The Best DIY Fruit Fly Trap
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Are fruit flies driving you nuts? Never fear, this DIY fruit fly trap is sure to help.
I tested a bunch of ways to get rid of these pests, but this easy homemade fruit fly trap came out as the winner! Read on to find simple the end to your fruit fly woes.
If you eat a lot of veggies and fruits in your home, then likely fruit flies have been a part of your home as well. Sigh. For that very reason, this past week I had reason to work on finding the best fruit fly trap. Somehow we got inundated with them and had to find a way to get rid of them. Fast.
Those little buggers multiply fast and they were well — driving me buggers!
I scoured the internet to figure out the best way to nab these little pests – but one fruit fly trap worked much better than the others.
First however, I’m going to share with you some annoying and almost terrifying fruit fly facts:
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Facts About Fruit Flies
Did you know these?
– Mother fruit flies can lay about 500 eggs at a time
– The most likely place for a mother fruit fly to lay her eggs is in a piece of fermenting food.
– As soon as the babies hatch, they start reproducing very rapidly
– From the time the mother fruit fly lays her eggs until you see the fruit flies buzzing around is about 7-13 days. Yikes! – instead of saying how things “multiply like rabbits”—should we change the saying to “multiply like fruit flies”? (source)
See why it’s so important to get rid of these pesky critters right away? If you don’t, you could have hundreds in a very short amount of time.
Well, this past week we tried 3 different methods to get rid of these flies and I think we’ve found the winner.
DIY Fruit Fly Traps We Tested
Trap #1 – Hands
Yes, I’m not kidding. This is the way I’ve always caught fruit flies and we’ve always been successful in the past. But this time, the flies were getting the best of us. I’m guessing that you all probably have used this method too, right?
I’m sure you can imagine myself and my two sons standing the kitchen, climbing on step stools, clapping our hands together and slapping cabinets, trying to get rid of every last one.
(I can’t believe how smart these little buggers seem to be. They really seemed to know that they blended well into our dark kitchen cabinets and hid there almost completely invisible. Almost.)
We all thought this was fun (kind of) for awhile, but it got old after awhile.
And standing on a step stool trying to catch fruit flies is an accident waiting to happen.
It was time to find a new way.
Trap #2 – Apple Cider Vinegar and Dish Soap
This method is supposed to work by putting some apple cider vinegar in a bowl or jar and then adding a drop or so of dish soap. The dish soap is supposed to create tension across the top of the apple cider vinegar. The vinegar attracts the flies. They fly in and the soap traps them there.
Tried this for about 5 days.
The result?
Only 2 flies dead. Not anywhere near enough to make a dent in our burgeoning fruit fly colony.
Trap #3 – Inverted Cone
With this method, you put something attractive to the fruit flies in a container and invert a cone (paper is fine) so that it extends to the rim of the container.
The flies travel down the cone but can’t get back up.
Never tried this because #4 – the winner — worked so well. I don’t think I’d bother with this because the other is much easier and a little nicer to look at. And once you see The Winner you’ll see another reason why.
Trap #4 – The Winner!
I know – it’s an icky photo–just stuff from my compost bowl with plastic wrap on top with a few tiny holes poked in it.
Perfect for attracting fruit flies – but not great for nice photos :-).
I love this fruit fly trap.
Why?
Why We Love This Trap
- First of all, it worked! At the height of our fruit fly troubles, I would catch 5, 10 or more flies in there and would take them out on our deck to let them all go.
- Secondly, it’s cheap! (Basically, I just put plastic wrap on top of my compost bowl.) On Amazon, the fruit fly trap I looked at was more than $7. So you can save a bunch of money with this and get rid of your fruit flies effectively – and you don’t need to wait for the trap to arrive in the mail :-).
It’s also cheaper than using my high quality apple cider vinegar which I love and really don’t wish to waste on fruit flies. - Third, I didn’t have to put another thing on my countertop since I could just use my compost bowl. Who needs something else on the whole foods countertop, right :-)?
Here’s how to do it:
(Please note that the original post instructed people to let the fruit flies out of the trap outdoors, after catching them, but some readers pointed out that this would only serve to make the fruit fly problem worse. After doing some research, I realized what a huge problem the fruit fly population is and so I changed the post.
