How to get rid of fruit flies from your home and where they come from

There's been lots to like about this week's brief Indian summer. But the return of swarms of fruit flies to our homes isn't one of them.

The pest are a common sight in kitchens in the UK, where they can often been seen buzzing round the fruit bowl, the sink hole or the bins whenever the temperatures start to warm up.

That's because they're attracted to moist, fermenting fruits and vegetables and their appearance is almost always a result of leaving food to rot in the bin for too long. Household compost bins, used to recycle food scraps, are a favourite haunt.

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And the flies are also partial to the dregs of liquid leftovers or spillages, such as beer, wine and soft drinks. Worst of all, they can prove very tricky to eradicate once they've made themselves at home.

Also known as banana and vinegar flies, they are experts at reproducing. Female fruit flies can lay up to 500 eggs at a time and repeat every day for up to 20 days.

That's why huge swarms of flies can seem to appear almost overnight. The larvae will start to feed on decaying fruit immediately after they hatch.

It then takes about one to two weeks to complete the entire metamorphosis. But if your home feels like it's being infested by fruit flies, don't despair - there's plenty of things you can do.

The first step to take is to find and remove their breeding source, such as fermented or rotten food. Compost bins should be regularly cleaned and bleached, while homemade traps can be used to eliminate the pests.

Councils advise not to leave cut or spoiling fruit, vegetables and other foodstuffs exposed in open containers. Bags of potatoes and onions should also be checked