Fruit Fly Control Services

service areas free inspection 800-942-7123
free inspection 800-942-7123

Fruit flies sometimes seem to come out of nowhere. One day you’re bug-free, the next they’re swarming everywhere. Since these bugs have such a short life cycle, it’s easy to think they’ve all died off – but then their eggs hatch, and it starts over again. Luckily, fruit fly control is usually a fairly simple process.

But even the simplest pest control services are best handled by a pro. Assured Environments offers fruit fly control services to keep those tiny pests at bay.

Signs of Fruit Fly Infestation

Fruit flies swarm around their common food sources, which include any rotting, decaying, moldy, or dirty food. Check for fruit flies around your garbage, recycling, and drains.

Fruit flies reproduce in sources of moisture and the females lay their eggs in food sources so the emerging larvae can begin eating immediately. You may find them under your sink, near fruit or vegetables, in garbage containers, or in other moist areas.

How Fruit Fly Infestations Start

How do fruit flies appear so suddenly? It’s no eerie supernatural power. They enter your home or business the same way most pests do – through open windows, gaps, and cracks. They can also lay eggs in the fruit you buy at the store, and hatch once you bring them home. Gross!

Scientific Information

Scientific Order: Diptera (all true flies)

Family: Tephritidae or Drosophilidae

Common Species: Common Fruit fly or Vinegar fly (Drosophila melanogaster)

Treatment and Prevention

Finding fruit flies in your home means they’ve found a food source. To get rid of fruit flies, locate this food source and deprive them of it. Fruit flies can eat nearly any stored food, fruit, vegetable, liquid, or meat product once it begins to rot.

  • Take out the garbage frequently.
  • When you’re not using your garbage cans, keep them sealed. Clean them at least once a month.
  • Store food in airtight, hard plastic containers whenever possible.
  • Wash fruits and vegetables promptly and thoroughly.
  • Clean kitchen and dining areas after each meal. A clean environment discourages pests of all kinds.

Fruit Fly Behavior and Diet

Fruit flies and their larvae feed on the yeast created when fruits, vegetables, and other organic matter begin to ferment. Overripe fruits, rotten vegetables, the remains of alcoholic beverages, and leftover garbage are all common breeding grounds for fruit flies.

Fruit flies stay close to their food sources, flying over them to congregate and landing to eat. Fruit fly eggs and larvae remain inside their food sources and feed continuously. When they’re ready to pupate, they attach themselves to a surface near their food.

While not dangerous to humans and not significantly damaging to produce, these bugs are still a nuisance to those working in food service and distribution.

What do Fruit Flies Look Like?

Size: 3 to 4 mm long; maggots are 2.5 to 4.5 mm long

Color: Translucent brown or yellow, with red eyes.

A fruit fly on a white background.

Fruit Fly Reproduction

Fruit flies’ development speed depends on their environment. A whole generation of fruit flies may complete their life cycle in as few as eight days in 85°F environments, while it may take around 15 days at 68°F. Female fruit flies lay between 30 and 50 eggs per day at room temperature. In hotter environments, she’ll lay more, and in colder environments, fewer.

A single female fruit fly may lay up to 500 eggs during her life. She lays these eggs on food sources, so hatched larvae may begin eating immediately. Larvae hatch quickly and feed continuously until they pupate. Fruit fly adults typically mate only a few hours after pupation.

Call Assured Pest Solutions for Fruit Fly Pest Control

It’s not as simple as waiting for adult fruit flies to die off; their eggs need to be dealt with as well, or the whole cycle will start over again. The pest control pros at Assured Environments have the skills and experience necessary to stop your current infestation in its tracks – and help prevent new ones from starting.

Give us a call today to get started with a free inspection!

Fruit Fly FAQ

Where do fruit flies lay their eggs?

Unfortunately, in the fruits and vegetables we often eat. Female flies deposit eggs on these food sources so that the hatchlings can begin eating soon after they emerge. Wash all produce when you get home to remove eggs and nymphs.

What sets fruit flies apart from other insects?

Fruit flies have highly developed brains relative to their size; an adult fruit fly has more than 100,000 neurons that form discreet circuits for dictating complex behaviors.

What attracts fruit flies?

Fruit flies are attracted to moisture, which they need to drink and reproduce. Dirty dish cloths, floor mops, moist towelettes, sponges, and dripping or leaking faucets may attract flies.

Do fruit flies bite?

No. Fruit flies do not need blood like other insects and do not have biting mouth parts. If something is biting you, it’s another type of insect.

Can fruit flies make you sick?

Fruit flies are not disease vectors that carry viruses, but they can transfer bacteria and germs like salmonella or listeria from dirty surfaces they’ve been on. These germs can then lead to food poisoning.

How long do fruit flies live?

In optimal conditions, fruit flies can live 40-50 days. Typically, however, they only last for a couple of weeks.

Are gnats and fruit flies the same?

No. While they are both small and equally obnoxious, fruit flies are more like other flies with rounded bodies and red eyes. Gnats are thinner, like a mosquito and have dark eyes and longer legs.

What kills fruit flies?

The most common way to dispense fruit flies is to create a trap using apple cider vinegar as bait. Clean infested drains with boiling water or bleach to kill flies and eggs. Make sure you wash all produce when you get home to remove eggs and larvae.