One of the most annoying things about summer is the persistence of fruit flies. Don’t worry, you don’t have to stop buying apples and bananas to keep your unwanted house guests away. Fruit flies are often mistaken for drain flies and fungus gnats. While they may look like fruit flies, they’re technically different beasts with their own preferred breeding and feeding grounds. The good news is that the methods of preventing and treating all of these pests are pretty much the same. Fruit flies get into your house by simply flying in. Though they’re not small enough to squeeze through a typical screen, they often come in when you do. They’re so tiny that you probably don’t even notice, but now they’re there. Whether it’s fruit flies, drain flies or fungus gnats, they’re all looking for a food source. Control the source, eliminate the problem. To get rid of drain flies, pour a pot of boiling water down the drain, followed by ½ cup of baking soda and 1 cup of white vinegar. Immediately cover the drain with a plug and let it fizz for 10-15 minutes. Then, flush it out with a second pot of boiling water. As for the fruit flies, they’re drawn by any fruit you have sitting out. Always put fruit and vegetables in the refrigerator, but for those that shouldn’t be refrigerated — like bananas and tomatoes — place them in brown paper bags and tightly seal them with a clip. If you already have an infestation of fruit flies, fill a jar with apple cider vinegar and a couple of drops of dish soap, wrapping the mouth of the jar with plastic wrap and poking a few holes in it. The flies will be attracted to the smell, crawl in, and not be able to get own. The soap will cut the surface tension so they drown. Finally, fungus gnats are drawn to damp potting mix in house plants. Eliminate the contaminated soil and re-pot the plant. To prevent a recurrence, water your plants less frequently so the top 1-2 inches of soil stays dry.