Now you simply let the flies die in with the fruit.)
More DIY Healthier Household Ideas
– Amazing No Streak Glass Cleaner
– DIY Plastic Wrap Substitute
– DIY Foaming Soap
– DIY Facial Oil Wash
– Natural Dishwasher Rinse Aid (3 Ways!)
– Homemade Laundry Detergent
– Best Eye Makeup Remover
The Best DIY Fruit Fly Trap
Ingredients
- bowl
- fruit or food items
- plastic wrap
- toothpick or other sharp item
- dish soap
Instructions
- Place some fruit or other food items in a bowl.
- Add a drop or two of dish soap.
- Secure a plastic wrap over the top and secure, if necessary, with a rubber band.
- Poke small holes in the top of the plastic wrap (with a toothpick, the sharp end of a knife, or something like that).
Notes
Have you every tried a DIY fruit fly trap?
Have another pest problem you are battling?
Not so pretty, but WORKS LIKE A CHARM! We are able to deactivate 10-30 fruit flies at a time with this nifty little trap.
1. Clear plastic bag that is deeper than a sandwich bag – does not have to be a Zip-Lock bag.
2. Place small pile of waste fruit peelings or core in bottom, Lay bag down, and prop the mouth of the bag open – with a small bottle if necessary.
3. After several hours, remove prop and close the mouth of the bag trapping flies, smoothing the plastic out flat to “deactivate” the little gnats.
4. Re-Set the Trap! EASY as PIE! and CHEAP!
Tips: If fruit flies have to choose between a basket of peaches and your trap – Set them NEXT to each other, not on opposite sides of the room.
It’s easiest to SEE the live/moving flies if the trap is placed on a light colored surface – even a piece of paper on a dark counter.
I use a shallow plastic container that blueberries came in. Punch hole in the top and add apple cider vinegar and a couple of drops of dish detergent. Then I put plastic wrap over my compost bin to make sure there is no fruit, etc. for the flies to eat. I don’t let them go. I want them dead!
Nice!!!
get fly ribbons..put some up where u have the problem..get apple cider vinegar..get an empty spray bottle and spray the ribbons with it..u dont need to spray much..they will swarm and stick..u can respray the next day if needed and change ribbons as needed..this was the only thing that worked for me
Neat!
I do something similar but put apple cider vinegar in small dishes with saran wrap and a hole (I usually make a cone of the saran wrap by placing it on, poking my finger in the middle, securing it, then poke a hole in the bottom…but if just holes work, I’ll do that.)
They drown by the dozens.
(Another method is to put some rotting fruit on a cookie sheet or in an ovensafe dish in the oven overnight with the door cracked open. In the morning, close the door and turn on the oven for a few minutes. Once it’s cool, sweep out the dead flies…works, but then you have an oven full of cooked rotten fruit and dead flies–plus some fly out the vents and escape).
I use #2 except instead of ACV i use a little wine, any kind I have on hand. Put a little dish soap on my fingertip, touch it to the top of the wine a few times (do not mix), and it has always worked. If you use a clear plastic cup you can see that you are catching the flies.
My “go-to” that works every time has always been a half cup of coffee with creamer and sweetener in it. I have gotten up to 5 in one cup by morning; but then you have to make a fresh cup and start again the next day if you have more than that in your house. Sounds like your method might catch more than mine and I’m willing to give it a try since this rainy FL weather has been drumming up more fruit flies than I’ve ever seen this year – it’s hard to get a handle on them this year. 😉
Seriously Thank you!
I love this solution! I have a no kill policy but had to resort to the hand treatment because it was just way “out of hand!” Very Buddhist this solution of yours.
I like to use ACV with plastic wrap on top with the small holes because there is no letting them go & multiply somewhere else, they DIE! They drink and drink and drown- sounds morbid when I say it like that… I keep the same covered bowl out for weeks on end. I have to add or change out the ACV after a month or so because it evaporates.
My personal favorite is the vacuum! Use the hose and suck em’ up! Open the canister outside into the dumpster. Works like a charm!
