Those annoying little fruit flies are heading indoors at this time of year
With the last of summer behind us, Edmontonians bringing in garden harvests are bugged by fruit flies.
The winged insects appear — as if out of thin air — in late summer and fall, attracted by ripe and fermenting fruits and vegetables.
And like clockwork they are here again.
The fruit fly — Drosophila melanogaster — seeks warmth indoors when summer starts to fade.
"It's getting colder and fruit flies can get in through the smallest cracks," Rob Sproule, co-owner of Salisbury Greenhouse in St. Albert and Sherwood Park, told CBC's Edmonton AM.
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"Once they're in, they can go from two individuals to 500 individuals in a week."
The entire life cycle of a fruit fly from egg to adult can be completed within a week. And with a large reproductive potential, a female fruit fly can lay up to 500 eggs if given the opportunity.
Life expectancy is about 40 days, so the fruit fly's priority is to date and mate fast, said Sproule.
A common misconception is that fruit flies may already be on freshly bought fruits and vegetables, but Sproule said that's wrong.
"Usually, they're coming in through the screen," he said. "They come in because it's fall, and popular folklore is flies come in right before rain — and it's been a rainy fall."
As a greenhouse owner, Sproule is familiar with most bugs and said he has noticed fruit flies in his home, too.
He said they love to lay their eggs in sinks or the drain. And in showers, too.
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Sproule said the flies don't like to travel too far from where they lay their eggs.
He suggests creating a DIY fruit-fly trap that would lead the flies into a glass of wine, apple cider vinegar, or anything else fruity.
"Put Saran Wrap over the glass and punch a few small holes in. So it's easy for them to get in but not so easy to get out," said Sproule.
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He said the bugs can grow exponentially on just a smudge of jam at the bottom of a garbage can.
To keep homes fly-free, the best thing to do would be to wash fresh produce and store it inside the refrigerator.
Despite their general ickiness and love for overripe fruits, fruit flies have been used in many science experiments.
"They actually have six Nobel Prizes to their name," said Sproule.
"They're just annoying."
Thumbnail image courtesy of Erik Karits/Pexels.
This article, written by Ishita Verma, was originally published for CBC News.