How To Get Rid of Fruit Flies – Easy Fruit Fly Traps That Work

Imagine with me for a moment – It’s a beautiful summer afternoon, and you walk into the kitchen for a quick healthy snack. You reach for that delicious, ripe piece of fruit, and then it happens…a cloud of tiny, black fruit flies take flight. Before you know it, those nasty little buggers are dispersed all over the house. If you are super lucky like me and have an open concept house, then they will be in your living areas too. Gross. I know you’ve been there before, or better yet, since you are reading this article, it probably means you are dealing with a fruit fly problem as we speak. Am I right? The good news is that I have some easy ideas that will teach you how to get rid of fruit flies.  

Where Do Fruit Flies Come From?

If you have a problem with fruit flies, it doesn’t mean that your home is dirty or unclean. Your house can be pristine and neat as a pin but still have a fruit fly problem. It takes just one piece of over-ripe fruit, a bit of spilled salad dressing, or a beer or wine bottle with just a sip left in the bottom to attract fruit flies. Why is that?

Fruit flies are attracted to decaying organic matter. It is for this reason that you will find them hanging around your fruit and vegetable baskets. They actually like to lay their eggs in the rotting flesh since it is a liquified food source for their youngins, or larvae to be more scientific, to easily access. Disgusting to think about, but it’s all a part of their lifecycle, and our homes become the perfect setting to start this lovely circle of life.

The scent of the fermentation attracts fruit flies from outside. They love the fermented things that we enjoy, such as vinegar, salad dressings, beer, and wine. Leaving just a drop on the counter is enough to bring them in. You may have heard that fruit flies come from the grocery store, and while it can happen, the majority of your fruit fly infestation is probably coming from outdoors. 

Once they are indoors, they need a food source as well as a safe place to allow the immature larvae to finish maturing. This can happen in the potting soil of your indoor plants, in a crack or crevice nearby the food source, in drains, or other dark places. 

How Long Do Fruit Flies Live?

On average, fruit flies live for around 40-50 days if the conditions are ideal. The temperature of the environment significantly impacts a fruit fly’s life expectancy. You may only recall seeing them when the outdoor temperature is warmer, and you would be correct. Fruit flies thrive in 68º F – 76º F temperatures – the temperature range that most of us also keep our homes. Once you get below 60º F, you really start to see a drop off in survival. 

Within just a few days of coming to life, females can reproduce and lay eggs. The crazy part is females can lay up to 500 eggs at a time, and they can do it multiple times within the female’s life span. This can make it pretty hard to control the population of fruit flies when they get out of hand.

Are Fruit Flies Harmful?

Can fruit flies bite you? No, fruit flies are incapable of biting you. Since fruit flies are fruit-eating and not blood eating bugs, they do not have the right mouthparts to actually hurt you or bite your skin. I have read that people that say that fruit flies have bitten them in the past. This is due to people misidentifying the bug that has bitten them. Certain species of gnats are known to bite, and are often confused for fruit flies.

Fruit flies are carriers of bacteria and can pose a threat to humans if the human ingests the bacteria. The Journal of Food Protection has a published study that implicates fruit flies as being potential carriers for foodborne illnesses. Also, since we previously talked about where fruit flies lay their eggs, I would not recommend eating the fruit that the fruit fly swarm came off of…I mean, unless you find fruit fly eggs appetizing…

Getting Rid of Fruit Flies

Now that we know what attracts fruit flies, we can use that information to our advantage to get rid of them. You probably already know that attempting to swat and kill a fruit fly isn’t the best use of your time, and definitely is not practical. So I have a bunch of easy solutions for you to try out to get rid of the fruit flies in your house. Be sure once you get rid of your fruit fly infestation, you keep them away by preventing them in the first place. I’ll go into more detail at the end about prevention.

DIY Fruit Fly Traps

Making your own homemade fruit fly traps is really easy and can be scaled up or down as needed. You can assemble one trap or many depending on your situation. DIY fruit fly traps are also super cost-effective, and you will likely already have the ingredients on hand. You can place your traps anywhere in the house that you have a problem with fruit flies. 

We have tried all three of these methods in our house, and I’ll tell you what, it is always scary how well these things work. We are always surprised by how many fruit flies end up in the traps. So here are our recommendations for the best homemade fruit fly traps.

Fruit Fly Trap with Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar, preferably with the “mother,” is excellent for attracting fruit flies and is our favorite method. 

You’ll need:

I’m not going to give specific measurements, but rather more of a general guideline. You can increase or decrease amounts depending on the severity of the fruit fly situation in your home.

1. Fill the dish or bowl halfway with apple cider vinegar.
2. Squirt some dish soap into the bowl.
3. Gently stir the soap into the apple cider vinegar.
4. Cover the dish or bowl with plastic wrap.
5. Use a rubber band if needed to seal the plastic wrap around the top of the bowl or dish.
6. Take a toothpick and poke about 10 or so holes in the plastic wrap.
7. Set the dish or bowl in areas where the fruit flies are most noticeable. The kitchen is the most common area to add fruit fly traps.

You can let the traps sit for about a week then change them out with fresh ingredients. 

Fruit Fly Traps with Alcoholic Beverage

Alcoholic drinks are magnets for all fruit flies. The smell of fermented beer and wine is an irresistible temptation to fruit flies. So if you happen to have a few extra sips left in the bottom of a bottle, this is an excellent use for that fermented liquid.

You’ll need:

This method is very similar to the previous one. You are using the alcoholic beverage in the place of the apple cider vinegar. 

