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Fruit flies and produce go together like peanut butter and jelly, except I LIKE peanut butter and jelly and I HATE fruit flies. It’s not a problem, though, because when I start to notice them hanging around my fruit or in my pantry, I know how to get rid of them easily, quickly, and with stuff I keep around the house.
***This post was originally written July 25, 2012, but I’ve updated with new pictures and content. If you got here via Pinterest from an outdated picture that is no longer in the post (that had terrible spelling), you are in the right place and this is the info you want!***
Materials You Need
- Canning Jar with Ring Lid
- *Apple Cider Vinegar -or- Ripe Fruit -or- Both
- Plastic Wrap
- Dish Soap
- Toothpick or something sharp to poke small holes
*I’ve done these traps with fruit or vinegar, but I think the quickest way to get the fruit flies in the jar is to do both. Of course, the easiest thing is usually just the vinegar though the flies come in more slowly, especially if there is fruit around they are more interested in. I’ll list these steps for both things to go in, but just know that you can totally play with what you put in the jar. As long as it attracts fruit flies, it’s all good!
How To Create a DIY Fruit Fly Trap
Step 1 –
Add ripe fruit to your jar. Pictured is part of a banana.
Step 2 –
Add some Apple Cider Vinegar to the bottom of the jar.
You don’t need a ton, just enough for the flies to drown in. You don’t want to cover the fruit.
Step 3 –
Add a few squirts of Dish Soap to insure that the Apple Cider Vinegar kills the fruit flies.
This helps make sure that they aren’t annoyingly flying around your jar trying to figure out how to get out. They can’t get out, but I worry it alerts other fruit flies. I am probably paranoid here, but let’s play it safe.
Step 4 –
Wrap the top of the jar in plastic wrap – any kind will do.
Step 5 –
Put the ring lid on the jar and cut off the excess plastic wrap.
Step 6 –
Poke holes with a toothpick (or something sharp) into the plastic.
Don’t make the holes too big or the fruit flies will easily come back out. For some reason if you make them small, they will squeeze themselves in, but never figure out how to get out.
That’s it – you’ve made a DIY Fruit Fly Trap!
The banana I used as an example was so effective that it cleared the air of fruit flies within an hour!!
Recently we went on vacation for a week. Before we left I noticed some fruit flies in my pantry (maybe the raisins??). I stuck a jar of just vinegar and dish soap in there before we left and this is what I came back to. All of the fruit flies were in the jar.
Disposal
I dispose of the fruit flies by pouring the mixture down the kitchen sink, rinsing out the jar, and starting again. The longest I’ll keep one going is almost a week. It gets pretty disgusting, so usually I’ll change it out every few days during the summer when there are a lot of fruit flies.
There you go –
Now you know one of the best ways to get rid of fruit flies and you don’t need to spend $5 at a time per store bought fruit fly trap!!!
My kids still love catching fruit flies, though my girls also think it is a little bit gross! (My boy does NOT find it gross) They all can’t help their curiosity, though. They feel like it is a science experiment and go count them up or shake the jar a little. I’m just glad they’re not flying around, landing on my food and clean counters.
Go on, rid your house of fruit flies forever!
From my home to yours,
Mary
Now that’s a cool idea!! I had some in my kitchen not too long ago, and I did my dad’s trick: set some beer out for the gnats. Next morning, the glass of beer has gnats floating like crazy in it, haha. But your way is much nicer to them.
Visiting from Wicked Awesome Wednesday.
– Jaime
mrsmamapanda.blogspot.com
Hey! I like this tip. I tried making fruit fly traps last year with a paper made into a cone, it worked but it was a real pain trying to get the paper into a cone shape and yet not have any space in the jar. I’m going to try this. (kind of regret that I tossed out (recycled) a few jars last week. 🙂 Luckily they haven’t been too bad this year so far.
My question though, is doesn’t washing your fruit when you get home make them go bad sooner?? That’s the main reason I don’t! And never would have thought about washing bananas.
You do know that this post is going to be pinned… ? 🙂
I’ve not noticed washing my fruit causing it to ripen sooner, but I’ll watch for that. Maybe because I dry it really well? I know the jar really works. After a day of the jar, the only fruit flys in my kitchen were in that jar!
And thanks for pinning!
No way! I’m getting pretty sick of the fruit flies coming ’round here so this is very timely. I can’t wait to try this! And that basic H is awesome, isn’t it??? LOVE!
This is so clever! Thanks for sharing. I would love for you to share it at Snips & Spice Sunday Slice.
Malory
http://snips-and-spice.blogspot.com/2012/07/sunday-slice-its-party-5.html
What a great idea! I hate the pesky varmints. Thanks for sharing at Gettin’ Krafty With it!
wow great tip on washing the bananas! i will be doing that from now on because otherwise i will think of fruit flie eggs. gross! 🙂 thanks for sharing!
Great tip
This year has been really bad around or house, THANK YOU!
lol! It’s so funny that you would post on these little pests, Mary! We just had a hatch of fruit flies appear out of nowhere. They were all over the place and driving me caaaraaazzzy! I Googled it and used your method, only I put a bit of wine with a squirt of dishsoap in the bottom of the mason jar. The flies drowned themselves….and my house is free of swatting hands now! lol!
xoxo laurie
Sometimes it is the simplest little tip that makes the most difference! Thanks!
Love this! Super excited to do it now! Thank you!
What killer tricks. Fruit Flys drive me mental and with a toddler tossing half eaten fruit from her high chair we have an abundance, thanks so much
This is great! Thanks for sharing!
Great idea! Come share it at our linky party at http://www.finecraftguild.com/party ! Looking forward to seeing you there.
Wow this is awesome! So pinning this to complete in my home asap!
Hugs, Jen @ frazzled5
Once they are trapped in the jar then what do you do?
eat them, of course!
Does this catch fruit flies or gnants or both… because those are two completely different insects…
It catches both fruit flies and gnats!! It is awesome!
wonderful idea, just one question, how long does the fruit flies usually last in the flask alive if I do not set them free?
This does not kill the fruit flies. 🙂
I have a Sundew plant that works wonders for me, sometimes even better than my Venus Fly Trap. I just put it wherever I see the flies, and soon the sundew is sprinkled with the little devils!
Sounds cool!
After I wash my fruit I put it in the fridge…no fruit flies. Bananas brown in the fridge very quickly but the fruit is still white and good underneath. We also prefer our fruit cold.
Sounds great. 🙂 Thanks for sharing.
Thank you Mary I’m going to try it I have cleaned and sprayed even put bleach down the drain no fruit but still fruit flies
Good luck!
I have a few here and there in our kitchen I. Our bathroom and daughters room ? Should I place jars in all thosr rooms I absolutely hate those gross bugs
I’d put them wherever the bugs are collecting.
I hope the toothpick does the trick. I’ve had the same trap set but I used a sharp knife to poke the top….probably too big of holes because they are still flying around. Some of them went in and died, about half…. Its really getting obnoxious. I have toothpicks! Just didn’t think to use them. Thanks!
Did it work??