How can I catch and get rid of fruit flies in my home fast? Best ways to kill cluster flies and fruit flies

Fruit flies are one of the most notorious pests that households can encounter during late summer and early autumn.

They’re known for swarming around food - which, when coupled with the fact that they can potentially contaminate food with bacteria and other disease-producing organisms.

Not only do they land on food, they are also drawn to bins, faeces and dead animals.

They have a cosmopolitan distribution, meaning that they can be found almost anywhere in the world - unfortunately, this includes the UK.

What are fruit flies?

Fruit flies are not the same as house flies or bluebottles - they can be distinguished by their yellow-brown colouration.

They lay their eggs on food (usually rotting fruit). If you eat their larvae by accident they can cause constipation, indigestion and diarrhoea.

How can I prevent fruit flies from coming into my house?

First of all, it’s important to know what fruit flies are attracted to. Fruit flies love the smell and taste of rotting fruit - so it’s likely that they’ll congregate around bins and compost.

If you’ve got unprotected fruit that is starting to go off, they’ll target this, too. To keep them away from your house, make sure you only have fresh fruit on show and put any food waste into the bin outside.

Fruit flies thrive in filthy conditions - if you keep your surfaces clean and tidy, you won’t be giving them an ideal habitat and they will likely look elsewhere.

Your sink should be kept clean above all else. A dirty sink, covered with food particles, presents an ideal breeding ground for fruit flies. As such, they’re also attracted to drains.