Get Rid Of Fruit Flies In The House With A Fresh-Smelling Essential Oil They Hate

In nature, fruit flies play important roles in ecosystems as pollinators and as food sources to species like birds and beneficial insects. They also are part of nature's cleanup crew, eating fruit and helping it decompose. But in the house, fruit flies' cleanup role can be a nuisance when we humans want to eat that very same fruit. There are a number of ways to rid your home of fruit flies without having to resort to chemical sprays — and thereby potentially adding those same chemicals to your diet. Peppermint (Mentha x piperita) oil can act as a safe, natural way to drive fruit flies from your home and keep them away.

Fruit flies are carriers of many common diseases affecting humans and can do great damage to agricultural crops, two of the reasons why fruit flies are commonly used for scientific research. They've even been sent to the International Space Station. But you don't need to be a rocket scientist to figure out why peppermint oil can be used to combat fruit flies: Fruit flies use their sense of smell to find their food; peppermint's strong smell overwhelms adult fruit flies' ability to find food. You can make your own apple cider vinegar trap to rid your home of fruit flies, but it's a rare breed of humans that enjoys the smell of vinegar. Peppermint oil can be a highly effective alternative while rewarding you with a pleasurable scent for your efforts.

The first step is to ridding your home of fruit flies with peppermint oil is to purchase it at an herb shop or natural grocery store. It comes in a highly concentrated form, so it's important to always dilute the oil before using it. In rare circumstances, peppermint oil can cause rashes and skin irritation, so wear gloves or test a drop of the diluted oil on your skin before using it more widely. Keep the candy-smelling oil out of reach of children. Peppermint oil can cause a burning sensation in the eyes and mouth, while swallowing it can cause abdominal distress, nausea, and vomiting. Swallowing large amounts can even induce coma. The Poison Control Center advises that people who are pregnant should also avoid the oil.

You can add a few drops of peppermint oil to the diffuser, if you have one, and let it do its work. Alternatively, it's easy to make a peppermint oil spray to drive away adult fruit flies. Simply fill a spray bottle with water and add 10 to 20 drops of peppermint oil with a dash of dish soap to help them mix. Shake well to mix and spray areas where you've seen fruit flies congregate and where they are likely to enter the house. Moisten a clean cloth with the spray and wipe down areas that might attract fruit flies, like fruit bowls, drains, or compost bins.

Ridding yourself of adult fruit flies is the easy part. Getting rid of the eggs is the most important part. Even though fruit flies only live a couple of weeks, a single fruit fly can lay up to 500 eggs. Fruit fly eggs need moisture to hatch, so letting the soil in indoor plants dry out is effective at preventing the emergence of adult fruit flies. One problem: your plants need water. Spraying moist soil with diluted peppermint oil has been found to be as effective as dry soil at preventing eggs from hatching.

Keeping fruit flies from bananas and other fruit laying around involves some good housekeeping. Spray spots where fruit flies might lay eggs, such as drains, around sinks, in toilets, or other moist areas. A diffuser will also kill the eggs when the oil lands on any areas where moisture accumulates. Wash your fruits when you get home from the store, then let them fully dry out on the counter in order to eliminate any fruit flies eggs hiding under  labels or crevices in the fruit, keep an eye on any cracks in their skins or peels, don't leave open fruit around, and make sure that any compost bin that you keep around the house has a lid that seals.