Try these essential oils to get rid of fruit flies and the diseases that they bring with them. Keep reading to know why you must get rid of them asap!
What are Fruit Flies?
Have you ever seen those small flies all over your kitchen and garbage bins? Yes, they are probably Fruit flies. The small flies or gnats that you see above your food in the kitchen are known as fruit flies. These flies belong to the genus Drosophila and are classified as insects and small fruit flies. Fruit flies could lay up to 2000 eggs in their entire lifetime, which is only 30-50 days. They are seen all year long, mostly infesting the fruits and vegetables in our homes or outside.
Why Are Fruit Flies Harmful?
Not only fruit flies are an irritant, but they also contaminate food with bacteria and other pathogens, causing a considerable amount of food-borne illnesses. They can transfer the bacteria or viruses from a dirty place over to your food. Eating food contaminated by fruit flies can lead to severe stomach infections and other health concerns. Bacterias like salmonella, E. coli, and listeria might even cause poisoning in many people.
Therefore, it is imperative to get rid of them rather than have them loitering around in your homes. Instead of using commercial sprays that have numerous chemicals in them, try these essential oils to get rid of fruit flies.
Essential Oils to Get Rid of Fruit Flies
1. Basil Oil
Basil oil can be used as a natural insecticide and has lethal effects on fruit flies due to their specific chemical components. Therefore, the potent and versatile herb oil can help you get rid of the pesky flies quickly. You can use a diffuser with good quality basil oil in your home or near any place you wish to sit outdoors. Or you can pour a few drops of the basil oil on the table cloth or any surface on which you’ve kept your food.
2. Thyme Oil
Fruit flies have a higher mortality rate with this oil than the others on the list. Thyme oil has become necessary in the kitchens due to its fruit-fly repelling qualities. It’s strong smell repels many insects, including fruit flies. Keep a bundle of thyme around your food or pour a few drops on the table cloth, both of the ways will help you get rid of the flies. Or pour a few drops of thyme oil on your palm and rub them on your food bowls.
3. Peppermint Oil
Peppermint oil has long been famous for its insect repelling properties due to its strong smell that most insects dislike. Not only insects, but peppermint oil is also helpful in warding off mice in your home. You can either pour a few drops of the oil on each corner of your table cloth or simply put the bottle open near your food. Keep in mind not to use more than a few drops as the excess smell of peppermint can cause headaches in many people.
4. Lemongrass Essential Oil
Fruit flies generally hate citrus smells and so lemongrass oil is a great choice to get rid of them. You can rub some oil on the surface of your windows and doors to keep the fruit-flies out or use an aroma diffuser to spread the smell of lemongrass in your home. If you don’t have lemongrass essential oil, you can even use the pulp of an orange or a lemon.
5. Rosemary Essential Oil
The soft aroma of rosemary essential oil can be helpful in keeping the fruit flies at bay. Add water and a few drops of rosemary essential oil in a spray bottle and spritz it near the food or near windows and doors. This will refrain the fruit flies from entering your home. And if you’re dining outside, spray the solution over the dining table or the table cloth to repel them. Keep in mind to shake the bottle well before use so that the oil doesn’t settle down at the bottom.
6. Lavender Essential Oil
Lavender is like a natural air freshener that we love, but fruit flies don’t. You might like the fragrance of lavender; however, fruit flies can’t stand the smell of this aromatic oil. Pour a quarter cup of this essential oil in a bowl and keep it in your kitchen to repel the flies.
7. Clove Essential Oil
Clove oil is famous for repelling a number of insects and is also a popular ingredient in commercial pesticides. However, crushed cloves tend to show more repelling properties than oil. You can pour drops of clove oil in and around your home and entrances. If this doesn’t work, then you crush some of the cloves into small pieces and scatter them near the entrance or around the food.
8. Cedarwood Essential Oil
Cedarwood tends to ward off mosquitoes and flies due to its vibrant smell. Dab a used teabag in the essential oil and hang it in places where the fruit flies tend to accumulate. Otherwise, dip a cotton ball in the oil and place them near the places where you’ve seen the fruit flies.
9. Citronella Oil
When combined with other oils and apple cider vinegar, Citronella Oil makes for a strong repellent against these flies. So, mix it with these ingredients and watch the flies leave your premises in no time.
Combination Essential Oils for Fruit Flies
1. Peppermint, Basil, and Eucalyptus
A combination of these three essential oils proves to be a potent repellent, and together they form a powerful solution to repel fruit flies. You can mix these oils in two cups of water in a bowl and lay it out or use them together in a diffuser. If you don’t want the aroma in your home, dab a cotton ball in the mix and put them wherever you see the flies.
2. Camphor, Lavender, Peppermint, and Clove
Another essential oil combination that is quite effective and works powerfully to protect your food from getting contaminated. Mix equal parts of all four oils and use them for repelling or getting rid of fruit-flies. You can even skip one or two of the oils as all these oils have a strong pungent smell that might cause headaches in many people.
3. Thyme, Lavender, and Lemon
Combine 7-8 drops of each of these essential oils in a spray bottle and fill it with water. Shake the bottle well and spritz the solution around the entrance points of your home or on your dining table or kitchen cabinet. You can even use this solution to clean your kitchen cabinet as the lemon will kill any bacteria and the oils will ward off the flies.
Homemade Fruit Flies Trap
What You Need
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Soap
- Water
- Bucket
- Essential Oil
Steps
- Fill a bucket halfway up with water and pour 2-4 tbsp of apple cider vinegar into it.
- In an another bowl, take a cup of water and a few drops of your dishwashing liquid soap to create a soapy water.
- Add the soapy water and a few drops of any of the essential oils above or combination into the bucket.
- Place the bucket in your porch or in the kitchen. Flies love the smell of apple and vinegar, which attracts them to the bucket. But the soapy consistency of the solution creates a surface tension, eventually trapping the flies in the bucket.
- Empty the bucket and refill it once you start to see to many flies in it.
Now use these oils separately or together, and get rid of all your fruit fly woes instantly!
