The short version
To get rid of fruit flies in Dickinson, North Dakota, find the fermenting source and throw it out: usually a soft potato or onion in a basement bin, ripe garden fruit, or an unrinsed recycling bin. With only about 15 inches of rain a year, outdoor breeding is limited, so the colony is nearly always indoors. Traps and sprays help only after the source is gone.
- Dickinson's dry, cold climate keeps fruit flies mostly indoors, breeding in stored or forgotten produce.
- Potatoes are North Dakota's only reported produce crop, and a soft one in storage is a classic source.
- Indoor numbers peak August through October and can flare in any winter month when produce spoils.
- NDSU found spraying could not control spotted wing drosophila on cherries; netting did.
- Sanitation ends most infestations; a pro helps when the source stays hidden.
Homeowners in Dickinson facing a cloud over the produce bin, renters in apartments where the recycling sits by the door, families with backyard cherries or raspberries, people who work long rotations and come home to a kitchen that has been sitting, and owners of small cafés or bars who need the flies gone before customers notice them.
What to look for
Two flies matter here. The everyday one is Drosophila melanogaster, the vinegar fly that hovers over soft fruit. It is about 1/8 inch with a tan body and red eyes, and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension says it can go from egg to adult in as few as 8 days under ideal conditions. A female lays about 500 eggs, so a few flies riding home on a bunch of bananas can become hundreds within two weeks. The second is spotted wing drosophila, a crop pest from Japan, Korea, and China that NDSU first confirmed in North Dakota in 2013. It attacks ripening fruit on the plant, not leftovers on the counter, and NDSU warns that many native fruit flies look nearly identical to it, so a kitchen fly is probably not this one. Dickinson's dry air helps you outdoors. With 64 percent average humidity and little rain, dropped fruit in the yard is less likely to sit wet and ferment. The trouble is inside, where stored potatoes, onions, and squash sit in a heated basement and slowly ferment.
- 1Tan, red-eyed flies circling the potato or onion bin in a basement or pantry.
- 2A sweet-sour smell and a wet spot at the bottom of a produce sack.
- 3Flies walking the rim of a beer can or wine glass left out overnight.
- 4Small cream-colored larvae in a split tomato or the soft side of a peach.
- 5Flies lifting off the kitchen drain or disposal when the faucet runs.
- 6Clusters on window glass in the evening, drawn toward indoor light.
Why it’s worth acting soon
- At roughly 500 eggs per female, a one-week delay in September can multiply the population several times over.
- One rotting potato at the bottom of a sack can keep a colony going all winter in a heated basement.
- Flies that travel between garbage and food can leave bacteria on surfaces you eat from.
- Garden fruit carrying spotted wing drosophila larvae keeps hatching flies after it reaches the counter.
- In a café or bar, a visible fly problem costs customers quickly.
Treatment options and typical costs
Find and remove the fermenting source
Quoted after inspection
This is the step that actually ends infestations. Check every produce store in the house, including the basement potato sack, the onion basket, and squash on the floor. Toss anything soft, rinse the recycling, take out the trash, and scrub the drain and disposal. Once nothing is left to breed in, no new generation can replace the adults you trap.
- Time
- An hour or two
- Best for
- Every infestation, first
Cider vinegar traps
Quoted after inspection
A jar of cider vinegar with a drop of dish soap, or a paper funnel in the opening, catches adults still flying after cleanup. Put one near the old source and one where you see the most flies. A trap that fills overnight tells you a source is still active somewhere.
- Time
- Refresh every three or four days
- Best for
- Clearing leftover adults
Garden netting and fruit pickup
Quoted after inspection
For backyard cherries and berries, NDSU's Carrington station found fine netting was the only reliable way to keep spotted wing drosophila off the fruit. NDSU entomologist Janet Knodel calls removing infested and dropped fruit the number one defense. Both cut the larvae that ride indoors in a picking bowl.
