We expect flies buzzing around the fruit bowl, or being irritating around food that has been left out – but in the fridge? If you have noticed some unwanted buzzy creatures in or around your fridge, you might want to know how to get rid of fruit flies in refrigerator. We can help you!
Why Are Fruit Flies In My Refrigerator?
Fruit flies only exist where there is a food source, and warmth for them to survive, eat and breed. No one expects to find flies in their fridge!
Fruit flies may have managed to get into your fridge – they are sneaky little things. They generally follow food, but can sometimes end up in places by accident.
Fruit flies can be swept into your fridge on a current of air, and end up trapped there (because let’s face it, they not the brightest of creatures!)
They won’t be very happy in your fridge as it is cold, but they can still eat and they can still breed.
If you have all your food covered, but any leftover crumbs or stains, this can also attract pesky little flies.
You will probably find that any flies in your fridge are slow and sluggish, because the cold will prevent them from flying energetically.
Slow, sluggish flies are easier to get out of your fridge that wildly energetic ones, but you still don’t really want them around your food!
- Avoid swatting them inside the fridge, to reduce any contamination of your food.
- Try to usher them out of the fridge, and either release them outdoors or dispose of them.
- Place a home made trap in your fridge if you cannot get them out any other way (see below for details of how to do this).
How Do I Get Rid Of Fruit Flies In My Fridge?
- Start by cleaning out your fridge completely. Fruit flies are attracted to (eew) rotting fruit and vegetable matter (e.g. bananas), so making sure you have none of this will go a fair way to eliminating the problem.
- Remove any sticky patches of food that may be leftover in your fridge. Flies can be attracted to this,and can even breed in your fridge despite the cold temperatures.
- Take an empty bottle – soda or beer will do nicely – then fill the bottom of it with cider vinegar.
- Rub dish soap around the neck of the bottle, then the flies will be drawn in by the smell of the vinegar and trapped by the dish soap.
- Place the bottle either inside your fridge, or on the counter tops where the flies congregate.
- Check and rinse out the bottles every day or two, to ensure that you have got rid of the problem.
For a visual guide on how to get fruit flies out of your refrigerator, check out this video:
What Is The Fastest Way To Get Rid Of Fruit Flies?
The best way to get rid of your fruit fly problem is to remove all sources of food. Flies eat all the time, so having any food lying around is a sure fire way to attract them.
Check your fruit bowl for old or mouldy fruit. Fruit flies are called this because they love fruit! Remove temptation for them and you will notice a reduction in flies.
It is always a good idea to sweep up crumbs – not only is this nicer and more hygienic, but it will drastically reduce the potential for flies.
You can try hanging fly papers, but fruit flies are harder to catch on these long sticky strips. It’s worth a go if you have a serious infestation though.
Sticky traps are another good way of getting rid of fruit flies; you can place them in areas that the flies frequent and catch them this way.
A home made bottle trap is also a great way to catch and remove fruit flies, and it has the added bonus of being safe to use around food.
Obviously you can’t vacuum seal your house, but preventing the flies from entering in the first place is a good way to remove a fly problem.
Keep windows closed, especially those near a food source, and try to avoid leaving the door open for long periods.
Fly screens will go a long way to getting rid of flies in your house; these are especially helpful if you live in a hot area and can’t keep doors and windows closed.
This informative article will give you a few imaginative and effective ways to get rid of fruit flies.
Can Fruit Flies Survive In The Freezer?
The short answer is no. The extremely cold temperatures should kill off these little pests.
Some people actually use freezing as a way of destroying flies, as it is certainly effective – we wouldn’t recommend it however!
Putting flies in the freezer is not the most efficient fly removing technique, but you can rest in the knowledge that they won’t be in the freezer helping themselves to your secret stash of ice cream!
Fruit flies may be attracted to the freezer if some of the ice has unfrozen, as this will smell like food such as meat and fish.
Keep your freezer well defrosted, and ensure that all the food is sealed and covered, to remove the possibility of flies being attracted to the freeze.
Some flies can hibernate, so you may find yourself astonished when one rises, Lazarus like, from your freezer drawer – but a standard freezer should be too cold even for the hardiest of insect.
Fruit flies are not quite so disgusting as some other types of fly, but they are still not the sort of thing you want to find around your house.
In general, they will stay out of your refrigerator, but if you find the odd one or two in there then you should now know how to get rid of fruit flies in refrigerator!
