Food at the Manassas Farmer’s Market is irresistible! Famous for its local produce, meats, and baked goods, you’ll have a hard time going home without an armload of delicious goodies.

If you’ve left fresh goods out on the counter this time of year, you may have found that the fruit flies also find such foods irresistible. Small but impossible to ignore, these tiny pests can invade your kitchen and even lay eggs in your produce, spreading potentially dangerous pathogens to you and your family. Here are the top 10 prevention measures you can take before your next trip to the farmer’s market to keep your kitchen fruit fly-free:

1. Keep all fruit in your refrigerator. If you must keep it out, pay attention to ripeness. If a piece of fruit is overripe, toss it before it attracts the fruit flies.

2. Empty your trash nightly. Rotting food in a garbage can is a mouthwatering temptation for a fruit fly.

3. Keep your sink clean. When you see fruit flies flying around sink drains, it’s usually because there is unseen food decaying inside. Pouring boiling water down the drain can help loosen such deposits.

4. Disinfect your countertops. All spills, crumbs, and sticky anything should be wiped up immediately.

5. Sweep the floor. We don’t always notice the amount of crumbs and bits of food that drop to the floor over the course of the day. But the fruit flies do!

6. Keep the compost outside. If you compost kitchen scraps for your garden, the inside of your kitchen is not the place to keep it. Find a covered area outside instead.

7. Take a look at your dishrag. If it’s old, sour, or constantly wet, change it out regularly with a fresh one.

8. Check for moisture. Like most pests, fruit flies flock to water. If there’s a slow leak beneath your sink, seal it up.

9. Seal your lids. It’s the perfect time of year for canning – but beware the improperly sealed jar! Check all your seals after any canning project to make sure your delicious preserves are enjoyed by you and not the flies.

10. Set vinegar traps. If you do have an infestation, some people have found success using this method – pour a small amount of vinegar into the bottom of a jar, then add a drop of dish soap. Cover the jar in plastic wrap, poke it with holes, and ideally you’ll attract and trap a large amount of fruit fly adults.

For the most serious fruit fly problems, consider calling in the experts. Green Pest Services will eradicate the problem and help you prevent it from ever happening again – allowing you to keep the best produce for yourself.