How to Keep Fruit Flies from Bananas

Fruit flies love bananas, which offer them not only rich and delicious nutrients but also the perfect habitat for breeding and hatching offspring. While this is good news for fruit flies, it's probably not for you, as fruit flies are rarely welcome house guests.

Things You'll Need

• Honey
• Small jar
• Plastic wrap
• Rubber band
• Spray bottle
• Apple cider vinegar
• Plastic bag

Instructions

1. Wash your bananas in cool water as soon as you get them home from the market, rinsing off any fly eggs which may already be present. Riper fruit is more susceptible to infestation, so try to buy bananas that are either ready to eat or slightly green, allowing them to ripen on the counter.

2. Place a spoonful of honey in a jar and cover it with plastic wrap, securing it tightly with a rubber band. Poke a single hole in the plastic wrap and set the jar next to your fruit bowl. The honey will draw the flies in; the plastic wrap will keep them from escaping.

3. Spray ripe bananas with a mixture of equal parts apple cider vinegar and water to deter fruit flies. Once you remove the peel, no trace of the vinegar will remain.

4. Store bananas in a tightly sealed plastic bag if you plan to eat them quickly. The increased heat and lack of oxygen inside the bag speed ripening, and the bag itself places a barrier between the bananas and fruit flies. Make sure to wash the bananas thoroughly before you place them in the bag.