It’s late August, and battles are raging in Yakima Valley gardens. Whether it’s an infestation of wasps, milkweed, or crabgrass, gardeners are on high alert.

I know they’re relatively harmless and just another nuisance for anyone who has a backyard garden or orchard, but I still can’t stand fruit flies.

The fruit flies in my kitchen are the same ones that scientists use for their genetic studies. Drosophila melanogaster are ideal laboratory animals because they reproduce rapidly during their short lifespan.

Fruit flies can be a problem in your home at any time of year. Leave a glass with a splash of red wine on the counter in the dead of winter and a few fruit flies will eventually find it. In late summer and fall, their numbers reach an exponential peak due to the availability of rotting fruit and other organic materials.

Being the “fruit bowl of the nation” has some disadvantages.

Fruit flies may be small enough to fly through screen doors, and once inside, they’ll congregate around the bowl of freshly picked fruit you’ve proudly displayed on the kitchen counter.

I’ve been roasting trays of ripe garden tomatoes, and every time I open the door, swarms of fruit flies, attracted by the rich aroma, seem to slip into the kitchen.

They are also attracted to the flowers I arrange in vases of water, and sunflowers seem to be my favorites.

In the compost heap, a single adult female can lay up to 500 eggs in rotting fruit and vegetables. The larvae hatch within 30 hours, feed on yeast in the fermentation liquid and grow into adults in just a few days.

When I first notice an infestation in the kitchen, I use my vacuum cleaner hose and suck up as many adult flies as I can. My kitchen cabinets are painted white and offer no camouflage to the marauders. Doing this several times an hour actually reduces the number of flies and gives me a great sense of satisfaction. If I don’t empty the dust bin frequently, my vacuum cleaner could turn into a breeding ground for new generations of flies.

The bad news is that the adults I see flying around the kitchen have probably been laying eggs. Killing the adults gives me peace of mind, but has little effect on the potential future population. Eliminating the sources of their fruit and frequent sanitation to kill the eggs are the best ways to keep their numbers down.

Keep lids tightly closed and empty all trash cans regularly, cleaning and rinsing them to ensure no residue remains that could attract more flies.

Check your pantry. I’ve found that a single rotting potato or onion is enough to attract fruit flies.

While you’re at it, check your recycling bins if they’re indoors. The sweet liquid residue in soda and beer cans and wine bottles is especially tempting to fruit flies.

Until it gets cold, my house rule is that all fresh produce must be rinsed and refrigerated as soon as it comes into the kitchen. I don’t store tomatoes in the fridge, but when they come into the house, they must be kept in containers with airtight lids.

We collect kitchen scraps for composting in a 1-gallon bucket with a lid on the kitchen counter. This time of year, the bucket is outside and not near our front door. It’s inconvenient, but it helps.

Keep the sink and garbage disposal clean and hygienic. Fruit flies love sink drains, where food scraps can accumulate.

Damp dishcloths and kitchen sponges are magnets for fruit flies and breeding grounds for them. Handle them accordingly.

In combination with these hygiene measures, Michigan State University Extension recommends the following two fruit fly trap designs:

• Use a small jar with a homemade paper cone on top with the narrow end pointing downwards. Put some juice, wine or overripe fruit in the bottom to attract the flies. The cone will keep them in the jar until they die. Empty the jar and replace the bait daily.

• Fill several small juice glasses about 2/3 full with apple cider vinegar. Add a drop or two of liquid dish soap and swirl the glass to mix. Stretch plastic wrap tightly over the glasses and secure with a rubber band. Use a toothpick to poke a dozen holes in the wrap and place the traps where fruit flies seem to be congregating. The flies will enter the trap through the holes and drown in the vinegar.

Honey may catch more bears than vinegar, but vinegar works on fruit flies.

• Carol Barany and her husband, John, found a paradise on 1 1/3 acres west of Franklin Park, where they raised three children and became master gardeners. Reach her at [email protected].