Tips and Tricks to Remove Fruit Flies From Your Home

Q: Why do I have fruit flies when there is no fruit in the house?

Because fruit is only one of their breeding sites. Fruit flies also breed in drains, garbage disposals, the bottom of trash cans, unrinsed recycling, sour mops and rags, juice spilled under the refrigerator and forgotten potatoes or onions. University of Kentucky entomologists note that a single forgotten potato or onion at the back of a closet can be the source.

Q: How fast do fruit flies multiply?

Very fast. The University of Kentucky reports that fruit flies can go from egg to adult in about a week, and a female can lay about 500 eggs. University of Wisconsin Extension gives 8 to 10 days for the full life cycle. That is why a handful of flies around a banana can become a cloud within two weeks if the source stays.

Q: Can fruit flies come from the sink drain?

Yes. Fruit flies breed in the moist, fermenting film inside drains and garbage disposals, and Texas A&M notes that dark-eyed fruit flies favor drains and bathrooms. To test a drain, tape a clear plastic bag over it overnight: flies emerging from it will be caught inside. If several drains are involved, a professional drain treatment may be needed.

Q: Do fruit flies bite?

No. Fruit flies do not bite people or pets. They are still unsanitary: they move between garbage, drains and food, and they can contaminate food with bacteria. Texas A&M AgriLife notes that eating food infested with their larvae can cause intestinal upset, and health departments treat them as a sanitation problem in food service.

Q: Are fruit flies and gnats the same thing?

No, although people often use the words loosely. Fruit flies are stout, tan flies with red eyes that hover around produce, trash and drains. Fungus gnats are slender, dark and mosquito-like, and breed in moist potting soil. The fix is different: fruit flies need their food sources removed, while fungus gnats need you to let houseplant soil dry out.

Key takeaways

Fruit flies can develop from egg to adult in about a week, and a female can lay about 500 eggs.
They breed in fermenting produce, drains, garbage disposals, trash cans, recycling, mops and spills, not only in fruit bowls.
Traps and sprays only remove adults; the infestation ends when every breeding site is found and cleaned out.
A jar with cider vinegar and a paper funnel is a simple, effective trap for the adults.
Small flies that keep returning after cleaning often breed in drain buildup, which needs scrubbing or a drain treatment.

In this article

Why Fruit Flies Multiply So Fast
Fruit Flies or Something Else? Identify Your Small Flies
Where Fruit Flies Breed in Your Home
How to Get Rid of Fruit Flies Step by Step
DIY Fruit Fly Traps That Work
Do Sprays Work on Fruit Flies?
Are Fruit Flies Harmful?
How to Keep Fruit Flies From Coming Back
When to Call a Professional
Frequently Asked Questions

The fastest way to remove fruit flies is to find and get rid of whatever they are breeding in, then trap the adults that are left. Sprays and traps alone only knock down the flies you can see, so the swarm keeps coming back until the source is gone.

That source is not always the fruit bowl. Fruit flies breed in drains, trash cans, recycling bins, mops and spills, and in South Florida’s warm kitchens they can do it all year. Because their life cycle is so short, a few flies today can be hundreds within two weeks. The tips below walk you through identifying them, finding their breeding sites and stopping the next generation.

Fruit flies hovering over a bowl of ripe bananas, a common source of kitchen fruit fly problems.

Why Fruit Flies Multiply So Fast

Fruit flies are small flies in the genus Drosophila, also called vinegar or pomace flies. Adults are about 1/8 inch long, usually with red eyes, a tan front and a darker rear, according to the University of Kentucky. Their short life cycle is the reason they can take over a kitchen so quickly.

A female lays her eggs near the surface of fermenting food or moist organic matter, and can lay about 500 eggs in total.
The larvae feed near the surface of that fermenting material, so the source is usually overripe or rotting, not fresh.
Development from egg to adult takes about a week; University of Wisconsin Extension puts the full cycle at 8 to 10 days.

The practical lesson: if you remove the breeding site, the adults die off within days. If you only kill the adults, the larvae already in the source replace them within a week.

Fruit Flies or Something Else? Identify Your Small Flies

Several tiny flies show up in homes, and each breeds somewhere different. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension’s guide to indoor flies describes how to tell them apart.

