Fruit flies are pesky any time of the the year, but they are particularly active (and annoying) in late summer and early fall because of the abundance of fresh garden produce. If you have fruit flies in your home, read this blog for some tips on how to get rid of fruit flies! Let’s talk about the life cycle of fruit flies; and then I’ll share some tips on how to reduce common breeding grounds and my go-to method to eliminate them when they get too prolific. The Life Cycle of Fruit Flies Fruit flies are tiny, 2-winged flies that measure about 3 mm (1/8”) long. Their front end is usually brown, their back end is black, and they have reddish eyes. Fruit flies reproduce rapidly for 2 reasons: Fruit flies are particularly fond of starchy, sweet fruits and vegetables like tomatoes, squash, bananas, potatoes, and onions, which are typically stored unrefrigerated. Fruit flies lay their eggs in the top layers of very ripe or rotting fruit. They also lay eggs in water drains, garbage bins, garburators, mops, and moist rags with rotting organic substances contained in them. Fruit flies make their way indoors several ways, as they hitch a ride to the kitchen on produce, fly in through open doors, or squeeze through small cracks in window screens or seals. How Dangerous are Fruit Flies? For the most part, fruit flies are harmless kitchen pests, but they can carry detrimental bacteria and other pathological organisms which they may leave