How To Get Rid Of Fruit Flies On Plants [Top 25+ Affordable Tips]

If you have noticed tiny flies in plants in your house, they are probably not the most helpful ones. The fruit plants are an excellent target for these fruit flies in plants. Today we are going to find a permanent solution on How To Get Rid Of Fruit Flies without killing them with the best [25+ working tips] and also how to exterminate these annoying flies fast o they don’t double.

Overripe fruits are plants that attract these flies to fester. Once around the plant, they lay eggs in the leaves and the fruit.

Thereby severely damaging the plant. Small flies living in house plants are difficult to exterminate as they reproduce fast.

How To Identify Fruit Flies?

Small flies living in house plants are small and compact species. When observed, they are orange in color and have stubby legs. Among the two common fruit fly species, the red-eyed variety.

How To Get Rid Of Fruit Flies
How To Get Rid Of Fruit Flies- Exclusive Tips

You will commonly find around over-ripe and rotten fruits and vegetables. The dark-eyes variety, however, makes an appearance around drains and broken tiles.

Top 11 Ways To Get Rid Of Flies In House Plants Naturally?

Natural intervention tricks to get rid of flies in plants is the best approach. These ways don’t damage the plant in the process, but they are the Fastest Way To Get Rid Of Fruit Flies.

A natural intervention is also safe for you or the person who does the cleaning. We have a few ways on how to get rid of fruit flies in plants.

How To Get Rid Of Fruit Flies
How To Get Rid Of Fruit Flies On Plants

1. Pay close attention to the soil

Tiny flies in plants lay eggs in the soil’s top layer. Once the egg hatches, the larva travels upwards and starts damaging the plant in exchange for food and nutrition.

To prevent this, pack the soil tightly. Any absence of gaps within the soil texture will kill the larva right after its birth. Thus, you can trap the larva before it reaches the shoot and roots.

2. Sticky Trap

Interested in DIY? Here is one that will serve your purpose and keep you entertained. Find a piece of cardboard and paint it in bright colors. Colors attract tiny flies on your plants.

Cover both portions with a thick surface of petroleum jelly. Once done, stick it near the soil and wait till the flies to get captivated.

3. Drowning Trap

  • Another great way to keep fruit flies away from plants is to drown them using a trap. Take a cup and mix apple cider vinegar kills flies with beer. Incorporate a drop of soap jell into this mixture.
  • To make it more accessible to the fruit flies, add a piece of rotten fruit on the surface. Cover the cup tightly using a cling film or clear plastic wrap.
  • Make small holes on the plastic wrap and place it near the plant. Fermentation attracts the flies, and their curiosity will get them killed.
  • The soap solution is a magic product that will prevent them from escaping the trap.
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4. Spud Power

Potatoes will always come in handy. Cut up small pieces of potatoes and add them to the soil. Larvae usually come up to feed on them. Once you see bite marks or holes on the potato’s surface, pluck them out of the soil and fly throw up fast.

5. Repotting

If flies in house plants aren’t taking your well-planned bait, you can get rid of the infected soil. Eradicate the plant carefully from its pot, remove as much soil as you can without destroying the plant or the roots.

If the fruit flies infestation home is too much, you can wash the roots to get rid of all the soil around it and re-pot it in fresh soil.

6. Carnivorous Plants

Every thought of plants that eat these flies and other pests? The carnivorous plants can gulp them down in an instant. Plant a few carnivores in an around your garden and watch the magic unfold.

7. killing fruit flies with white vinegar

Another product commonly available in every kitchen is vinegar. Add it to a spray bottle and drizzle it all over the plant surface and soil.

Make sure you incorporate a little amount of liquid detergent. The addition will break the surface tension, leading to a significant entrapment.

8. Oil Mixture

Neem oil mixture serves as a potent killer and also the best pest control for fruit flies. Because of its antibacterial properties, it effectively gets rid of soil flies. Fruit flies killer spray the plant with this mixture once or twice a day, and your pests might disappear.

9. Water Plants From the bottom

Let the plant absorb water from a trap places under the pot. The drainage system in the pot will aid this process. Also, dump out the water after 30 minutes or so.

10. Soil Covers

You can cover the top layer with sand, gravel, or moss. Sand for household plants serve as a significant barrier and prevent infestation. After this process, soil flies are unable to lay eggs.

