Inflation is increasing, and so are the banana flies.
Now fly researcher Marcus Stensmyr suspects that there may be a connection.
– In the kitchen, there is no one who eats the banana flies – apart from a curious cat, perhaps, he says.
The infamous banana flies usually make themselves at home during the rotting month of summer. But this year, households are raising the alarm that there are even more banana flies than usual – and that they have arrived later in the year.
Marcus Stensmyr, fly researcher at Lund University, believes that this is partly due to the fact that September has been unusually warm.
But he also sees a connection with inflation.
“Don’t throw away in the first place”
– When I went to the grocery store, I thought that both the potatoes and onions looked sadder than usual. I can imagine that the store still has the goods that they would normally have thrown away a little earlier. This means that there will be more banana flies in the shops – which you will then take home with you, says Marcus Stensmyr.
Both the red onion and citrus fruits are the banana flies’ big feast. They like to lay their eggs in yeast and bacteria that form when the fruit starts to go bad.
– Then you notice yourself that you don’t throw things away in the first place. Fruit and vegetables are more expensive, and that means it has to stay longer. In this way, it becomes a perfect breeding ground for new flies.
Lays 200 eggs
And once the fruit has been allowed to sit a little too long in the home, it goes quickly.
– It is enough for a pregnant female to come home from the store. Then she lays 200 eggs, and 13–14 days later there are 200 new adults that are sexually mature within a few days. It can be huge amounts in a very short time, says Stensmyr and continues:
– Out in the wild, not all larvae survive. But in the kitchen, no one eats the banana flies apart from a curious cat, perhaps.
Even if you are meticulous about taking out the garbage and cleaning, you still never seem to get rid of the flies. How is it that?
– They are tiny, so not much is needed. You may have missed a small spot of wine where yeast has formed, that may be enough.
That’s how you get rid of the intruders
To get rid of the banana flies, it is important to eat fruit and vegetables before they go bad – and clean up spills and stains.
– But if it’s really bad, I usually use the vacuum cleaner, says Marcus Stensmyr.
However, the banana fly expert’s best tip is to take a glass with a narrower opening. Then pour in balsamic vinegar or apple cider vinegar, a dash of soap and some orange peel towards the edge so the banana flies slip in.
– That’s actually enough. Honey and things that may be mentioned in some housewives’ tips are not needed. But it is precisely the smell of vinegar that matters.
THE FACTS The banana fly expert’s banana fly facts
1. The banana fly left Africa about 10,000 years ago, and then lived in the Middle East. Then they came to Europe at the end of the Roman Empire, and wandered through the continent.
2. The banana fly came to Sweden in the early 19th century. Then they were quite unusual – until after the Second World War.
Larger imports of fruit and vegetables caused them to multiply and spread in the country.
3. Studies have shown that banana flies can travel far – sometimes several miles. If there are therefore any forgotten fruit baskets at the neighbour’s house, it is not at all strange if the banana flies spread to your home.
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