It’s that time of year when fruit flies can be a real nuisance in our homes. They tend to invade our kitchens, hunting for for food, and disturbing our peace. The flies are quick breeders and developers, starting their life cycle by laying eggs onto decaying fruit and vegetables. Before you realise it, they mature and multiply and your home is swarming with them.
The creatures are tiny, meaning they are hard to get rid of. Regular fly-swatters are useless and fly sprays hardly ever land a hit due to their speedy nature. Thankfully, there is a simple way to get rid of the pests for good and keep your fruit and veg safe.
Plus, it won’t cost you much to do at home – as you likely already have the ingredients you need in your kitchen cupboards. The ultimate method involves four items – a yogurt pot, some washing up liquid, vinegar, and cling film.
A mum called Tasha swears by the hack. The Yorkshire lass added on her TikTok page, @tasha.mumlife: “I literally learnt this from Google and I’ve been doing it for so long. The amount of fruit flies we’ve been having is ridiculous but doing this you get rid of them so fast.”
In the video, Tasha demonstrated how to use an empty, washed out yogurt pot. She adds a couple of drops of vinegar, as well as a few squirts of washing up liquid.
Next, she puts cling film over the top of the yogurt pot. She pokes small holes in the top of the cling film, then places her pot near her fruit bowl in her kitchen.
It may sound simple – but it caught the fruit flies in her home. It also works brilliantly if you place it by the window.
Tasha added: “You will not see them anymore. I put one near the fruit and one near the windowsill just to keep the flies at bay – and it really does work.”
One individual commented and said: “Thank you, I will try it as my house is spotless but I can’t get rid of them, been trying everything.”
Another said: “Oh amazing hack.” And a third added: “Right, I will try that then, thank you.”
Pest expert Jonathan Nicholls at HomeHow.co.uk said: “In order to effectively tackle a fruit fly infestation, you will need to first understand their life cycle.”
Adult fruit flies are attracted to fermented fruits, vegetables and sugary substances in the home. Once inside your abode, a female fruit fly can “lay hundreds of eggs” which can hatch into larvae “within just a day”.
“This rapid reproductive cycle means that, if not addressed promptly, an infestation problem can get out of hand in no time,” Jonathan warned.