The exasperating truth about the reasons why fruit flies never leave you alone – and what to do on this subject

Like many enthusiastic cooks, I tend to go a little too far on the producer markets during the summer. I schlep at home with an assortment of heritage tomatoes, ripe fruit fruit and more zucchini that I cannot manage. I do my best to cook through my transport in a timely manner, but it does not always take place in this way. When I don’t do it, the source of my joy (all these tomatoes!) Becomes the source of my misery. And before knowing it, fruit flies went down to my kitchen.

I know that I am not alone; Fruit flies are a common nuisance for many, especially during the hot and humid summer months. What confuses me is that they always Present yourself despite my efforts to keep my kitchen as clean as possible. I clean my kitchen as I did when I worked in restaurants: I put all food and dishes, I wipe all counters and surfaces, and I take out the garbage and recycling every night. I crump the sink, wipe my sponge and sweep. And yet … fruit flies haunt me.

What gives?

It turns out that fruit flies are everywhere. As Michael Y. Park reported last year, a contributor to Serious Eats, most fruit flies are making their way in your kitchen by flying in or via the products we buy, which can transport eggs that end up making your kitchen hatch. Because these eggs are so tiny (which entomologist Molly Keck says that Park is “probably the size of a salt of salt”), it is unlikely that you will notice them.

Although you cannot completely control how and when fruit flies enter your kitchen, you can control their ability to prosper. It is crucial to ensure that there is no food source. This includes the obvious steps, such as the maintenance of covered fruits and vegetables, in a sealed, or refrigerated paper bag, and the elimination of food remains and wiping of crumbs. But that also means attacking the least obvious places where fruit flies can lay eggs, enlighten and feed: disinfect not only your counters, but also your drains, rinse all cans, pots or bottles before recycling them and the elimination of garbage and compost very frequently. Without getting rid of all food sources and reproductive grounds for fruit flies, your kitchen will continue to be a fireplace for these little annoying buggers, no matter how impeccable it appears.

In the end, keeping the fruit flies at a distance does not consist in keeping your kitchen tidy, but maintaining a much higher level of cleanliness. The good news is that, with a little effort, it is possible to keep them away for good.