How to Rid a Household of Ants and Fruit Flies

Ants and fruit flies can bring diseases from outdoors into your home.

Pests commonly invade homes, and some of the most insistent are ants and fruit flies. Both ants and fruit flies enter your home in search of food and will hang around -- and multiply -- if they find it. Insects carry and spread diseases, so getting rid of these pests is a paramount concern. Several methods are available and simple to execute.

Things You'll Need

• All-purpose cleaner
• Ant traps
• Boric acid
• Jelly
• Lidded container
• Trash bag and can
• Beer
• Jar
• Plastic bag
• Pencil
• Rubber band

Instructions

Ants

1. Clean your home thoroughly and remove any crumbs or other food substances off the floor. Use an all-purpose cleaner to clean stoves, sinks, countertops, cabinets and other surfaces that come into contact with food, including trash cans. Also clean areas where ants have been in order to obliterate the scent trails they leave. Fix leaky faucets or pipes, as well, as some ants are attracted to moisture.

2. Place commercial ant traps around your home. Locate the traps in areas where ants are most often found, such as the kitchen floor or bathroom. Place the traps so they are inaccessible to children and pets, as they are toxic.

3. Make your own ant trap. Mix 1/2 tsp. of boric acid and 1 tbsp. of jelly. Place the sweet concoction in a small plastic container that comes with a lid, such as a yogurt container. Punch small holes in the top of the lid, and place the lid on the container. Lay the container on its side so the ants can easily go in and out. The ants will carry the poisonous bait back to their queen, who will eat it and die. Keep the trap away from animals and children.

Fruit Flies

1. Discard any rotting or ripened fruit from your counter and refrigerator. Fruit flies often infiltrate homes because they detect the strong aroma of fermenting fruit or vegetables. Fruit flies, which are brown winged insects with red eyes, are smaller than the common housefly, the black fly most often buzzing around the kitchen or garbage can.

2. Wash out all fruit juice and soda cans and bottles before you dispose of or recycle them. Fruit flies feed off the fermenting liquids found inside the containers. Wipe off any juice or soda from the outside of the can or bottle as well.

3. Make a fly trap. Pour beer into a glass or plastic jar so it is 1 inch deep. Place a plastic bag over the jar and push the center down so that it goes inside the jar, akin to a funnel. Poke a pencil tip-sized hole into the center of the bag and secure the plastic to the outside of the jar with a rubber band. Fruit flies will smell the beer and enter the trap but won't be able to get out. Place the trap in an area away from children.

Tips & Warnings

• Seal any gaps, cracks or holes on the outside of your home to prevent future infestations of ants or fruit flies. Check for entry points around your doors and windows, and check for any holes in the window screens as well.

References

• Colorado State University Extension; Ants in the Home; W.S. Cranshaw; January 2009
• University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension; Flies in the Home; Barb Ogg, et al.
• University of Kentucky Entomology; Ant Control for Homeowners; Michael F. Potter