11. Store extra potting soil in a sealed container

Flies cannot survive without oxygen, and sealing the soil will cut off their oxygen supply. It’s an approach you can use as an integral part of your gardening regime.

Below are my top picks for you to buy fruit flies traps inside and outside home.

No products found.

How Do I Get Rid of Fruit Flies in My Potted Plants?

The soil within a potted plant is the ideal environment for fruit flies. These moist and warm places are perfect for their life cycle to proceed smoothly. Here are a few simple ways to get rid of flies in potted plants.

Fruit Flies on plants min
Picture of a fruit flyHow To Get Rid Of Fruit Flies
  • Keep a check on how much you water the plants. The technique is to decline the moisture content of the soil.
  • Change the soil now and then. Keep the infested soil in an airtight place. This process will ensure that the existing larvae are killed and can be reused after a specific time.
  • Mix hydrogen peroxide with water and use the mixture to water your plants regularly.
  • Cover the pot with soil to cut access of the flies to the soil. Covering the pot will ensure that the surface for them to grow has been cut short.
  • You may also add vinegar in lieu of hydrogen peroxide to water the plants. They are toxic to the fruit flies and kill them instantly.

How To Get Rid Of Fruit Flies In Bathroom?

The dark eyes variant of fruit flies lives in the bathroom. You will find them hidden in the drains or under broken tiles. When disturbed, they will fly out in great numbers, and killing them one by one isn’t an option.

There are specific ways you can prevent Fruit Flies from residing in your bathroom and in the drain.

Start with looking for the source

  • The flies are tempted by leftover food that might be lying in the kitchen sink or at one corner. Fruit flies are fond of moist and warm areas, and bathrooms seem to be the right environment.
  • So looking for the source is the primary step to start applying methods to get rid of them.

Set a Trap

  • DIY traps work wonders and save you a few bucks, Use apple cider vinegar to trap them. Petroleum jelly or any other sticky substance will also attract them.
  • Make sure to choose a brightly colored surface for the trap. The bright color mimics their habitat, and hence, they quickly come to the trap looking for nourishment.
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Clean the drains

  • Boil water or white vinegar and discharge it down the sewer. It will kill fly eggs and the larva hidden in the cervices and kill them right at the beginning of their life cycle.
  • You can also go for commercial drain cleaners once you have cleaned the drain, duct tape the entry point to prevent the flies from coming back into the bathroom.

Sanitation

Make sure not to leave leftovers in the bathroom and clean the drain every once in a while. The first precaution can save you from a lot of hard work later.

How to Avoid Flies in Indoor Plants?

Indoor plant flies can be a nuisance. They grow fast and can infiltrate the entire plant system within a year. House flies and Gnats are just a few pests that survive on plants with basic needs.

They lay eggs on the soil and feed on rotten and organic material. Their larvae are the most harmful ones, and gardeners usually target the larval cycle.

You can avoid flies in indoor plants by focusing on the plant.

  • Make sure that the plant is hydrated but prevent overwatering of plants. Remove the excess water as and when required. You can also up-water the plants to make sure the plants utilize the proper amount of water they require. This approach will not leave enough mixture from the larval form to survive.
  • Keep the drains around the garden/surface clean. These are the places that support the growth of flies. Clean them at regular intervals through homemade or commercially available products.
  • Re-pot the plants at fixed intervals. Repotting helps get rid of existing flies and larva, which may cause a problem later. You can also wash the roots thoroughly to ensure that no larva/fly exists in the plant already.
  • Pack the potting soil carefully. Once you cut off the oxygen supply to the larvae, you will stop the reproduction cycle. Flies and other bugs cannot live except oxygen.
  • Remove any rotten material from around the plant. If the fruit is over-ripe, make sure to get rid of it. You should also remove fallen leaves and other parts that contribute to organic matter from time to time.
  • Clean the surface on which the potted plant is hosted regularly. Fly Deterrents can be easily prepared at home using lemongrass, lavender, peppermint, and eucalyptus oil. Wipe the surface regularly to make sure nothing attracts the flies.

How Do I Get Rid of Gnats in My Potted Plants?

Fungal gnats make potted plants their home. They lay eggs in the soil and rotten fruits or plant parts. They are tiny in size and have the similarity of a mosquito.

However, they are harmless to humans and don’t bite at all. Even then, they can be more harmful than good.