- Time
- All season, set up before fruit colors
- Best for
- Homes with cherry trees or berry patches
Professional inspection with targeted treatment
Quoted after inspection
A provider confirms the species, hunts down hidden sources such as a drain line or the floor under a refrigerator, and may use a drain treatment or a pyrethrin aerosol once breeding sites are cleared. Ask what the visit includes and whether a follow-up is part of the price.
- Time
- One visit, often with a follow-up
- Best for
- Flies that survive two weeks of cleanup
Prices are typical published ranges. Ask what’s included before you compare quotes.
Small flies in the bathroom usually mean a sink, tub or shower drain.Stored potatoes and onions: the classic North Dakota fruit fly source.
If you have fruit flies in Dickinson and no fruit on the counter, check the potatoes. USDA's state overview lists potatoes as North Dakota's only fruit or vegetable crop with reported data, about 70,000 planted acres, and plenty of households here buy them by the sack and keep them in a basement, pantry, or cold room. A single potato that goes soft at the bottom of a bag ferments quietly. Fruit fly larvae feed in it for 5 to 6 days, according to University of Maryland Extension, then crawl off to pupate somewhere drier. That is why you sometimes find small brown pupae on a shelf or under the bin rather than in the potato itself. Onions, squash, and pumpkins do the same thing. The fix is unglamorous: dump the sack, sort every piece, throw out anything soft or wet, wash the bin, and let it dry. Then sort again every week or two through the winter. A basement in a heated home stays warm enough to keep fruit flies breeding long after the yard is frozen solid.
What NDSU learned about spotted wing drosophila at Carrington.
North Dakota was one of the last states reached by spotted wing drosophila. NDSU confirmed it in 2013 in a cherry sample from the Carrington Research Extension Center, and pointed to human-assisted transportation, such as infested produce, as the likely route rather than natural spread. The fly is small, 2 to 3 millimeters, with bright red eyes, a light brown body, and dark stripes on the abdomen. NDSU cautions that native fruit flies look so similar that confirming one takes a microscope. What happened next is the useful part. The Carrington station reported that the fly has hit its cherries as they start to ripen since 2013, and that its spray program could not control it. Control would have required insecticide every 3 to 5 days for several weeks. The station concluded that a netting exclusion system was the only reliable approach in North Dakota. For a Dickinson gardener, the takeaway is to skip the spray calendar and focus on exclusion and cleanup. NDSU's Janet Knodel calls removing infested and dropped fruit the number one defense.
Flies hovering around a drain often breed in the slime inside it. Tape over it overnight to check.A year of fruit flies in Dickinson, season by season.
In Dickinson, fruit fly season runs on the garden and the furnace more than the calendar. December through March, outdoor flies are gone, with average lows near 4F. Any flies indoors are breeding in something stored. Indoor pressure can return any time produce spoils in a heated home, so a January outbreak usually means a forgotten bag in the pantry. April through June is usually the quiet stretch. Grocery produce can carry a few flies home, but they rarely build up unless fruit sits out. July and August bring highs around 84F and backyard cherries and raspberries ripening. This is when spotted wing drosophila appears in gardens and the indoor population starts climbing. September and October are the peak. Garden tomatoes, squash, and apples crowd the kitchen, and the cycle runs in about 8 to 10 days at room temperature. After the first hard frosts, clean up the garden, sort stored produce, and the numbers fall.
Coming home to fruit flies after a rotation or a trip.
Between oil-field work rotations and weekend trips into Theodore Roosevelt National Park, a Dickinson household can easily sit empty for days at a time. A week away is enough for a fruit fly problem to start from almost nothing. The math is simple. A banana left on the counter begins to ferment within a few days. A few flies that came home with the groceries lay eggs on it, and with a cycle that can run about a week, the next generation is in the air when you walk back in. Before you leave, eat or refrigerate ripe fruit, take out the kitchen trash and recycling, run hot water through the disposal, and leave nothing in the sink. When you get back, check the fruit bowl, the trash, and any cooler that came home from a camping trip with melted ice and food scraps in the bottom. That cooler is easy to forget in the garage, and it can breed flies for weeks.
