All flies are gross. They can spread serious disease and they’re very hard to get rid of. One subspecies of fly it the fruit fly, a creature slightly smaller than the “standard” version of the pest.
Fruit flies can ruin a picnic. As the name implies, these little creatures love the sweetness of any type of fruit. They also like sugary drinks. And they’ll swarm on any decaying plant life that’s moist and rotting. But they’ll also go after that nice bowl of watermelon you’ve put out on the picnic table in your yard. Even worse? You can get them in your house – and that could certainly ruin your appetite.
This article will look at ways you can keep your home or office cleaner and avoid an infestation.
Getting Rid of Fruit Flies
“Fruit flies in the family Tephritidae are among the most destructive, feared and well-publicized pests of fruits and vegetables around the world.” United States Department of Agriculture
While fruit flies are the scourge of farmers around the world, you probably have fruit flies in that bowl of fruit on your table. Fruit flies aren’t like scorpions or ants, which like to crawl in gaps between windows and doors and invade your business or residential property. Instead, fruit flies lay their tiny eggs on the outside of the fruit. When conditions are right, these eggs will hatch and suddenly there will be bugs in your building.
As if that isn’t gross enough, female fruit flies can lay hundreds of eggs, which is pretty important to the life cycle of these creatures since they live for such a short time. These eggs can hatch about 24-hours after they’re laid. That’s why, if there’s been a banana that’s gone bad in your office over the weekend, you can come back to a whole swarm of flies.
Fruit flies are a definite health concern, especially in restaurants or medical facilities. Now lets look at ways you can help prevent a fruit fly infestation.
Preventing Fruit Flies
The first way to prevent fruit flies is to practice vigilant sanitation practices in your home or office. It’s important to remove trash regularly and sanitize the trashcan so that no fruit residue sticks to the side of the container. Clean kitchens frequently, and don’t leave dishes in the sink. Wipe down counters with an antibacterial cleaner.
While containers of fruit on a kitchen counter can add a nice homey touch, all it takes is one apple to go soft and an infestation can occur.
It should also be noted that fruit flies will even lay eggs in drains, so cleaning drains regularly is not a bad idea. If you’re throwing away old fruit, always make sure the trash has a tight-fitting lid and the bin is regularly emptied.
Preventive Pest is a one-stop shop for getting rid of any and all pest problems that your business may have. Whether it’s an infestation of fruit flies around a dumpster or cockroaches under your kitchen sink, we are your Las Vegas pest control experts.