Fly	What it looks like	Where it breeds	Main fix
Fruit fly	Stout, about 1/8 inch, usually red eyes	Overripe produce, spills, trash, drains	Remove the food source, trap adults
Drain (moth) fly	Fuzzy, gray, moth-like wings held flat or roof-like	Slimy film inside drains, condensate pans, cracked tile	Scrub and clean the drain lines
Fungus gnat	Slender, dark, mosquito-like, long legs	Moist potting soil	Let soil dry out, replace soil if needed
Phorid fly	Humpbacked, tan to black, runs before flying	Garbage, drains, sewer leaks, decaying matter	Find the rotting source; may need a plumber

If the flies are larger and sluggish and gather on sunny windows, you may be dealing with something else entirely; see how to get rid of cluster flies. Our fly pest library covers the other common species.

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Where Fruit Flies Breed in Your Home

Finding the source can take persistence. Check every spot on this list, not just the fruit bowl:

Ripe or damaged produce: bananas, tomatoes, melons, grapes, mangoes and anything left on the counter
Potatoes and onions stored out of sight in a pantry or cabinet; a single rotting one is enough
Drains and garbage disposals, where food film builds up
Trash cans, especially wet residue caked on the bottom
Recycling bins with unrinsed bottles and cans
Mops, rags, sponges and buckets that smell sour
Juice or soda spills under the refrigerator, and the refrigerator drip pan
Homemade wine, beer, cider or canned goods in containers that do not seal well

If you find tiny larvae or insects in stored food, our guide to insects that live inside food explains what else to check.

Toro tip: To find out whether a drain is the source, tape a clear plastic food storage bag over the opening before bed. If adult flies are trapped in the bag in the morning, they emerged from that drain, a test recommended by University of Kentucky entomologists.

How to Get Rid of Fruit Flies Step by Step

Work through these steps in order. Once the breeding sites are gone, the remaining adults die off and no new ones replace them.

Remove or refrigerate ripe produce. Eat it, toss it or move it to the refrigerator. Cut away damaged spots before storing fruit and vegetables.
Store food in airtight containers. Leftovers, open juice, syrup and sweet snacks left uncovered are an open invitation.
Clean the drains. Scrub the inside of drains and disposals with a stiff brush and flush with hot water. Texas A&M notes that bleach and liquid drain cleaners are largely ineffective against drain-breeding flies; physical scrubbing is what removes the film.
Wash the trash and recycling bins. Rinse bottles and cans before they go in the bin, and keep recycling outdoors if you can.
Replace sour mops, sponges and rags, and let buckets dry completely between uses.
Clean up spills under and around the refrigerator, stove and dishwasher.
Trap the adults that are left, using one of the traps below.

Handle Kitchen Compost the Right Way

Fruit and vegetable peels are prime breeding material. Use a compost pail with a tight lid so flies cannot reach the scraps, and empty it outdoors every two to three days. If you only take compost out once a week, keep the scraps in the refrigerator or freezer until then; the cold slows fly development.

DIY Fruit Fly Traps That Work

Traps give fast relief while you clean up the source. They are a supplement, not a cure.

Vinegar funnel trap: Pour a few ounces of cider vinegar into a jar, roll a sheet of paper into a funnel and set it in the mouth of the jar. Flies find their way in but rarely out (University of Kentucky).
Fruit bait trap: Use a slice of ripe banana instead of vinegar, with the same paper funnel (University of Kentucky).
Wine bottle trap: A bottle with a little wine left in the bottom catches adults through its narrow neck (University of Wisconsin).

Place traps where you see the most flies, and replace the bait every few days. If a trap keeps filling up after a week, there is still a breeding site you have not found.

For more ideas that work on house flies as well, see our list of home remedies that keep flies at bay.

Do Sprays Work on Fruit Flies?

Only partly. Indoor flying insect sprays kill the adults present at the moment you spray and leave no lasting control, according to University of Wisconsin Extension. The University of Kentucky recommends an aerosol only after the breeding sites have been eliminated. Once the sources are gone, a quick knockdown of the remaining adults can help, but it is the last step, not the first.