How to compare two fruit fly quotes in Dickinson.
If you bring in help, get two quotes and compare what each provider will actually do. A sound quote in Dickinson starts with an inspection, because the price depends on where the flies are breeding. Ask each provider a few questions. Will they identify the fly, so you know it is a fruit fly and not a drain fly or phorid fly? Where will they look: the kitchen only, or also the basement, drains, and storage areas? What treatment do they plan once the source is found, and is a pyrethrin spray the main event or just a finishing step? How many visits are included, and what does a follow-up cost? Be wary of any quote that skips the inspection and leans on spraying. NDSU's experience at Carrington is a good reminder that spraying without dealing with the source does not hold. The better quote spends more time looking and less time treating. For properties outside town, ask whether travel is included or billed separately.
What affects the price
- How many places produce is stored, including basement bins, pantries, and a garage freezer that has quietly failed.
- Whether flies are breeding in a drain, which needs scrubbing or a drain product.
- The number of follow-up visits, since eggs keep hatching for a week or more after cleanup.
- Commercial kitchens, which need more thorough work and written records.
- Travel time for rural properties outside Dickinson city limits.
- Whether the job includes yard advice, such as netting or fruit removal for backyard trees.
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Where do you see the most fruit flies?
When to call for help
Call a provider when cleanup has not worked after about two weeks. That is long enough for a full breeding cycle to finish, so flies still appearing after that are coming from a source you have not found. In Dickinson homes, the usual hiding places are a basement floor drain, a sump, the pan under the refrigerator, or a forgotten bag of produce in a garage or cold room. Call sooner if you run a food business, if the flies look fuzzy or have a humped back, or if you smell sewage, because those point to drain or phorid flies and possibly a plumbing problem.
What you can do yourself
Fair warning: most fruit fly problems in Dickinson do not need a professional. The cold, dry climate means there is no outdoor reservoir pushing flies in all year, so once you find the soft potato or the overripe bananas, you are most of the way done. Throw out the source, rinse the recycling, clean the drain, and set two vinegar traps. You should see far fewer flies within a week. A professional makes sense when that routine fails or when you cannot afford to experiment. Restaurants, daycares, and anyone selling food need a documented fix. Homes where flies keep returning to a clean kitchen usually have a hidden source, often a drain, and a provider has the tools and patience to find it. If you grow cherries or berries, a provider or NDSU Extension can help you think through netting, since the Carrington trials showed spraying alone did not work.
Fruit Flies in Dickinson
In Dickinson, the trail almost always leads back to a kitchen, a pantry, or a basement storage bin. USDA reports potatoes as the state's only fruit or vegetable crop with published data, at 70,000 planted acres, so no orchards or vegetable fields sit near town feeding flies inward. North Dakota's farm economy points the same way. That mix keeps the outdoor fruit fly season to a short summer and early fall window and pushes nearly all of the problem indoors. The climate is semi-arid continental: summer highs around 84F, winter lows near 4F, about 64 percent humidity, and only 15 inches of rain a year. Dickinson sits at 2,411 feet, a city of about 25,000 founded in 1881 and best known today for the oil boom and as a gateway to Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
Local research
Fruit Flies in Dickinson, ND: what the public record shows
Before you compare quotes, it helps to know which fruit flies actually live in North Dakota, when they are busiest around Dickinson, and what the state figures look like. Everything below links to the agency or university page it came from.
First confirmed spotted wing drosophila record in North Dakota
North Dakota was one of the last states reached, and NDSU noted human-assisted transportation rather than natural dispersion as the likely cause, which means produce brought into a home or kitchen is the realistic route of entry.
NDSU Extension and Ag Research News, North Dakota State UniversityWhen fruit flies are busiest around Dickinson
Outdoor activity is confined to a short summer and early fall window in North Dakota, so indoor pressure peaks in late summer and again whenever stored produce spoils inside a heated home during the long winter.