The best way to get rid of gnats is to target the larval life cycle. The same process used to trap and kill flies is used for fungal gnats at every household.

These points are mentioned above and are easy to follow.

  • If you want to prevent any further infestation, pay attention to the earth’s moisture and organic content.
  • Don’t overwater the plants, and in case of excess water, drain it immediately.
  • Prevent any spill, including juice or fruit peels that might have accidentally made its way to the soil.
  • In case you want outside intervention, sticky traps are a great alternative. They are commercially available and come in handy.
  • Their bright color and non-toxic sticky surface traps and instantly kill gnats.

How To Get Rid Of Fruit Flies Without Apple Cider Vinegar?

Apple cider vinegar is usually used to eradicate fruit flies in house plants. But the smell might be deterring for certain people.

The best way is to replace it with another product containing similar properties such as wine, beer, or any fermentable source. The most commonly used product is lemon.

How To Get Rid Of Fruit Flies With Lemon?

  • Lemon, with its easy availability and great odor, is used as a household hack. Chop a lime into two halves and locate them on a plastic cup.
  • Cover it with clear plastic and make some holes on the top with a toothpick. Place it near the plant.
  • If you have a big garden, you will have to place 3-4 of such a set-up to get a good result.

How To Get Rid Of Fruit Flies With Hydrogen Peroxide?

Mix Hydrogen Peroxide with water and regularly used to get rid of soil flies. All you have to do is mix 50:50 hydrogen peroxide and water. Please keep it in a spray jar, and water the plants regularly using this mixture.

how to get rid of fruit flies in the kitchen sink?

Follow below steps in order to fix Fruit Flies In The Kitchen Sink.

  1. Use 1/2 cup of salt, 1/2 spoon of baking soda, and 1 cup of vinegar, and pour all over in the sink and leave it overnight. The next morning clean it with hot water.
  2. Another way to use a half-gallon of water and 1 cup of vinegar or dye down the channel to disinfect.
  3. Dump bubbling water to release rotting matter.
  4. Keep your sink neat and clean from old food.
  5. Make traps utilizing apple juice vinegar and dish cleanser.
  6. Discard old products of the soil that pull in the flies.
  7. Store leftover food in the refrigerator.

You may also like to read below gardening tips and tricks

Bottom line:

Potted plants are aesthetic and help us use fruits and vegetables fresh from our garden. But flies and gnats can damage the plants severely. We have understood all the ways on How To Get Rid Of Fruit Flies above.

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The quick reproductive cycle and minimalistic living conditions make it challenging to get rid of fruit flies. However, through observation and early intervention, you can protect your plants.

Bathrooms must be kept clean, too, to protect them from creating a safe home there. Most methods to get rid of them are easy and effective. You can also follow all the above tips in order to control fruit flies in the refrigerator, and in the trash can.

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Common questions on Ho to get rid of fruit Flies fast

Q1: What Do Fruit Flies Hate?

Fruit flies can not bear the smell of herbs. If you are facing fruit flies problems for a long then try to place basil, peppermint, eucalyptus, lemongrass, lavender, and clove in a cloth, sacks, or tea bags and place them around the house.

Q2: How long do fruit flies live?

The average life of fruit fly adults is 40 to 50 days maximum. Female fruit flies are laying lot of eggs during that time, that allows the fruit fly population in a home to multiply quickly.

Q3: What Causes Fruit Flies In The House?

what attracts flies? In home Fruit flies like ripe, rotting, or food garbage. They can also be attracted by fermented things such as beer, liquor, and wine. So try to avoid and clean drains, garbage disposals, trash cans, and mop buckets.

Q4: How Do You Get Rid Of Fruit Flies Once And For All?

It’s really annoying to have fruit flies at home. below are 5 simple steps, if you follow on regular basis, can be easily solved the problem.

1. Cleaning and wiping surfaces regularly that are potential breeding grounds.
2. Don’t leave ripen fruits, vegetables open.
3. Place traps, to handle and throw them.
4. Clean the kitchen garbage and drains.
5. Food items that are natural like fermented items, beer, sweets must be covered.

Q5: how to get rid of fruit flies without vinegar?

If you do not want to use vinegar in order to get rid of fruit flies, then you can use a mixer of red wine and dish soap. Other ways are to use bleach, lemon, and Hydrogen Peroxide.