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Home » DIY Fruit Fly Trap: Easy Homemade Solution

DIY Fruit Fly Trap: Easy Homemade Solution

Posted September 6, 2024
in Farm, Homestead, Household Management

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Did you know a single female fruit fly can lay up to 500 eggs? This means they can quickly reproduce to fill your home. But I have a simple, safe way to stop them. This DIY fruit fly trap is great for those who want to get rid of fruit flies fast without using harsh chemicals. Plus, you can make it with things you probably already have at home!

Dead fruit flies in a bowl of apple cider vinegar, water and dish soap.

Table of Contents

Why I Love DIY Fruit Fly Traps

During harvest time, we have all kinds of fruits and vegetables coming in from the garden, and the fruit flies just love it! No one wants these annoying little pests flying around, so we had to find a solution that works fast.

I don’t like to use harsh chemicals, so I wanted to use something natural and effective similar to my DIY Borax ant killer.

After learning about vinegar’s uses and these surprising dish soap hacks, I decided to give this DIY fruit fly trap a try. For just a few cents worth of ingredients, I was amazed at how well it kept our fruit flies under control!

What Are Fruit Flies

Fruit flies are tiny insects that are about 1/8 inch long. They have red or dark eyes and are tan or brownish in color.

They lay their eggs near the surface of fermenting foods, which is primarily ripened fruit, but they will thrive wherever fermenting material is present, so watch for them around your homemade kombucha, vegetable ferments, kitchen drains, garbage disposals, garbage cans or mops and sponges.

A fruit fly’s life cycle is in four stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. This process can be very quick, sometimes just a week. So, it’s important to identify them early because they can grow fast and become a big problem quickly.

A woman dumping a basket of apples into a cooler.

Tips for Preventing Fruit Flies

If you practice food preservation on a large scale, you probably can’t avoid fruit flies completely. However, practicing fruit fly prevention will drastically cut down on how difficult it is to treat fruit flies when they show up.

The main goal of prevention is to stop fruit flies from breeding and finding food. Here are some easy tips to help you:

Don’t Allow Produce to Overripen – Check your fruits and veggies daily, and practice efficient food preservation methods. Prepare your pantry for preservation season, and use these tips for preservation day to help the process run smoothly.
Clean Up Spills Immediately – Fruit flies like sweet and fermented liquids, so make sure to clean spills right away.
Rinse Bottles and Cans – Fruit flies can be drawn to leftovers in recyclables. Always rinse bottles and cans before recycling.
Keep Drains Clean – Clean your kitchen drains and garbage disposal often. This prevents fruit flies from finding food there.
Empty Trash Cans Regularly – Take out the trash daily, especially if it contains food or organic waste.
Proper Food Storage – In your pantry, use sealed containers for cereals, flour, and sugar. This keeps your food fresh and prevents fruit flies from getting to it.

Supplies Needed

These measurements are for one trap. If you have a large quantity of fruit flies, make multiple traps to set in several locations rather than multiplying this recipe to make one large trap.

Small Jar – You can use a 4 oz. jelly jar or just grab a clean small jar out of your recycling bin. You could even use a coffee mug or a bowl, but I prefer using something clear so that I can see how well my trap is working.
1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar – ACV smells just like overripe fruit to fruit flies, so it works best to attract them. Apple scrap vinegar works too. Don’t try using something like distilled white vinegar, it won’t be very effective.
¼ Cup Water – Tap water works just fine. The water mixed with the ACV will provide enough of a pool to drown the fruit flies.
2-3 Drops of Dish Soap – Any brand of dish soap is good. Just make sure you are using dish soap for hand washing dishes, not dish detergent for automatic dishwashers. Dish soap will break the surface tension of the water and vinegar so that when the fruit flies land, they will sink and drown.
Optional Lid – You can poke holes in a canning lid or plastic wrap (secured with a rubber band) to help trap the fruit flies, but I have found this step really isn’t necessary.

Apple cider vinegar in a small glass bowl.

How to Make a DIY Fruit Fly Trap

Begin by adding the vinegar and water to the jar.
Add a few drops of dish soap. (Do not stir; just allow the soap to float at the top so that it breaks the water’s surface tension.)
Add an optional lid, and place the trap near the offending area.
Dispose and refill as needed.

Did you follow this tutorial? If so, please leave a star rating in the recipe card below. Then snap a photo and tag us on social media @homesteadingfamily so we can see!

Fruit flies on overripe pears in a bucket.

FAQ’s

What are the common causes of fruit flies in the home?

Fruit flies like ripe fruits and veggies, damp spots, and trash bins. Keep food in sealed containers, dry surfaces clean, and take out the trash often to stop them.

How do I make a DIY fruit fly trap?

Fill a small jar with water and apple cider vinegar and add some dish soap. Fruit flies will land on the liquid and can’t get out because of the soap.

Is apple cider vinegar necessary for a fruit fly trap?

Apple cider vinegar works best because it smells strong. But you can also try wine or a piece of overripe fruit as bait.

Which is better for a fruit fly trap, apple cider vinegar or white vinegar?

Apple cider vinegar is best because it smells fruity and strong.

Will fruit flies go away on their own?

Fruit flies might leave by themselves if you remove their food. But, this can take a long time because they breed fast. Using a fruit fly trap is a quicker way to get rid of them.