Preventing Fruit Flies-Southern California

What are Fruit Flies and Why are they in Southern California?

Preventing fruit flies from spreading and laying eggs is quite challenging but there are countless ways to solve this problem, which we will discuss further in this article.

The fruit fly season in Southern California stretches from late summer all the way through fall. This is due to the conducive climate and the variety of choices in food.

The species that are present in California is the Mediterranean fruit fly (scientific name Ceratitis capitata) or the medfly. They are considered a major threat in California for crops like citrus fruits and stone fruits.

So what do you do when there’s a fruit fly infestation in your area?

Preventing fruit flies sounds like a lot of work but it is doable.

1. Don’t leave decaying food on your table and clean your surroundings. Don’t give fruit flies access to decaying produce as they will multiply. They will go to your fruit bowls, your kitchen counter, they will also breed on damp wood, damp mops, drains, sinks, and on cans and bottles. Make sure that everything in your house is dry and most especially, clean.
2. Store your fruits and vegetables in your fridge. Leave nothing behind especially bananas. Leaving produce on your kitchen counter is a sure way to attract them.
3. Put your vegetable and fruit peelings in a sealed container before putting them outside. You should keep banana peels and citrus rinds in a scraps bag in the freezer until the garbage collector picks the trash up. Don’t leave them overnight exposed in the trash.
4. Cover your trash bags tightly and clean trash bins thoroughly from inside out, most especially around the top edges. Wash fruit juice bottles and soda cans before putting them in recycling bins.
5. Keep your drains clean and make sure there’s no organic material near them.
6. Pour baking soda, salt, and white vinegar when you run your garbage disposal. Run it frequently. The soda + salt + vinegar mixture is more effective than bleach and ammonia
7. If you have wooden cutting boards, frequently wash them in hot water and completely dry them before using them, as they can harbor larvae when they’re damp.
8. Make vinegar traps and place them on or near your food storage

How to make vinegar traps:

9. Make a cone using a carton or a file card. Cut the bottom part to leave a small opening.
10. Insert it into a jar filled with apple cider vinegar. They will be attracted to the smell of the apple cider and once they go down the cone, there’s no way to go out.
11. Rub the lip of the jar with oil and make sure that the cone seals at the edge of the jar.
12. Check your sinks for leaks.
13. Make sure there are no leaks that form moisture, which is a breeding ground for fruit flies.

The best way is to reseal and re-grout tiles around your sinks to prevent leakage.

14. Regularly clean the water trays of your house plants.
15. Install window screens using a very small type of mesh screen to prevent pests from entering your household.
16. Plant some lavender in your garden or put one or two inside your house, it’s not just relaxing but it keeps the pests away!

Conclusion:

There are many tips, and tricks to get rid of fruit flies in your household. To keep it simple, it all comes down to sanitation. ALWAYS KEEP YOUR SURROUNDINGS CLEAN AND DRY. Preventing fruit flies from infesting your household may mean a lot of work but it’s not impossible.

What are Fruit Flies and Why are they in Southern California?

Preventing fruit flies from spreading and laying eggs is quite challenging but there are countless ways to solve this problem, which we will discuss further in this article.

The fruit fly season in Southern California stretches from late summer all the way through fall. This is due to the conducive climate and the variety of choices in food.

The species that are present in California is the Mediterranean fruit fly (scientific name Ceratitis capitata) or the medfly. They are considered a major threat in California for crops like citrus fruits and stone fruits.

So what do you do when there’s a fruit fly infestation in your area?

Preventing fruit flies sounds like a lot of work but it is doable.

1. Don’t leave decaying food on your table and clean your surroundings. Don’t give fruit flies access to decaying produce as they will multiply. They will go to your fruit bowls, your kitchen counter, they will also breed on damp wood, damp mops, drains, sinks, and on cans and bottles. Make sure that everything in your house is dry and most especially, clean.
2. Store your fruits and vegetables in your fridge. Leave nothing behind especially bananas. Leaving produce on your kitchen counter is a sure way to attract them.
3. Put your vegetable and fruit peelings in a sealed container before putting them outside. You should keep banana peels and citrus rinds in a scraps bag in the freezer until the garbage collector picks the trash up. Don’t leave them overnight exposed in the trash.
4. Cover your trash bags tightly and clean trash bins thoroughly from inside out, most especially around the top edges. Wash fruit juice bottles and soda cans before putting them in recycling bins.
5. Keep your drains clean and make sure there’s no organic material near them.
6. Pour baking soda, salt, and white vinegar when you run your garbage disposal. Run it frequently. The soda + salt + vinegar mixture is more effective than bleach and ammonia
7. If you have wooden cutting boards, frequently wash them in hot water and completely dry them before using them, as they can harbor larvae when they’re damp.
8. Make vinegar traps and place them on or near your food storage

How to make vinegar traps:

9. Make a cone using a carton or a file card. Cut the bottom part to leave a small opening.
10. Insert it into a jar filled with apple cider vinegar. They will be attracted to the smell of the apple cider and once they go down the cone, there’s no way to go out.
11. Rub the lip of the jar with oil and make sure that the cone seals at the edge of the jar.
12. Check your sinks for leaks.
13. Make sure there are no leaks that form moisture, which is a breeding ground for fruit flies.

The best way is to reseal and re-grout tiles around your sinks to prevent leakage.

14. Regularly clean the water trays of your house plants.
15. Install window screens using a very small type of mesh screen to prevent pests from entering your household.
16. Plant some lavender in your garden or put one or two inside your house, it’s not just relaxing but it keeps the pests away!

Conclusion:

There are many tips, and tricks to get rid of fruit flies in your household. To keep it simple, it all comes down to sanitation. ALWAYS KEEP YOUR SURROUNDINGS CLEAN AND DRY. Preventing fruit flies from infesting your household may mean a lot of work but it’s not impossible.

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