Does Lysol Kill Fruit Flies? (Does Lysol Keep Flies Away?)
When you buy fresh fruit, one of the things you can count on is that your kitchen suddenly becomes home to fruit flies. Even though they have a short lifespan, fruit flies can multiply very quickly. To end the infestation you often reach for whatever is handy. That can be your can of Lysol spray.
Unfortunately, Lysol is not an effective weapon to use against fruit flies. While it can stop the eggs from being laid, this product is not powerful enough to eliminate an infestation. You may achieve some limited success in killing fruit flies but that is about it.
To learn more about this topic, just continue to read our article. It explores the subject to let you know if this is a good choice of weapon to use in your fight against fruit flies. Take a few minutes to see how this information helps you.
Does Lysol Kill Fruit Flies?
There are competing opinions on this topic. Some people say that Lysol does not kill fruit flies while others have said that it does. Then there is one article that first says it doesn’t then turns around in the next sentence and says that it does.
The majority of opinions side with the fact that Lysol spray does not kill fruit flies. It may coat their wings and make it difficult for the little creatures to fly but they may still be alive when they fall to the ground.
You may have had some success in killing fruit flies with Lysol but not everyone may have been so lucky.
Can You Use Lysol To Kill Flies?
You can try and see what results you get but keep in mind that Lysol is more of a sanitizer and not a pesticide. It will not have the killing power of a pesticide even though it may produce some positive results.
However, those results may be short-lived as the female fruit fly, once able to reproduce inside, can lay up to 500 eggs. Then the eggs hatch between 24 and 30 hours. So you may have thought you killed them all but the next day may bring more of those little creatures.
If you want a more effective way to get rid of those fruit flies, it may be a wiser move to use a product that is designed to kill them and not just sanitize a surface.
In fact, most lists containing products that kill fruit flies, do not include Lysol. It may be a product to use if you have nothing else handy.
Why Does Lysol Kill Flies?
Actually, it doesn’t. Lysol has a very limited effect on flies and you need to make direct contact to see any results. However, those results may not be what you expected.
For example, even with direct contact, you may have thought you killed the flies but in reality, you may have only stunned them and the flies recover soon after.
If by chance you did kill flies with your Lysol spray it would be because of the chemicals inside the can that did the trick. Those sanitizing chemicals can disrupt cell membranes which can lead to death. Those chemicals can also damage the flies’ bodies but this is not the purpose of Lysol spray.
That means that while it may kill flies, that is not its job. Lysol is not a pesticide. You can use Lysol to repel flies but that will only have a temporary result.
Does Lysol Keep Flies Away?
It can but as we just said, using Lysol as a fly repellent only provides you with temporary relief. What would keep those flies away would be the strong odor that is part of the Lysol spray. It is powerful enough to irritate the senses of the fly making the area unfriendly to them
But once the odor dissipates, then the flies will return. The area has become fly friendly once again. Then you have to be careful where you spray Lysol as it can contaminate food if you spray too much or you get too much on yourself.
Lysol’s purpose is for sanitizing surfaces, and killing germs and bacteria and is not an effective option for fly or fruit fly control. It will provide you with limited results but there are better products available you can use to control or kill flies.
What Other Cleaning Spray Kills Fruit Flies?
This is sort of a conundrum. Cleaning sprays may kill some flies or fruit flies but that may only be a sideline to their natural purpose. Cleaning sprays happen to contain some chemicals that may be harmful to flies or fruit flies but it is not their main purpose.
You can try Clorox spray but that cleaning spray contains bleach which is poison to many creatures. Some people claim that Windex kills fruit flies but there has been no definitive word on the success rate with that product.
The most common spray that can double as a cleaning spray would be to mix apple cider vinegar with water and sugar along with some soap. That is supposed to be an excellent way to kill fruit flies.
The best way to get rid of and kill fruit flies will be to use insecticides that are designed to kill those creatures. They have all the chemicals needed and in the right combination to effectively kill off those fruit flies.
Some Additional Words
It may seem like you are saving money by using Lysol to kill fruit flies but it may not be an effective tool to use. You may get some of those flies but you may not get the eggs and soon you have the same problem.
The best tool to use would be insecticides that are made to kill fruit and other flies. Using those products will ensure that you get all the flies including their eggs. Don’t take chances, use products that you know will work.
