If you’ve ever left a piece of fruit out on the counter for a little to long, you’ve probably had to deal with annoying fruit flies! These little beasts can be a nightmare to get rid of as they spend their entire life cycle mating and laying eggs on over-ripe or rotting fruit. Using their sense of smell to seek out a source of fermented fruit, they zone in on their target.
How to Get Rid of Fruit Flies & Prevent Reinfestation
Fortunately, there’s a relatively simple solution for trapping them using their own senses against them.
Fruit flies can lay up to 500 eggs in their short lifespan! An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, Here are several tips for keeping them at bay,
- Keep doors and windows closed, fruit flies are so tiny they can often pass through screens.
- Ensure that all counter-tops are clean and washed, Fruit flies are attracted to decaying and fermented matter.
- Use a fan, a breeze in a particular area is quite discouraging to the little pests and discourages them from landing
- Keep drains covered, Fruit flies will reproduce in sink pipe drains overnight
- Dispose of any rotting fruit or vegetables immediately
- Keep recycling and trash bins clean and empty, if possible. If not, ensure they are covered.
- Do not store composting scraps in the kitchen
Ensure that any potatoes or onions in the pantry are fresh and not beginning to rot. A single bad potato will keep generations of fruit flies swarming in your home.
1st & Most Recommended Recipe
You’ll Need:
Apple Cider Vinegar
a single drop of dish soap
a plastic baggie
an elastic/rubber band or pipe cleaner
Pour apple cider vinegar into a glass, about an inch deep. Add a drop of dish soap, swirl it around to mix. Notice the pungent fruity aroma emanating from the dish? The fruit flies will find this to be irresistible!
Snip one corner off the bottom of the baggie and slip the bag over the jar, leaving the snipped corner facing upward.
Secure the baggie in place with an elastic band, or wrap a pipe cleaner around the top to secure the plastic in place. Poke the plastic baggie down into the jar, creating a funnel shape
See the Funnel Spot here. (note the red arrow)
The fruit flies will seek out the delicious aroma and make their way into the glass of vinegar. Luckily, they’re pretty dumb creatures and they won’t be able to find their way back out.
Fruit Fly Trap #2 & “Gentle No Kill” version as Well
This is another tried-n-true method that many of our members have sworn over the last few years.
You’ll Need
a Glass Jar
a Sheet of Paper
Tape
Vinegar or rotting fruit
Roll the sheet of paper into a cone (funnel) shape leaving an opening of approximately 1/2 an inch. The funnel should fit down into the glass snuggly, without any gaps and it should come to rest about half an inch above the vinegar in the jar. If you’re against Killing the flies, use a piece of fruit rather than vinegar (which they’ll drown in). Then you can release them into the wild to become someone else’s problem.
3rd Fruit Fly Trap Idea
It’s a well-known fact that fruit flies LOVE beer. This one is very effective!
You’ll need:
Mason Jar & Ring
Small piece of plastic wrap (such as saran wrap)
Toothpick or shish kebab stick (for poking holes)
Beer
A single drop of Dishwashing Liquid
Fill the container halfway with beer (or apple cider vinegar), add a drop of detergent, and swirl it around to break the tension on the surface. This ensures the flies drown immediately. Place the saran wrap tightly over the top of the jar and then screw the band in place.
Use a toothpick or shish kebab stick and poke several holes in the top, not too big! You want the flies to be able to get in but not get back out.
Place in areas infested with fruit flies.
4th Fruit Fly Removal Idea
You’ll Need:
Styrofoam Plate
Store-Bought Non-Stick Spray (pure olive oil sprays don’t work very well for this one)
Spray the foam plate liberally with the non-stick spray. Wave the plate near areas where the flies are swarming and they will collectively stick to the plate.
5th Fruit Fly Removal Idea
You’ll Need:
old Hair Dryer
Turn the Hairdryer On, with the back of the hairdryer facing the fruit bowl. It will suck the fruit flies INTO the back of the hairdryer and blow crispy dead fruit flies out the front. Hey, we said to use an OLD hair dryer, lol!
What are your favorite ways to remove fruit flies?
