How to get rid of fruit flies and other common pests

It’s easy to identify the common fruit fly: Most have red eyes and a tan-to-brown thorax. Males have a mostly black abdomen, while the abdomens of females have black stripes. Both males and females are very small, generally only one to three millimeters in length. As their name suggests, these insects like fruit, and generally won’t stray far from your kitchen, compost bin, or trashcans.

Two other common and tiny flying indoor pests that are sometimes confused with fruit flies are drain flies and fungus gnats. Fungus gnats, which have a thinner body shape than fruit flies, although they are around the same size, are generally brown or black with light brown legs.

These annoying pests like houseplants, particularly overwatered plants. You’ll see clouds of the adults rise up out of the pot whenever it’s disturbed, but it’s the larva that do the real damage to the plant’s roots.

Prevention is the best way to deal with fungus gnats, so let your plants dry out a bit between waterings, but if you do end up with an infestation, you’ll get fairly quick relief with Safer Brand’s nontoxic Houseplant Sticky Stakes.

Drain flies are “fuzzier” than fruit flies and fungus gnats, but equally tiny. You’ll generally spot these disgusting tan, gray, or black creatures flitting around your sink drain, as they breed in the sludge down inside the pipes.

It’s not nearly as easy to get rid of drain flies as it is to eliminate fruit flies and fungus gnats, but the task is often achieved by pouring boiling water down the drain to break down the sludge, as well as treating the sink drain with a nontoxic product that helps naturally remove drain buildup, such as Bye-Bye Drain Flies.