How to Eradicate Those Pesky Fruit Flies

They seem to come from everywhere. They come in from the outdoors and they hitchhike a ride on the fruit we buy at the grocery store. Of course the summer months are the most problematic. Let’s see what I have discovered by accident.

When I see these pests flitting around in the shower/bathtub area, I then sneak up on them and give them a few squirts of windex window cleaner. This at first disables them and eventually kills them. I then simply wipe them away with toilet paper or paper towel. These pests are also in the kitchen. They get the windex in and around the sink area, not to mention the trash receptacle.

Next up is how they breed. I’m not an entomologist but experience has shown me that these annoying flies breed in the kitchen and bathroom drains; anywhere there is moisture. Even in those small holes under the toilet rim they hide. I also strongly believe that these critters can breed inside the wall if there is a window of some sort in the shower area (like old apartments). What to do?

On occasion I have poured some bleach into the drains of both the kitchen and bathroom fixtures at night before retiring. I have even poured a little bleach into the toilet tank so when it’s flushed, those small outlet holes on the underside of the rim get treated. A note worthy of remembering: Don’t put any bleach into the toilet tank if you are using one of those drop-in blue cleaners. Wait until those chemicals are expired. But I tell you, those resilient fruit flies don’t seem to be affected by those every-flush tablet chemicals. All we’re trying to do here is to prevent their proliferation.

I have dealt with these flies since December (just a few). It is now June. The main point of this article is to show you that you have the ability to minimize the population. So as long as I have my windex, fruit flies beware. You may never be completely fly free, but now you know how to keep them from establishing a permanent residence.