John Myers
They come into the kitchen in good spirits, approach the fruit basket, and reach for the banana: a swarm of fruit flies rises and spreads throughout the room. An annoyance that doesn’t have to be. We tell you what helps against fruit flies.
Off to the fruit fly trap!
They are tiny and difficult to drive away: fruit flies. The hygiene pests often come into the house with the fruit, as EDEKA expert Reiner Ley knows: If you want to avoid fruit flies, you should make sure when you go shopping that you only put fresh, undamaged fruit in the trolley. Because the annoying tormentors prefer overripe, rotten fruit. Since the eggs of the pests can be on the shells, wash the food before storing it at home if possible. An exception are types of fruit for the refrigerator – since the little animals do not like low temperatures, they do not reproduce there.
Fighting fruit flies: Here’s how
Even if you store your fruit properly, fruit flies can still infest the kitchen. The insects are also attracted to the liquid left in empty bottles or Tetrapaks as well as the rubbish bin and leftover food. On the other hand, it helps to close the containers tightly, put dirty dishes in the dishwasher or wash them up immediately and wipe the work surfaces regularly. If it’s too late and you want to get rid of the fruit flies, you can easily build a trap. The easiest way to catch fruit flies is with a bait that attracts the insects. Fruit vinegar diluted with water is well suited and placed in a bowl or bowl. A splash of washing-up liquid makes the surface permeable – the insects sink into the fruit fly trap when they land. Also effective: An empty wine bottle that you simply put in the kitchen. The little animals feast on the remains of the drink and can no longer find their way out. Or you can lure them into a bag with a piece of rotten fruit and quickly seal the bag once enough fruit flies have landed in the trap.
What types of fruit can be frozen?
In principle, you can freeze all types of fruit. If you only want to process the fruit later, you should wash and dry the fruit thoroughly before freezing. However, if the fruit is very ripe, it may be a better choice to eat it right away, as it will be very mushy after thawing.
Stone fruit such as apricots, peaches, their variety – the flat peaches, nectarines, damsons or plums should first be halved and stoned before you put them in the freezer. This makes it easier to store the pieces of fruit and, if necessary, to process them further. Portions of peeled rhubarb can be frozen very well, and freezing is no problem for most berries either. First freeze berries on a tray or plate, otherwise they will stick together when frozen.
Fruit types that contain a lot of water, such as strawberries, can also be stored in the freezer. However, after thawing, they no longer taste as aromatic and become mushy. However, they are still well suited for jams, fruit yoghurts, or quark dishes. Alternatively, you can puree fruit that contains a lot of water before freezing it.
Other remedies against fruit flies
If you don’t want to build a fruit fly trap, you can also try to scare away the nuisances. The insects do not like certain smells. These include the scent of holy herbs, tomato plant leaves, chestnuts, and cloves. You can also dissolve a denture cleanser tab in water and place it next to the fruit basket. Finally, there’s a natural enemy of pests: carnivorous plants like butterwort make short work of them. The flowers also look decorative. By the way: If you have potted plants in the kitchen (such as basil) in which small black insects cavort, these are often not fruit flies but fungus gnats. They lay their eggs in the potting soil. Poke matchsticks into the ground, it kills the larvae and you’re good to go.
