Where Do Fruit Flies Lay Eggs And How To Kill Fruit Fly Eggs

The sudden appearance of fruit flies in the house is a clear sign that there are active breeding grounds for these flies on your property.

The egg-laying grounds or breeding sources of fruit flies play a significant role in fruit fly infestation. 

Eliminating the places where fruit flies lay eggs is vital for treating and preventing fruit fly infestation. 

In this guide, you’ll find the hidden sources of fruit flies where fruit flies breed. 

You’ll also find how to neutralize the breeding grounds to avert or solve the fruit fly problem in the house.

Decaying Organic Debris

Decaying organic matter in compost bins and garbage disposals are the egg-laying grounds of fruit flies, especially when the wastes have fermenting or rotting fruits and vegetables.

Fermenting fruits produces alcohol, and a fruity smell, which draws the fruit flies. 

That’s one of the reasons people use wine or apple cider vinegar mixed with dish soap to prepare a fruit fly trap.

Inside Ripe Fruits And Vegetables

Fruit flies can also lay eggs in overripe fruits and vegetables lying around openly in the kitchen.

You can also have fruit fly eggs waiting to hatch right inside the fresh produce. 

The fruity smell of ripe fruits attracts gnats like fruit flies and fungus gnats.

That’s why gnats like fruit flies follow people wearing fruity-smelling perfume or bathed in sweet-smelling soap.

Inside Drains

The drains in the house, like sink drains and shower drains, are hidden breeding grounds for fruit flies in the house.

The sludge choking the drains is moist and has molds. The molds on the waste are food sources for the fruit fly larvae, known as maggots, that hatch out of the eggs.

So, the adult fruit flies lay eggs directly on the food source for their larvae.

Appearance Of Fruit Fly Eggs

You can’t see fruit fly eggs with the naked eye. 

Under a microscope, fruit fly eggs look like shiny, oval, yellowish translucent grains. These eggs are 0.5 mm or 0.02 inches in size. 

Short Gestation Period of Fruit Fly Eggs

Fruit flies live for 40-50 days. During this period, a female fruit fly lays 400-500 eggs. 

These eggs hatch within 24 to 30 hours, depending on the temperature and humidity. 

The fruit fly larvae, 3-4 mm (0.12 inches) in size, pale or yellowish, and legless, hatch out of these eggs. 

These larvae get into the pupae stage and emerge as adult fruit flies ready to breed within a week.

So, the short gestation period from egg to adult fruit flies is the reason for the sudden appearance of fruit flies in homes.

Astonishingly, even a single fertilized female fruit fly can trigger an infestation because of the number of eggs she can lay and the eggs’ short maturity period.

4 Ways To Kill Fruit Fly Eggs

Neutralizing the fruit fly eggs requires treatment of their breeding grounds. 

And anyone can do it without much effort by using the right products or compounds.

Disposing Overripe Or Rotting Fruits

It is crucial to safely dispose of overripe or rotten fruits and vegetables to eliminate the risk of fruit flies infestation. 

These fruits often contain fruit fly eggs, and the fruity smell makes them a prime target for fruit flies. 

Washing the fruits and storing them in the refrigerator immediately can significantly reduce the likelihood of drawing fruit flies. 

Eliminating Decaying Organic Debris

The debris in garbage disposals and rotting or fermenting wastes in compost bins draw fruit flies.

Keep your outdoors clean, and do not let waste pile up indoors and outdoors.

Keeping the garbage cans and compost bins covered with a lid also prevents fruit flies from laying eggs. 

Diatomaceous Earth And Nematodes

Diatomaceous earth and nematodes kill fruit fly eggs and their larvae.

Diatomaceous earth is a desiccant dust that gets inside the bodies of fruit fly larvae and kills them by absorbing their bodily fluids.

Nematodes are parasitic worms that get inside the larvae and eggs, preventing them from progressing into their lifecycle.

You can use diatomaceous earth or beneficial nematodes in compost bins and rotting debris, which are the breeding grounds of fruit flies.

Let them sit on the waste for a few hours to let them do their work.

Cleaning The Drains

Your trusty drain cleaner kills fruit fly eggs! Clean the drains to remove all the sludge choking the drains. 

It’ll unblock the drains and eliminate fruit fly eggs and their larvae. 

You can pour a mixture of baking soda and white vinegar inside the drains and let the mixture sit for a couple of hours.

Then, follow it up by pouring hot water into the drains. 

Preventing Adult Fruit Flies

Stopping fruit flies from entering your house reduces the chances of these flies laying eggs in the house. 

You can do it by spraying fruit fly repellents, especially in the kitchen and bathroom, such as peppermint oil or white vinegar. 

Fruit flies are attracted to damp areas. So, fixing water leaks to eliminate the moist areas underneath sinks and fixtures also deter fruit flies. 

Sealing cracks on the windows and using window screens also prevents adult fruit flies from entering the house during the fruit fly season, which is late spring and summer.

During the summer, many small flies, such as fungus gnats, phorid flies, and drain flies, including fruit flies, are a big nuisance in homes with active breeding grounds. 

Bleach For Killing Fruit Flies’ Eggs And Larvae

Bleach kills fruit flies’ eggs and larvae. 

Many people pour bleach in the drains to clean them and kill bugs like flies and roaches inside the drains.

But I don’t recommend using bleach.

Bleach is dangerous for your skin. And it can produce fumes if you use it with other products like ammonia or vinegar. 

These fumes are harmful.

Also, bleach is highly corrosive. Repeated use of bleach will damage the drains from the inside. 

Bleach kills the beneficial enzymes and bacteria inside the drains that help break down wastes. 

Recap

Fruit flies lay eggs in decaying organic debris containing rotten fruits and vegetables, slime choking the drains, and overripe fruits or vegetables. 

The eggs are difficult to spot, and female fruit flies’ prolific egg-laying nature can trigger a fruit fly infestation in the house.

Removing their breeding grounds and preventing adult flies from entering the house eliminates the chances of fruit fly infestation.