With ripe, summer fruit and a promising fall harvest ahead, you may have noticed a sudden infestation of tiny flies or gnats. These annoying, flying indoor pests that are not uncommon to the Roseville area are known as fruit flies. If you have any exposed fruit or trash, chances are that’s where they’re hanging out.
About the Fruit Fly
Fruit flies can be a problem all year round, but late summer and fall is their peak time. Common around El Dorado Hills and Lincoln, fruit flies are a small (3-4mm) species of red-eyed fly that are typically found around ripening or decaying fruits and vegetables. They have an incredibly short life cycle—around a month or less. In a week, fruit flies can go from egg to adult form. This contributes to the perception that fruit flies seem to multiply overnight. Fruit flies have the potential to lay approximately 500 eggs in their short lifetime, given the opportunity.
Fruit flies can arrive at your home hitching a ride on produce, as well as through an open window or door. Next time you come home from an El Dorado Hills farmer’s market, be mindful of any ripe product. Ripening fruit is their breeding ground, so it’s no coincidence they congregate around your fruit bowl. Their eggs need to be laid on a moist, organic surface where the hatched larvae can munch on the surface of fermenting produce until they are ready to fly off.
DIY Fruit Fly Pest Control
So, what do you do to rid yourself of this common pest problem? The first step is to remove any ripe, fermented, or rotting food or drink (yes, soda, old beer, and wine are attractants) from your home. Next, make sure that your door and window screens are tight-fitting (at least a 16 mesh). Lastly, make your own Fruit Fly Death Trap (courtesy of Apartment Therapy).
Fruit Fly Pest Control
It can be difficult to rid your home of the common fruit fly. If removing their food source and setting up traps doesn’t get rid of your pest problem, you need to contact Pro Active Pest Control today. At Pro Active Pest Control, we provide Roseville pest control, El Dorado Hills pest control, Lincoln pest control, Rancho Cordova pest control, as well as serving the Greater Sacramento area. Our knowledge of each individual pest’s life cycle is how we can effectively treat pest problems around your home and business.