Though you can’t fully control how and when fruit flies enter your kitchen, you can control their ability to thrive. The key to keeping fruit flies at bay is to eliminate all food sources and potential breeding grounds.
Like many enthusiastic cooks, I tend to go a little overboard at farmers markets during the summer. I schlep home with an assortment of heirloom tomatoes, ripe stone fruit, and more zucchini than I can handle. I do my best to cook through my haul in a timely manner, but it doesn’t always pan out that way. When I don’t, the source of my joy (all those tomatoes!) becomes the source of my misery. And before I know it, fruit flies have descended on my kitchen.
I know I’m not alone; fruit flies are a common nuisance for many, especially during the hot, humid summer months. What baffles me is that they still show up despite my efforts to keep my kitchen as clean as possible. I clean my kitchen the way I used to when I worked in restaurants: I put away all food and dishes, I wipe down all counters and surfaces, and take out the trash and recycling each night. I scrub the sink, wring out my sponge, and sweep. And yet…fruit flies haunt me.
What gives?
It turns out that fruit flies are everywhere. As Serious Eats contributor Michael Y. Park reported last year, most fruit flies either make their way into your kitchen by flying in or via the produce we buy, which may carry eggs that eventually hatch in your kitchen. Because these eggs are so tiny (what entomologist Molly Keck tells Park are “probably the size of a grain of salt”), it’s unlikely you’ll notice them.
Though you can’t fully control how and when fruit flies enter your kitchen, you can control their ability to thrive. It’s crucial to ensure there are no sources of food lying around. That includes the obvious steps, such as keeping fruits and vegetables covered, in a sealed paper bag, or refrigerated, and disposing of food scraps and wiping up crumbs. But it also means attacking the less obvious places where fruit flies can lay eggs, hatch, and feed: Sanitizing not only your countertops, but also your drains, rinsing out any cans, jars, or bottles before recycling them, and disposing of trash and compost very frequently. Without getting rid of any and all food sources and breeding grounds for fruit flies, your kitchen will continue to be a hotbed for those pesky little buggers, no matter how spotless it appears at first glance.
Ultimately, keeping fruit flies at bay isn’t about keeping your kitchen tidy, but about maintaining a much higher level of cleanliness. The good news is, with a little effort, it’s possible to keep them away for good.
