Every year, something predictable happens. Actually, several predictable ‘somethings’ happen. Temperatures drop, snow flutters down to cover the ground, and flies disappear. It is a miraculous thing. So, why is it you still have a swarm of tiny flies in your kitchen?
If the flies you’re dealing with are fruit flies, here are a few reasons they are able to plague you in winter.
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It’s not winter in your home. It may be getting down to zero outside; but inside your home, it is always spring or summer. That means the environment is perfect for these irritating pests to be actively feeding and breeding.
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Fruit flies don’t just fly into your home. While it is true that fruit flies can get into your home by flying in from the outside, this is actually not the most common way they get in. If you’re dealing with a fruit fly infestation in December, you probably carried them into your home. These tiny flies leave tiny eggs on fruit that are very hard to see. If you brought fruit into your home with eggs on it, that is where it all began. Now, they are probably established in several places beyond these initial “tainted” fruits and breeding like crazy.
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Your home obviously has what these flies need to thrive. Fruit flies need food to reproduce. But it doesn’t take much food to feed an army of fruit flies. If a batch of eggs were to hatch in a room that was entirely empty and completely sealed, the only breeding site and source of food available would be the fruit the flies hatched on, but that would be enough to produce swarms and swarms. In your home, a fruit fly can get a meal from many places you wouldn’t think possible, like a splotch of ketchup on a dirty dish in the sink, or a gob of something sweet inside your trash can. This is what makes this such a difficult pest for homeowners to control.
“Okay. So, what do I do about all these winter fruit flies?”
Fruit flies can be frustrating to get rid of, especially if you don’t address breeding sites in your home. If you live in Minnesota, consider having one of our educated pest specialists do an inspection of your home and address all of the breeding sites and conditions that are allowing fruit flies to multiply in your home. Our team uses green pest control methods and the safest EPA approved products when absolutely necessary. Your family will be safe, and those frustrating fruit flies will be gone.
