Fruit Flies In Your Kitchen? Start Rinsing Your Bananas

Bananas are a versatile bunch — delicious and adaptable on their own, baked into treats, and utilized in other creative dishes. The biggest issue with bananas, though? Fruit flies love them. The first line of defense in keeping bugs out of your kitchen is cleanliness — and that starts with washing your fruit. By rinsing your bananas immediately after bringing them home from the grocery store, you remove the fruit fly eggs that might be lying in wait. Did you know fruit flies can lay up to 500 eggs on ripening or rotting fruit and veggies, as well as in dirty drains? Gross.

"Rinse the bananas in tap water for about 30 seconds, and then place them on a kitchen towel to air dry, or use the towel to wipe them dry," Christine Fiorentino wrote for Southern Living, making the case for why you need to wash your bananas. This obviously won't get rid of bugs that can just come into your house from the outdoors on their own, but it does reduce the odds of a hostile takeover.

Since fruit flies are attracted to the smell of fruit that's reaching its expiration date, there are other things to keep in mind. Bananas are climacteric, meaning they ripen off of ethylene gas (Here's a guide to fruit ripening, for more on that). Bananas, apples, and avocados produce the most ethylene, so be careful of how you organize your produce when putting it away. Placing your bananas in a bowl surrounded by other fruit will make them brown more quickly.

To slow down the ripening of your bananas, wash them — leaving the grocery store plastic wrap around the banana stems — and hang your bunch on a hook. The plastic prevents the bananas' own ethylene gas from surrounding them, and the hanger ensures good airflow — unlike a bowl, which traps gas and accelerates ripening, thus attracting fruit flies.

Everyone has probably experienced a fruit fly infestation at one time or another, and it's nothing to be embarrassed about. But if fruit flies have taken over your kitchen, the key to trapping these pesky pests is already in your pantry: apple cider vinegar. It could take a couple of days, but they'll be gone. Of course, definitely be sure to wash your bananas next time!