, but eliminating the breeding site is essential for complete control.

Fruit flies, fungus gnats or drain flies?

Texas A&M says identifying the fly should be the first step, because each small fly breeds somewhere different:

• Fruit flies: about 1/8 inch, stout body, usually reddish eyes. They hang around fruit, trash, recycling and drains. Black-eyed "dark-eyed fruit flies" breed more often in drains and around bathrooms.
• Fungus gnats: slender and mosquito-like with long legs, often around houseplants. Their larvae live in moist potting soil.
• Drain flies: fuzzy, moth-like, dark gray to black, found near sinks and tubs. They usually fly only a few feet at a time.

If the flies are mostly around houseplants, cleaning the kitchen won't help. If they're fuzzy and sitting on the bathroom wall, the drain is the place to look.

Are fruit flies harmful?

Mostly they're a nuisance. Texas A&M says fruit flies don't bite. The University of Kentucky notes they can contaminate food with bacteria and other organisms, so throw out produce they've been breeding in and wipe down counters after a clean-up.

How to keep fruit flies from coming back

• Refrigerate ripe produce. Maryland Extension recommends keeping fruit stored in the refrigerator.
• Shop smaller. Buy only as much fruit as you'll eat in a few days. A meal plan helps.
• Rinse every bottle and can before it goes in the recycling.
• Take out the trash before it's full in warm weather.
• Wipe spills right away, especially sweet ones.
• Close lids on vinegar, wine, cider and beer.
• Use tight-fitting screens. The University of Kentucky suggests 16-mesh screens on windows and doors.
• Seal home canning, wine and cider containers so flies can't lay eggs under the lid.

A weekly fruit fly prevention routine

The Cleaning Schedule ($4.49) has daily, weekly, monthly and seasonal checklists where these tasks fit, so they happen before the flies arrive instead of after. Our kitchen cleaning checklist covers the rest of the room.

Buy less, waste less

Most fruit fly outbreaks start with produce that sat too long. Planning meals for the week and shopping from a list means fewer bananas going brown on the counter. The Meal Planner & Grocery List ($3.99) has a weekly meal planner, a grocery list and pantry and freezer inventory pages, so you can see what you have before you buy more. The Home Management Bundle ($16.99) includes the Cleaning Schedule along with the Household Binder, Home Maintenance Log, Home Inventory, Moving Planner and Password & Accounts Log. Bought separately, those six come to $32.94.

Want more trap designs? Our DIY fruit fly trap guide covers 8 homemade traps, the best baits and why a trap stops working.