How Cold Will Kill Fruit Flies?
WouterThe time it takes for cold treatment of fruit flies to kill them depends on their life stage and the type of fruit. Cold treatment of fruits has become a popular method for killing fruit flies. However, this method is expensive and must be used carefully. Many fruits have to be shipped without refrigeration to prevent spoilage. Therefore, cold treatment of fruit is often performed during the voyage as quarantine treatment. Modern ships have adequate refrigeration and temperature recorders can be installed to better control the temperature. Once fruit arrives in the country, the fruit must be cleaned and disinfected to avoid infestation by fruit flies.
Another way to kill fruit flies is to boil white vinegar or water. This solution can also be used to trap them in small crevices of fruit. This method is highly effective as fruit flies typically live for just two weeks, and can’t survive the cold. As fall approaches, however, fruit flies will start to drop off.
However, cold temperature may not be sufficient to kill fruit flies, as they rely on warm air currents to escape. In addition to this, fruit flies lay thousands of eggs each. These eggs can hatch in just a few days, so cold temperature is not enough to kill fruit flies. But if a low temperature is kept for long enough, fruit flies can become inactive and even die.
