Flies by Surprise

          There is nothing more embarrassing or aggravating than fruit flies that always seem to appear when you have all the friends over for the big football game. Not a soul can turn his head to watch the game for fear of the nachos being dive bombed by these pesky creatures. Or when you wake up in the morning you notice a black spot on your forehead, but only as you rub the sleep from your eyes do you realize that instead it is a Fruit Fly hanging out, toying with you as you prepare for work. But you will get the better of him; as you squish his puny existence against the mirror satisfaction engulfs you. Yet again however, this pest prevails as your wife berates you for making a mess of him and splattering his red blood and beady eyes everywhere. What are you to do? Better yet, where is this menace coming from?

            Unfortunately for you, the Fruit Fly has multiple ways of entering your home and even more places to multiply once inside your abode. With a lifespan of up to 30 days, the adult has plenty of time to reproduce and cause even more frustration for you. They can enter your home in multiple ways, the most common being as larvae on fruits, vegetables and even plants brought home from the store. Another point of entry is simply through open doors or windows especially during the summer time when populations are at their highest.

            These little guys love high moisture areas as well as places that harbor their food sources; those being trash cans, fruits and vegetables left on counters. If you seem to have an infestation of Fruit Flies the best thing to do is to remove the harborage areas. This includes getting rid of any old and rotting fruits or vegetables left out. Those that are still good should be placed in the refrigerator. After that, remove the trash from the waste bin and if need be, rinse and clean out the trash can. If the problem still exists and you have fruit or vegetable plants outside, check those areas and dispose of any rotting food that may be on the plant or the ground. After all this has been done, check out the areas that hold moisture in the house. Most of the time this includes the bathroom and kitchen as well as any indoor potted plants that are watered. Fruit Flies breed in these areas and the slime and sludge that builds up in the drains are prime locations. Bio-Remediation products like Hot Spot or Bio Drain are great tools to use in the drains to aid in breaking down and removing the scum build up that house these little nuisances. You can also use Fruit Fly Traps, but these will only attract the adult flies and will not help you eliminate the larvae that are waiting to hatch and land on the pizza you are looking forward to tonight. As the weather warms up and the windows are open more often, be on the lookout for this little guy. And after you squish him on the mirror, go ahead and take the necessary precautions so his friends will not be able to set up shack in your kitchen.