Safety note: Do not spray insecticides on food, dishes or food-prep surfaces, and never mix drain cleaners, bleach or other chemicals in a drain. Use any insecticide only where its label allows, and remove or cover food first.

Are Fruit Flies Harmful?

Fruit flies do not bite, but they are not harmless either. They move between garbage, drains and food, and the University of Kentucky notes they can contaminate food with bacteria and other disease-causing organisms. Texas A&M AgriLife adds that eating food infested with their larvae can cause intestinal upset and diarrhea, and health departments consider them unsanitary in food service.

For restaurants, bars and other food businesses, fruit flies in drains and under equipment are an inspection problem, not just a nuisance. Toro’s restaurant pest control program includes drain treatment for exactly this reason.

How to Keep Fruit Flies From Coming Back

South Florida’s warmth means fruit flies can breed in a kitchen any month of the year, and summer cookouts, tropical fruit and overflowing recycling bins give them extra chances. A few habits keep them away:

Refrigerate ripe fruit instead of leaving it on the counter for days.
Take out trash and kitchen compost frequently, and rinse recyclables.
Clean drains and disposals regularly, not only when flies appear.
Keep window and door screens tight and in good repair.
Check pantry potatoes and onions every week.

The same habits help with other kitchen invaders; see our guide to keeping pantry pests out of your kitchen. And if you are hosting outdoors, our tips for keeping pests away from summer BBQs cover the flies and wasps that come to the table.

When to Call a Professional

If small flies keep coming back after you have cleaned the kitchen, they are usually breeding somewhere you cannot reach: deep in drain lines, under broken floor tile, beneath equipment or in a hidden spill. That is when a professional helps.

Toro’s drain cleaning service starts with a free inspection to identify the flies and find where they breed, including drains, cracks, crevices and broken tile. Technicians then apply Bio-Foam, which combines odor-eliminating microbes, foaming agents and citrus oil; the foam reaches the drain walls and the microbes digest the buildup the flies breed in. It is available for homes and businesses, and if the bugs come back, so will Toro, at no additional cost to you.

TORO Pest Management service truck parked outside the Miami office

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why do I have fruit flies when there is no fruit in the house?

Because fruit is only one of their breeding sites. Fruit flies also breed in drains, garbage disposals, the bottom of trash cans, unrinsed recycling, sour mops and rags, juice spilled under the refrigerator and forgotten potatoes or onions. University of Kentucky entomologists note that a single forgotten potato or onion at the back of a closet can be the source.

How fast do fruit flies multiply?

Very fast. The University of Kentucky reports that fruit flies can go from egg to adult in about a week, and a female can lay about 500 eggs. University of Wisconsin Extension gives 8 to 10 days for the full life cycle. That is why a handful of flies around a banana can become a cloud within two weeks if the source stays.

Can fruit flies come from the sink drain?

Yes. Fruit flies breed in the moist, fermenting film inside drains and garbage disposals, and Texas A&M notes that dark-eyed fruit flies favor drains and bathrooms. To test a drain, tape a clear plastic bag over it overnight: flies emerging from it will be caught inside. If several drains are involved, a professional drain treatment may be needed.

Do fruit flies bite?

No. Fruit flies do not bite people or pets. They are still unsanitary: they move between garbage, drains and food, and they can contaminate food with bacteria. Texas A&M AgriLife notes that eating food infested with their larvae can cause intestinal upset, and health departments treat them as a sanitation problem in food service.

Are fruit flies and gnats the same thing?

No, although people often use the words loosely. Fruit flies are stout, tan flies with red eyes that hover around produce, trash and drains. Fungus gnats are slender, dark and mosquito-like, and breed in moist potting soil. The fix is different: fruit flies need their food sources removed, while fungus gnats need you to let houseplant soil dry out.

Sources

Fruit Flies (ENTFACT-621), University of Kentucky Entomology
Fruit Flies in the Home, University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension
Indoor Flies and Their Control, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension

Educational content. This article is for general information about pests in South Florida and is not medical, legal or professional advice. If you have a bite, sting or allergic reaction, contact your doctor; in an emergency, call 911. Pest problems vary from home to home, so a licensed professional should inspect before treatment. When using any pesticide, always read and follow the product label.