With all the fresh vegetables pulled from the garden, we had a fruit fly party in our kitchen so, it was time to take action.
The adult fly is about an eighth of an inch long including wings with red eyes and tan colored abdomen and thorax. They are attracted mostly to fresh and fermenting fruits and vegetables.
These flies are attracted to light and become sexually active two days after they emerge from the pupae stage. They mate more than once and deposit an egg mass of about 500 eggs on or near a food source.Fruit flies undergo complete metamorphosis. The eggs emerge in approximately 30 hours. The larvae feed on organic material for several days then pupate. The entire life cycle can be complete in eight days, so once established it is not hard to figure out how rapidly they multiply.
The first step in addressing a fruit fly infestation is the destruction of their feeding and breeding grounds. Fruit flies often lay their eggs in rotten fruit and other soft, sweet, organic materials. If you identify a fruit fly infestation in your kitchen, dispose of all over-ripe fruit. Any subsequently purchased fruit or vegetables should be kept in the refrigerator until the fruit fly infestation dissipates.
If you want to build an easy trap to catch the fruit flies, here’s a simple trap, anyone can make. Mindy and Hall made this trap in just a few minutes and it really works! All you need is a clean jar (no used pickle jar cause the flies have to easily smell the bait), a piece of paper rolled up in a cone and a piece of fruit (in this case a banana). Here’s some pics of the trap
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