Where Do Fruit Flies Come From?

Fruit flies need very little to call your kitchen their “home, sweet home.”

All that they require is a moist area of fermenting stuff. That stuff can be ripened fruits or vegetables, as well as drains, garbage disposals, empty bottles and cans, trash bags, or cleaning rags and mops.

Fruit flies lay their eggs—up to 500 at a time—on these moist surfaces. When the larvae hatch, they feed on the surface too. Because they only feed on the surface, you probably won’t eat any of the insects if you just toss out the damaged or over-ripened parts of fruits and vegetables.

Because the flies are so teeny, they can sneak into houses as adults through window and door screens or on fruit as larvae.

To keep flies out of your kitchen, University of Kentucky entomologists recommend building a homemade flytrap. Roll a paper funnel into a jar. Pour a few ounces of cider vinegar into the jar, or put a ripe, peeled banana in it. Once you’ve caught the flies, you can kill them, or animal lovers can release the critters outdoors.

• How Fruit Flies Find Your Wine
• Cockroach Love: A Secret That Could Finally Kill Them
• Scientists Reverse Sex Roles in Fruit Flies