NDSU Extension entomologist Janet Knodel states that removing and destroying infested fruits and dropped fruits are the number one defense against this fly, and that chemical control must be applied weekly or biweekly with rotation between insecticide classes to prevent resistance. The Carrington Research Extension Center concluded that a netting exclusion system is the only reliable approach in North Dakota.
Sources: NDSU Extension and Ag Research News, North Dakota State University; Carrington Research Extension Center, North Dakota State University; University of Maryland Extension; Texas A&M AgriLife Extension. Figures are quoted as the source prints them. How we check our sources
Simple ways to keep fruit flies away
- Sort stored potatoes and onions every week or two and pull any that feel soft or smell sweet.
- Refrigerate ripe fruit once it is ready, especially bananas and late-summer garden tomatoes.
- Give every can and bottle a quick rinse, and take the recycling out weekly or sooner.
- Pick backyard cherries and berries as they ripen and pick up any that drop, as NDSU recommends.
- Scrub the kitchen drain and disposal weekly with hot water and a brush.
- Before leaving for a long work rotation or trip, empty the fruit bowl and take out the trash.
- Keep blinds closed at night in late summer, because fruit flies fit through ordinary window screens.
A good quote names the fly, the source, and whether follow-ups are included.Did you know?
Spotted wing drosophila is native to Japan, Korea, and China, and NDSU says telling it apart from native fruit flies takes a microscope.
NDSU suspected spotted wing drosophila reached North Dakota through human-assisted transportation rather than by flying in on its own.
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension puts the quickest egg-to-adult turnaround at just 8 days when warmth and food are ideal.
Questions people ask
Why do I have fruit flies in Dickinson when it is so dry here?
Find that one source and the problem usually ends. A heated house with a soft potato, an overripe banana, or a dirty drain still gives fruit flies everything they need. Dickinson gets about 15 inches of rain a year, and the dry air limits outdoor breeding. Because the flies are breeding indoors, not outside.
Can fruit flies survive a North Dakota winter?
Indoor pressure can return whenever stored produce spoils during the long winter, so a January fly problem almost always means something in the pantry or basement has gone bad. Dickinson's average winter low of about 4F shuts down outdoor activity, but a heated home keeps the life cycle running. Indoors, yes. Outdoors, not really.
Is spotted wing drosophila the fly in my kitchen?
If you grow cherries or raspberries, check those for larvae. Flies around fruit bowls and trash are almost always the common vinegar fly. Spotted wing drosophila lays eggs in ripening fruit on the plant, and NDSU says many native fruit flies look so similar that a microscope is needed to tell them apart. Probably not.
Why didn't spraying protect my cherry tree from fruit flies?
Pick up dropped fruit as well. The station concluded netting was the only reliable approach in North Dakota. NDSU's Carrington Research Extension Center reported it could not control the fly with its spray program, and that control would take insecticide every 3 to 5 days for several weeks. Spotted wing drosophila is hard to spray out.
How long does it take to get rid of fruit flies?
If they are still around after that, a second source is hiding, often in a drain. In a Dickinson kitchen, expect fewer flies within days and none within two weeks. With nothing left to breed in, no new generation forms and the population collapses. About one to two weeks once the source is gone.
What does fruit fly control in Dickinson usually cost?
Ask each provider what the visit includes and whether a second visit costs extra. What moves a Dickinson quote is how hard the source is to find, whether drains need treatment, how many follow-up visits are included, and travel time to rural properties. Providers quote after an inspection, and the price is theirs to set.
Should a restaurant or bar use a professional for fruit flies?
Ask about the follow-up schedule. A provider can find sources under equipment and floor mats and give you a record of what was done. Bars and kitchens have more drains, more spilled sugar, and more fermenting waste than a house, and the cycle can finish in about 8 days at kitchen temperatures. Most should.
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rewrite-v2 Published by Fruit Fly Exterminator · Updated October 11, 2026 · How we write these guides