Get Rid of Fruit Flies With a Homemade Fruit Fly Trap

Fruit flies can be a menace in the home, getting into food and multiplying quickly. But getting rid of fruit flies is easier than you might think with this simple homemade trap. It only takes minutes to put together, and you might already have the necessary ingredients in your cupboard. Here's how to make this basic yet effective fruit fly trap.

Supplies

• Apple cider vinegar
• Dish soap
• A jar or small bowl

Instructions

1. Measure Vinegar

   Pour around 1 cup of apple cider vinegar into a jar or small bowl. It doesn't have to be exact.

2. Add Dish Soap

   Add a couple of drops of dish soap to the jar. Do not mix.

3. Set Out Trap

   Place the trap in the area where you've seen the fruit flies, and wait for it to do its job. Soon, the container will be filled with drowned fruit flies. Repeat with a fresh trap as necessary.

Why This Works

Vinegar is a natural, versatile, environmentally friendly kitchen product. In addition to its cooking uses, it is an inexpensive ingredient in many cleaning DIYs. Plus, unlike many commercial products, vinegar does not emit harmful, harsh fumes.

Fruit flies are attracted to the smell of the cider vinegar and will attempt to land on its surface. However, they will pass through the dish soap on the surface, not be able to get back up through it, and drown.

Alternative Method

If you don't have any vinegar on hand, you can also trap fruit flies by placing a piece of overripe fruit in an open plastic bag. Wait for the fruit flies to congregate on the fruit, and then carefully seal the bag, trapping them inside.

How to Prevent Future Infestations

If you'd like to try more than making a trap, here are some good solutions:

• Often infestations occur when you bring home infected fruit from the grocery store or produce stand. If you notice fruit flies when you're shopping, skip any produce that they're near. You can bet there are plenty of fruit fly eggs on that produce just waiting to hatch in your kitchen. When you consider that a single fruit fly can lay 500 eggs, that's a pretty compelling reason to go home without the bananas that you planned to buy.
• Rinse off fruits that are washable once you get home—apples, stone fruit, bananas, citrus fruits, etc.—to dislodge fruit fly larvae. Plain water works, but you can also use one of those fruit and vegetable washes found in the produce department of your supermarket.
• Be diligent about eating fruits and vegetables before they become overripe or go bad. Fruit flies like to lay their eggs on ripe or fermented produce. Even better, store them in the refrigerator.
• Keep your kitchen clean. Fruit flies land and lay eggs on countertops and even in your sink. In fact, be sure there is no food waste leftover in your drain or garbage disposal.
• Take your trash out regularly (recyclables, too). Small amounts of juice or wine left at the bottom of bottles are enough to catch the attention of a fruit fly. If you can't remember the last time you scrubbed out your kitchen trash can and recycling bins, now might be the time.
• Periodically throw your reusable shopping bags into the washer before fruit flies remind you that you're overdue.