How to get rid
of fruit flies.
How to get rid of fruit flies: find where they are breeding, remove ripe produce, clean drains and recycling, and trap the adults with a simple vinegar trap. A guide for Toronto homes.
Fruit flies are most common in late summer and fall, when ripe produce comes into the kitchen. The flies you see are only part of the problem: they lay their eggs on fermenting food and moist residue, and a new generation can develop in about a week. Getting rid of them means finding and removing every breeding source, then trapping the adults that are left.
How to Get Rid of Fruit Flies:
step by step.
1. Confirm they are fruit flies
Fruit flies are tiny, about 3 mm long, tan with red eyes, and hover around fruit, drinks and garbage. Fuzzy, moth-like flies around sinks are usually drain flies, and small dark flies around houseplants are usually fungus gnats. Each one breeds somewhere different.
2. Find every breeding source
Check the fruit bowl, potatoes and onions in storage, the recycling bin, the garbage and green bin, under the fridge and dishwasher, and spills of juice, wine or beer. One forgotten piece of rotting fruit or a damp mop can keep the problem going.
3. Remove or refrigerate produce
Throw out overripe or damaged produce in a sealed bag. Keep ripe fruit in the fridge until the flies are gone, and do not leave fruit or vegetable scraps on the counter.
4. Clean drains, bins and recycling
Scrub sink drains with a brush to remove the film that builds up inside, rinse cans and bottles before recycling, and wash garbage and green bins regularly. Wipe up sticky spills, including under appliances.
5. Trap the adults
Put a little apple cider vinegar or wine in a jar with a drop of dish soap, or cover it with plastic wrap poked with small holes. Place traps where you see the most flies and replace them every few days.
6. Keep it up for two weeks
Eggs and larvae already in a source can keep producing adults for a while. Keep produce in the fridge and keep trapping for at least two weeks after you remove the last source.
Mistakes
to avoid.
- Only trapping the adults without finding the breeding source.
- Pouring bleach down the drain, which passes through quickly without removing the film where flies breed.
- Leaving recycling and green bins unrinsed.
- Buying more fruit before the problem is gone.
When to call
a professional.
Our fruit fly control service in Toronto costs $150–$299, before HST. Quotes are free, and we are fully licensed and insured.
Call a professional if
- Flies keep coming back after two weeks of cleaning and trapping.
- You cannot find where they are breeding.
- You run a restaurant, café or other food business.
- You are not sure what kind of fly you have.
Common questions.
Why do I have fruit flies when I have no fruit out?
Fruit flies also breed in drains, recycling, garbage and green bins, mops and spills under appliances. Any moist, fermenting residue can be a source.
How long do fruit flies live?
An adult fruit fly lives a few weeks and can lay hundreds of eggs. In a warm kitchen, a new generation can develop in about a week, which is why numbers rise so quickly.
Where do fruit flies come from?
They often arrive as eggs or larvae on produce bought at the store, or fly in from outdoors through screens and open doors in late summer.
Still seeing activity?
Tell us what you are seeing, where and for how long. We will confirm the price before any work starts.
Guidance based on University of Kentucky Entomology: fruit flies. Updated October 10, 2026.