Fruit flies, also known as vinegar flies, rank as one of the most troublesome and destructive insects on Earth, having earned its name by ravaging the produce of farms, commercial orchards, tomato processing plants and wineries, as well as gardens and fruit-bearing trees in backyards everywhere.

Adult fruit flies feed on the yeasts created by rotten, fermenting fruit, which is why you'll often see them swarming around pieces of fallen tree fruit, spoiled tomatoes, compost heaps and open trash containers. What's worse for your garden, though, is that they will also bore holes into healthy fruit (apples and tomatoes are favorites) in order to lay their eggs. This provides both protection and food for the developing maggots, who literally dine on their nursery from the inside out as they grow.

Beyond their impressive ability to damage garden and tree fruits, indoors these tiny (average length is one-tenth inch) yellow flies also gravitate naturally toward the kitchen, where they not only create a nuisance, but also spread germs to every surface they touch.