August 2020

If you’re looking to get rid of fruit flies, you may be wondering how you got them in the first place. Fruit flies are attracted to ripe and rotting fruit and produce, as well as fermented goods like beer and wine. Since female fruit flies lay hundreds of eggs at a time, and the eggs hatch in as little as 24 hours, finding a quick and effective solution is key.

To cut them off from their food source and prevent them from entering your home altogether, take these preventive measures to get rid of fruit flies.

• Throw out overripe produce
• Store fruits and veggies in the fridge
• Wash produce as soon as you get home to remove any potential eggs or larvae
• Take out the garbage regularly
• Clean up spills as soon as possible, especially fruit juice or alcohol

To catch and get rid of fruit flies that have already made a home in your apartment, set one of these effective traps, based on your preferences and the supplies you have on hand.

Glass Jar and Funnel

Place some bait inside a glass jar – overripe produce, ketchup, or a fermented liquid like apple cider vinegar or beer. Then place a funnel (or paper cone) over the opening of the jar with the spout pointing down to create a tiny entrance that’s easy for the fruit flies to enter, but almost impossible to exit.

Bottle and Plastic Wrap

Use a nearly empty bottle of vinegar, beer, or wine for this trap. Cover the opening securely with plastic wrap and poke a few small holes in the plastic. As with the funnel method, the fruit flies will be able to enter the bottle, but won’t be able to get back out.

Bowl and Soap

For a larger fruit fly infestation, fill a bowl with apple cider vinegar and a few drops of dish soap and leave it out uncovered. For extra potency, heat the vinegar first so it’s even more aromatic. The soap will reduce the surface tension, causing any fruit fly that lands on the surface to sink in.