With the hot weather comes farmer’s markets, roadside fruit and vegetable stands, and more produce in our homes and on our counters. Unfortunately, some of those fruits may come with some stowaways. Fruit flies are frustrating little pests in that they reproduce quickly and can be difficult to get rid of as they like to spread to any and all food available. They also carry diseases and like other flies, they’ll try to join you for any meal you sit down to eat! Here are three quick tips to help you keep the fruit flies away this summer!
1. Wash All Produce
As soon as you bring produce home from the farmer’s market or the store, be sure to wash it right away! Washing will not only remove dirt, grime and possible pesticides, but pests too! Pests will hitch a ride either from the basket or packaging the fruit was delivered in or possibly come with the fruit right from the farm. The thing you need to know about fruit flies is they love burrowing inside the fruit and can offer an unwanted surprise when you end up opening the fruit up. This is why washing is so important as you’ll be able to find any holes which will indicate infestation. Be mindful of bananas and melons as these fruits tend to be extra sticky!
2. Hide The Fruit!
It might sound silly, but we’re serious! Hide your fruit from the flies by putting it into airtight containers. This might seem weird as we’re used to fruit bowls, but to help your fruit last against pests, the best thing to do is to put them safely in containers, reusable sealing bags, or in the fridge. The issue with fruit bowls is that when one piece starts to rot, the rest will follow, creating a smorgasbord for pesky fruit flies.
3. Clean, Clean, Clean!
They’re called fruit flies because they love fruit, but they’ll go after anything with sugar. Anything sticky is fair game to a fruit fly and they will go to town on residue, spills and crumbs if they’re able to. Keeping a clean home free of spills and food scraps is a surefire way to keep these little pests at bay!
Enjoy your fresh produce this summer, but make sure you watch for fruit flies! If you have questions about other pests or you’d like to know more about our services, give us a call at 403-262-1666 and we’ll be happy to help you!