Great article. On the vinegar and dishsoap, I mix apple cider vinegar and water, then add a drop or two of dishsoap, usually in a soda bottle or a glass bottle with a long nect, then shake it up well. I catch dozens this way. Shaking it creates bubbles and for some reason that helps.
When they were having a mass demonstration in my kitchen, I resorted to the vacuum. Using the extension-wand(?), I sucked up so many of them. It was very effective during desperate times. 😉
Hilarious. :).
Just set up the compost with plastic wrap.. Waiting for my first victim
Funny!!! Watch out flies!!
I have used all of the above methods, EXCEPT for the winner and this will be my new fruit fly trap, for sure. Who can imagine spending seven bucks on Amazon for that? That is just crazy to me. Thanks for the post and I will keep it book-marked for next summer!
:).
The best fruit fly trap I’ve ever used is actually just a jar of open sauerkraut! I dropped the lid and threw it in the sink, by the time I was done the dishes I had caught / drowned 6 fruit flys. I’ve caught way more Fruit Flys with Sauerkraut than I ever did with vinegar and sugar. I tried your fav recipe and didn’t catch one!
~J
Well, how strange. Had your compost been sitting long enough? That’s the key.
yes, I had left it out for a few weeks. The sauerkraut caught dozens during the same period.
A fruit fly problem is no fun! One of my children accidentally left a bottle of balsamic vinegar out one day with no lid. When I found it, it had tons of fruit flies in it. Since then, we just keep a bottle out with about 2 inches of balsamic in it, and we really don’t have any problems. For some reason, they can’t figure out how to get out of the bottle once they fly in. (Stopping by from Finer Things Friday)
Simple, cheap and effective, what a great combo!
This is my first time on your site – you were a link on another blog I follow. (And now after perusing yours, I will definitely be following you, as well!) We had a huge fruit fly infestation this summer, so I was curious to see your Fruit Fly Trap Winner and I was surprised that it wasn’t Kombucha tea. I was also surprised that no one in your comment section mentioned Kombucha. It is the best fruit fly trap EVER! And it’s virtually free! Of course, this is assuming that you are brewing Kombucha anyway – it’s a probiotic beverage made from fermented sweet tea and fruit flies absolutely love it. The method is the same as acv and a drop of dish soap. I would put it in a small, shallow bowl (about a half cup) on my kitchen island next to my ceramic compost bucket and there would be over a hundred drowned in it every single day! I would then pour them down the drain and refill the bowl with another half cup of Kombucha and a drop of dish soap. With so many fruit flies, I deduced they had to be reproducing inside my house somewhere, so in addition to trapping and drowning them, I was on a mission to find the source of this infestation. I discovered that they were breeding in my pantry, in the rice and pasta plastic crate! Tens of thousands in every stage from eggs, larva, and adults. I literally screamed for my husband to open the door as I ran outside holding the crate full of a writhing mass of fruit flies – soooo gross! I tossed everything, cleaned and scrubbed, and my Kombucha caught the last of the stragglers. The one thing that would make this the all time best fruit fly trap would be your suggestion of plastic wrap with small holes placed over the bowl. Some of those little buggers would crawl on the rim and hesitate going inside. I think they could see their buddies lying at the bottom!
Great tip and so glad you are rid of them – ick!!!!!!!
Wow, I’m brewing Kombucha so I’ll have to try it. ACV is working but not enough to get rid of all of them, even with several traps. We’ve searched and can’t figure out the source of all of these flies! Never knew they could be in rice and pasta. Will have to check all of those!
Hope it works for you!
I love your compost idea and I am looking forward to trying the oven method. I will say that I find wine to be very useful. I bought some cheap red wine and poured most of it into another container (which I refrigerate), leaving about 1-2 inches in the bottom of the bottle. I leave it out on the counter overnight and the fruitflies have a party, becoming drunk, then drowning happily in the bottom of the bottle. I pick up scores of fruit flies in a day or two, empty the bottle and replenish with the wine saved in the refrigerator. I will also try your other ideas. They particularly like to be in homes with (intentional) fermentation going on.
#3 does not work! I have caught 0 flies. Definitely trying the plastic wrap with scraps.