Bananas are a favorite fruit in many homes, but if you don’t keep them properly, tiny fruit flies might start to hang around them. These little bugs lay their eggs on ripe or very ripe fruits, and they can quickly grow in number.
To make sure fruit flies don’t swarm your bananas, it’s important to take some steps to keep them away.
Table of Contents
- Getting to Know Fruit Flies
- Pro Tips to Keep Bananas Free from Fruit Flies
- 1. Use sealed containers for storing bananas
- 2. Don’t keep bananas with other fruits and veggies
- 3. Wrap banana stems in cling film
- 4. Keep bananas in the refrigerator
- 5. Always clean your kitchen and remove food waste
- 6. Get rid of ripe and super ripe fruits quickly
- 7. Regularly clean your fruit bowl
- 8. Make sure to clean your drain and garbage disposer
- 9. Don’t leave dirty dishes out
- 10. Keep compost bins closed tight
- 11. Use essential oils like peppermint, lavender, or lemongrass
- 12. Keeping a tidy kitchen with no leftovers
- 13. Put Bananas in Sealed Containers
- 14. Catch Fruit Flies with Vinegar and Dish Soap
- 15. Try Using a Fruit Fly Trap
- Conclusion
Getting to Know Fruit Flies
Fruit flies are pint-sized bugs that like to go after ripe and extra-ripe fruits because they can smell them from far away. Once they find a yummy fruit, they lay their eggs on it.
In a short time, those eggs become larvae that munch on the fruit. Fruit flies can reproduce really fast, and one female can lay about 500 eggs. That’s why it’s super important to try to keep them away from your bananas.
Pro Tips to Keep Bananas Free from Fruit Flies
To stop fruit flies from getting to your bananas, you can put them in sealed containers, make sure your kitchen is tidy and doesn’t have food leftovers, and use natural things like essential oils to keep the flies away. If there are a lot of flies, you might want to try homemade traps with vinegar and soap or get a fruit fly trap from the store.
1. Use sealed containers for storing bananas
Fruit flies love the smell of ripe bananas. If you don’t want them in your kitchen, store your bananas in containers that don’t let air in. This keeps the smell inside so the fruit flies can’t find them.
2. Don’t keep bananas with other fruits and veggies
It’s not just bananas that fruit flies like—they’re also drawn to other ripe or overripe fruits and veggies. So, keep your bananas away from other produce to make them less easy to find for fruit flies.
3. Wrap banana stems in cling film
Fruit flies can lay their eggs at the top of a banana where the stem is. If you cover the stem with cling film, it can stop the flies from being able to lay eggs there.
4. Keep bananas in the refrigerator
Fruit flies do well in warm places, so if you keep your bananas at room temperature, you might get more fruit flies. Putting bananas in the fridge will make them ripen slower and will hide the smell from the flies.
5. Always clean your kitchen and remove food waste
A messy kitchen can invite fruit flies because they like damp and dirty spots. To keep them away, always clean up, wipe down your counters, and sweep the floors.
6. Get rid of ripe and super ripe fruits quickly
If you don’t throw away fruits that are ripe or too ripe right away, fruit flies might come fast. To avoid this, toss them in the trash, compost them, or use them to make smoothies or cakes.
7. Regularly clean your fruit bowl
A fruit bowl sitting out can get grimy and wet, and that can bring in fruit flies. Make sure to clean the bowl often with soap and water and dry it well.
8. Make sure to clean your drain and garbage disposer
Fruit flies might also start to live in places like your drain or garbage disposer if they’re dirty and wet. Keeping these places clean with some baking soda and vinegar can help because it will clean out leftover food and reduce smells.
9. Don’t leave dirty dishes out
Leftover food on dishes can pull in fruit flies. It’s best to wash them soon and get rid of any scraps of food so fruit flies don’t have anything to eat.
10. Keep compost bins closed tight
Composting is good for the environment but might attract fruit flies, too. To prevent this, always use a lid to seal up your compost bin. This way, fruit flies won’t smell the compost and won’t be able to lay their eggs.
11. Use essential oils like peppermint, lavender, or lemongrass
Essential oils have strong smells that fruit flies don’t like. You can mix a few drops of oils like peppermint, lavender, or lemongrass with water and spray it around your kitchen to keep flies away.
The minty smell of peppermint oil is very refreshing and fruit flies stay away from it. Lavender oil smells nice and calm, and it can do the trick, too. Lemongrass oil smells like lemons and can help keep insects away. Give these oils a try to naturally prevent fruit flies from coming into your kitchen and bothering your bananas.
12. Keeping a tidy kitchen with no leftovers
One big reason why fruit flies might come to your kitchen is to find food. So it’s really important to keep the area clean and clear of any leftovers or scraps of food.
Clean your kitchen counters, sweep your floors, and immediately wipe up any messes or crumbs from food. It’s important to tidy up after cooking and eating to make sure you don’t leave any food lying around that could attract fruit flies.
13. Put Bananas in Sealed Containers
To keep fruit flies away from your bananas, the best thing to do is to put them in containers that don’t let air in. This stops the fruit flies from being able to smell the bananas as they ripen and keeps them from laying eggs on the fruit.
Use plastic containers with tight-fitting lids or zipper seal bags to store your bananas. It’s good to look at your bananas every day and throw away any that are too ripe or starting to go bad. This helps stop fruit flies from spreading.
14. Catch Fruit Flies with Vinegar and Dish Soap
A simple trap that works well for catching fruit flies uses vinegar and dish soap. Make this trap by pouring apple cider vinegar into a bowl and adding a couple of drops of dish soap.
The dish soap changes the surface of the vinegar so the fruit flies can’t float, making them sink and drown instead. You can put this bowl in places where you see a lot of fruit flies, like next to where you keep your fruit or near your garbage bin.,p>
15. Try Using a Fruit Fly Trap
When you’re dealing with lots of fruit flies, a fruit fly trap you buy from a store might be necessary. These traps catch fruit flies with a bait that’s safe and not poisonous.
Just place the trap in a spot where you’ve seen many fruit flies and throw it away when it’s full. These traps are a fast and simple way to deal with fruit flies and you can find them at most places that sell hardware or home items.
Conclusion
Bananas are a tasty and nutritious choice for a snack, but if you don’t keep them the right way, they might bring fruit flies into your home. If you use the advice from this article, you can stop fruit flies from getting near your bananas and avoid an infestation.
Keep bananas in sealed containers, always clean your kitchen well, and throw away any fruits when they get too ripe. Besides that, feel free to use various methods like specially designed fruit fly traps, natural essential oils, and sticky fly paper to keep the fruit flies at bay.
