How To Make A Fruit Fly Trap (Get Rid Of Flies Fast!)

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Having your kitchen taken over by fruit flies sucks! See how to make a fruit fly trap & get rid of them quickly with simple, natural things you have on hand.

Having a swarm of fruit flies in your kitchen just sucks, doesn’t it?

They land all over your food making a mess and can create an icky fog of flies that just drive you crazy.

When we first moved into this old home there were a lot of fruit flies and some weird kind of gnat that acts just like fruit flies and they were driving me crazy!

But I found a really easy way to get rid of fruit flies and you’re going to love how simple it is. All you need to do is make a simple homemade fruit fly trap out of a pop bottle.

How To Make A Fruit Fly Trap

You Will Need:

• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Dish Soap
• An Empty Pop Bottle
• Sharp Knife (box cutter works well)

Step 1. Cut The Top Of The Pop Bottle Off

The first step to making your own fruit fly trap is to cut the top of the pop bottle off to make a funnel. If you take just a second to wrap a piece of tape around the bottle first it will make this so much easier to cut a straight line.

The tape adds strength to the bottle and keeps it from bending as much while you cut and also gives you a nice line to follow.

Step 2. Add The Vinegar And Soap

Next, pour about an inch of apple cider vinegar into the bottom part of the bottle, then add a few drops of dish soap.

Step 3. Place The Funnel On

Now take the top part of the pop bottle that you cut off and place it upside down into the bottom part of the bottle. This forms a funnel leading down into the trap.

Place your new fruit fly trap into an area where you are having problems with flies. Now they will be attracted to the trap so you may want to place it in an out of the way area of your kitchen.

This is a really cheap and easy way to get rid of fruit flies, but if you are looking for something a little prettier you’ll love this reusable fruit fly trap.

It comes in all kinds of colors!

Why This Homemade Fly Trap Works

Fruit flies are attracted to the smell of fermenting fruit, this is why apple cider vinegar is the perfect way to attract them into your trap.

When the fruit flies go down inside of the trap and try to land on the vinegar the dish soap breaks the surface tension of the vinegar and the flies fall in and drown.

Any flies that try to get out have a hard time finding their way out because of the funnel shape of the top. The eventually get tired, land in the bottom and die.

What Can You Put In A Fruit Fly Trap

Apple cider vinegar is my favourite to use inside of fly traps but if you don’t have any on hand you can use a few other things.

• Place a piece of overripe fruit into the bottom of the bottle and add a little water and dish soap. Citrus and bananas seem to work the best!
• A little fruit juice with some dish soap has also worked to trap fruit flies.
• If you have yeast you can mix it with a little sugar and water into the bottom of the trap too. They love the fermenting smell!

How Do Fruit Flies Come Out Of Know Where?

Yes, fruit flies can really seem to come out of nowhere can’t they? Fruit flies are attracted by the sent of fermenting fruit.

When you are shopping avoid buying fruit that is overripe. If you see any flies around the produce don’t buy from that area of the store because if you can see fruit flies the produce in that area is likely carrying fruit fly eggs that will hatch soon.

As fruit flies eat the overripe fruit they lay hundreds of eggs that will hatch in just a few hours.

How Long Do Fruit Flies Live In Your House?

Fruit flies have an average life span of 40 to 50 days. But they can only live 3 to 4 days without food. So make sure that after you have made your own fruit fly trap you also put away any food that has been out in the open in your kitchen.

Store all your produce in the fridge, at least until you get the fly outbreak under control.

The bonus to keeping the fruit in the fridge is that the only “good smelling” thing left for the fruit flies will be your trap making it even easier to catch them.

See, wasn’t that easy? You should start seeing the fruit flies attracted to your trap pretty quickly.