Craft your own fruit fly DIY trap

Beat Fruit Flies With A DIY Fruit Fly Trap

Most of us know what it’s like to reach for a tasty-looking fruit, only to see a small cloud of tiny fruit flies rise up from it and start buzzing around above the bowl. While not harmful, they are a nuisance, especially in late summer and fall. 

But there’s a solution. you can get rid of them with an easy-to-make DIY fruit fly trap.

A Closer Look At Fruit Flies

Fruit flies might seem to appear as though by magic to infest your home, but their arrival is much more mundane. They usually come into your home as tiny eggs that were laid inside a piece of fruit at the grocery store, or they come in through your kitchen window, back door, or cracks in walls.

Moist, fermenting fruit and vegetables are a banquet and the ideal nursery for fruit flies, but those aren’t the only things in or around your home they’re attracted to. They also like cleaning rags and mops, drains, empty cans and bottles, garbage disposals, and trash bags. Basically, fruit flies like moist environments and food waste.

You don’t need to worry about accidentally ingesting those little bugs, as they only feed on food surfaces. They’ll buzz off as soon as you reach for whatever food they’re on. That said, there is a chance that you might ingest some of their eggs. Fruit flies can lay as many as 500 eggs at a time, and they prefer doing this in fermenting fruit or other sweet organic material that is decaying. 

Fruit Fly Infestations In Your Home

You know you have a fruit fly infestation in your home if you see them flying around indoors. You’re most likely to spot them in your kitchen and other parts of the home where food is found.

Seal your organic produce in airtight containers and store it in the refrigerator, and get rid of overripe produce, to prevent a fruit fly infestation. Strengthen your preventative measures by installing mesh screens on your doors and windows.

Make A DIY Fruit Fly Trap

If you have fruit flies in your home, make this easy DIY fruit fly trap to get rid of them. You probably already have the supplies you need in your kitchen. You need:

• Apple cider vinegar
• Dish soap
• A container or jar (preferably glass)
• Plastic wrap
• Optional: A rubber band or tape

Pour an approximately ¼-inch layer of apple cider vinegar in the jar or container. Add a drop of dish soap to the vinegar, which will break the surface tension and allow the flies to sink into the vinegar. Cover the jar or container with plastic wrap, securing it with a rubber band or tape (if using). Poke a few holes in the wrap so the flies can get into the container. Place your DIY fruit fly trap on your kitchen counter. The smell of the vinegar will attract the flies, which will enter the container and land in the vinegar.

If the fruit fly infestation in your home continues, the problem may be bigger than a few pieces of fermenting fruit in your kitchen or dining room. Contact Twin-Boro Termite and Pest Control for a free inspection. Our pest control professional will recommend the best course of action to tackle the problem.