Summer skies and ... fruit flies? Where the pests come from (and how to get rid of them).

Teeny tiny bugs flying in your kitchen may just be one of the most annoying parts of summer. Sometimes, there are so many fruit flies that you just don’t know what to do to get rid of the pesky little things.

Jody Green, a member and contributor to the journals of the Entomological Society of America, specializes in urban and industrial entomology or in her words “the bugs that people love to hate the most.”

Green studies and educates communities about these insects and how to keep them at bay. Here’s how you can get rid of fruit flies from your home and understand where they come from.

Where do fruit flies come from?

Fruit flies come from outside of your home and are brought in through multiple ways. Most commonly, they fly into homes when a door or window is left open and even catch a ride on fruit or produce you bring in from the grocery store or farmer's market.

“They don’t just magically appear like most people think they do,” Green said. “But you can find them inside when you have fermenting foods.”

Adult fruit flies are in the stage of metamorphosis commonly found as pests in kitchens and food left out in a non-refrigerated area. An outbreak occurs when an adult fruit fly finds a food source and a place to lay eggs, Green said. The eggs hatch into maggots, usually in a hidden place, and will eventually grow into adult fruit flies.

“That’s when people see this kind of outbreak of fruit flies,” Green said. “There’s some kind of favorable condition creating this infestation.”

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What attracts fruit flies?

Fruit flies are attracted to overripened fruits and vegetables. Green said that flies are most attracted to spoiled produce because it is the perfect environment to reproduce. The yeast and fungi that cause things like tomatoes and bananas to over-ripen are especially tasty for fruit flies.

“That fermentation where it doesn’t taste good to us anymore, that’s when it will be good for them,” Green said.

How to get rid of fruit flies

Green says maintaining cleaning habits is an important step in getting rid of fruit flies. Here is a list of things Green suggests you incorporate into your cleaning and grocery routine to prevent a fruit fly infestation.

• Inspect new and old produce for overripened spots that may attract flies

• Throw out empty produce boxes that may house hidden fruit fly eggs

• Consume your fresh produce before it becomes overripened or begins to rot

• Freeze fruits and vegetables that you don’t want to waste and use them later

• Frequently clean and sanitize garbage disposals, sinks and trash cans of food residue

• Wash dish rags and towels regularly with hot water and dry them well

• Empty and change out pets’ food bowls if they consume fresh produce

“Finding the source and getting rid of it and then just really being diligent in sanitation and food storage is going to definitely help, be cheaper in the long run and, hopefully, you don’t waste a lot of food,” Green said.

How to kill fruit flies

If you found a fruit fly infestation in your kitchen, Green suggests using a fly trap to kill the fruit flies.

“It’s more harmful if you were to spray your kitchen with insecticides because we eat there. There are food contact surfaces,” Green said. “Flies can transmit different microorganisms, maybe, on their fee but if we keep them off and keep them away from foods then it shouldn’t be much of a problem.”

Try making a DIY fruit fly trap. Pour about a cup of apple cider vinegar into a container. Add four to five drops of dish soap to break the surface tension. Tightly cover the container with plastic wrap and poke six to eight holes. The flies are attracted to the sweet, fermented smell of the apple cider vinegar but drown in the soap when they fall into the liquid. Leave the container on your kitchen counter and after a day or two, you will find fruit flies inside the trap.

This method only kills the adult fruit flies so Green strongly encourages maintaining thorough cleaning habits daily.

How long do fruit flies live?

Fruit flies can go through their entire life cycle, from egg to adult, in 8 to ten days.

They thrive in warmer weather and are more often seen in summer months. The optimal temperature for their reproduction and life is around 85 degrees Fahrenheit. While they may survive colder temperatures, they mature at a slower rate and are less likely to survive.

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Are fruit flies harmful?

No. Fruit flies are not harmful nor do they bite.

They are active contributors to the environment serving as a food source for other insects like tarantulas and scorpions. Fruit flies are also excellent organisms to aid in composting.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Where do fruit flies come from? They don't just 'magically appear.'