Fruit flies and insects can be a common occurrence and an annoying problem to deal with during the warmer months. Fruit flies are typically attracted to sweet smells, as well as overripe, fermented fruits and vegetables, especially bananas, apples, and squash.
However, to avoid any issues with fruit flies swarming fresh fruit outside of the fridge, cleaning TikToker Chantel Mila shared an easy deterrent. You won’t have to worry about throwing fruit away, instead Chantel recommended corks, like you would find in wine bottles. If you don’t want a chemical spray to deter fruit flies, this may be a good alternative.
How to get rid of fruit flies
If you’re struggling with fruit flies swarming around some fresh fruit, Chantel suggested using a cork.
Although she doesn’t indicate how many corks you should use, more than one wouldn’t hurt.
Simply place the corks in the fruit bowl with the fruit. The Kitchn advised avoiding synthetic wine corks, as they’re made from plastic.
Synthetic corks can’t, therefore, absorb excess humidity.
Adding wine corks to fruit bowls deters fruit flies by absorbing moisture and emitting a scent that the flies dislike.
On the other hand, natural corks help to absorb the moisture released by ripening fruit, reducing the attraction of fruit flies to the bowl.
The natural cork absorbs humidity from the air around it. Lower humidity in the air means slower ripening, which means fruit stays fresher, longer.
Additionally, the cork’s natural aroma, which fruit flies are not fond of, further repels them. With the cork absorbing any sweet scent, it leaves its own natural scent, the flies will choose not to land on the fruit that doesn’t smell appetising.
Ryan Watts, a sommelier who works for Cameron Hughes Wine, told Today: “Two things attract fruit flies: sugars and moisture. This is why you most often find them around ripe fruit and in or around sinks and drains
“Natural cork is a perfect deterrent as the cork material absorbs moisture put off by the ripening fruit and activates a fragrance from the cork that fruit flies are none too pleased about.”