1. Fill the dish or bowl halfway with the beer or wine at room temperature.
2. Squirt some dish soap into the bowl.
3. Gently stir the soap into the beer or wine.
4. Cover the dish or bowl with plastic wrap.
5. Use a rubber band if needed to seal the plastic wrap around the top of the bowl or dish.
6. Take a toothpick and poke about 10 holes in the plastic wrap.
7. Set the dish or bowl in areas where the fruit fly problem is most noticeable. 

This is also an effective homemade fruit fly trap. You can let that sit for about a week then change it out. You will start to see fewer and fewer fruit flies as the days go by. Keep using this until they are gone. 

Fruit Fly Trap with Fruit Peels

Who would have ever thought of catching fruit flies with fruit? Yeah, well, this method works well and we have had success with it. However, I will say we didn’t find as much as we did with the first two methods. But depending on what you have around the house, it can work too. 

You’ll need: 

Make sure you have a few peels, and you can even use some of the fruit too. A super ripe banana is perfect for this job.

1. Pour about one to two inches of apple cider vinegar into the mason jar (this enhances the scent)
2. Throw in some peels, so the mason jar is about half-full. 
3. Cover the top with plastic wrap.
4. Either use a rubber band to keep the plastic wrap on, or you can use the ring lid from the mason jar.
5. Poke about 10 holes in the plastic wrap to allow the fruit flies to get into the jar.
6. Set the jar next to areas where the fruit flies are seen flying around.

That’s it! Just swap out a new one every week until the fruit flies are gone. I highly recommend taking the jar outside when you need to change it out. Some of the flies may still be alive and will come flying out. You want them to be outside when that happens. 

Fruit Flies in the Sink Drain

If you have a garbage disposal in your sink, this can be a friendly place for fruit flies to breed and reproduce. There can be bits of food stuck in spaces that provide the ideal spot to lay eggs and multiply. This can happen, but don’t worry, it’s pretty easy to get under control. Here is what we have done to get rid of them.

You’ll Need:

Follow these simple steps, and your drains will be bug-free in no time. 

1. Create a 50/50 Solution of vinegar and water. 
2. Make sure the water is very HOT – the hotter, the better.
3. Pour into the spray bottle.
4. Spray into the drain to ensure the entire disposal area or drain has been completely saturated with the water and vinegar.
5. Place the drain plug to cover the drain
6. Repeat daily until fruit flies are gone. 

Preventing Fruit Flies

We’ve covered how to get rid of fruit flies, but that’s only half the battle. It takes a bit of work learning to be intentional about not leaving things out that might attract fruit flies, but preventing the infestation in the first place will be worth it. You just need to develop good habits of thoroughly cleaning up messes and not allowing perishable counter items to rot. So here are some great tips to help you to prevent getting fruit flies next time. 

Wipe Down Counters

Getting in the habit of regularly wiping down your counters can go a long way. You are removing any chances fruit flies could have to drink up any unnoticed spills or rotting fruit on the counter. I know my kids leave fruit cup juices, jelly, and salad dressing drips on our counters regularly. So getting everyone on board with giving the counters a wipe down after preparing food has helped immensely.

Clean-Up Spills

If food or drinks get spilled, be sure to clean up the mess as soon as it happens, especially if you spilled fermented alcohol like beer or wine. A spill left like that is like a big neon sign saying, “Come on in!” to every fruit fly in the vicinity. 

Rinse out Bottles

Any opened bottles like beer or wine should definitely be rinsed out when you finish them. Other leftover food and drink of any kind in cans or containers make for a nice breeding ground for fruit flies. Before you throw them in the trash or recycling, just give them a quick rinse.

Wash Your Fruit

It’s a great idea to wash any new fruit or vegetables that will be stored out on the counter. Your fruit may not be ripe or rotten, but it could have been in the same box as rotten fruit and some of the rotten juice smell could be lingering. If there’s even a hint of rot or fermentation, it invites fruit flies to come and take up residency in your fruit bowl. Washing your produce can reduce that risk significantly. 

Cover Fruit Bowls

Having easy access to fruit is always a must in our house. Our fruit bowl is a nice grab-and-go alternative to unhealthy snacks, so we always have fruit out on the counter. Fruit bowls are great to have, but see if you can keep it covered. Use a fruit bowl with a lid, so you don’t have to worry about fruit flies landing on your food. In some instances, covering the bowl could cause your fruit to ripen more rapidly, so make sure to pay attention and eat it before it goes bad. Fruit goes fast in our house, so this isn’t usually a problem for us, but it is worth mentioning.

Refrigerate Your Produce

If you are really having a big problem with fruit flies, start storing your fruit and veggies in the fridge. Fruit flies can’t survive in the cold, and they will die. So if you have room in your fridge for the produce that you would typically store on the counter, you will get a longer shelf life and not have to worry about fruit flies at all. 

Small Herb Gardens

Fruit flies hate the smell of certain herbs like basil, peppermint, and eucalyptus. You can plant these herbs in small pots, place fresh herb leaves in a muslin cloth sack, and place them around where you store your fresh fruit and veggies. 

Fruit Fly Be Gone!

You are now armed with the knowledge of how to get rid of fruit flies and hopefully walk away with some ideas on how to prevent the problem in the first place. We use these homemade fruit fly traps in our own home and have had great success with them. I hope you will give them a try and let us know how it goes! 

Have another suggestion for dealing with fruit flies? Share with us in the comments below. We’d love to hear from you!