10 Easy Ways To Rid Your Home Of Fruit Flies

Sep 21, 2018

It's crazy--humans are such powerful, dominant creatures, yet the smallest things can bug us. Many of us have experienced an invasion of fruit flies in our homes. Here are some classic tips and tricks to help keep your home clean and safe, rid of fruit flies.

Believe it or not, one of the most classic ways to rid your house of fruit flies can be found in everyday household items. What you'll need is:

• Vinegar
• Dish Soap

Simple, right? Alls you have to do is add a couple small drops of dish soap in a bowl and mix it up with some vinegar. Once it's fluid, cover the bowl with some plastic and add holes tiny enough for fruit flies to enter, but not escape. You'll find a collection of fruit flies in just a few hours, right in the bowl!

It sounds silly, but fruit flies absolutely love wine. If these pesky bugs are driving you nuts, and you have some wine to spare, try leaving just a small amount of wine at the bottom of the bottle (about an inch). The flies will be able to enter the bottle but won't be able to get out, and will more than likely get stuck in the sweet liquid.

Have you ever seen a fruit fly in the winter time? Probably not. Fruit flies hate the cold weather. If you have a means to keep your house at a cool temperature during the summer, you'll be able to reduce the amount of fruit flies in your home.

It's never too late to try something new. Most of us have lit a candle or two in our house in our lifetimes. However, incense produces a thick enough layer of smoke to keep fruit flies at bay. Simply put, fruit flies despise this smokey product because it absolutely demolishes their tiny lungs. Not to mention, there's a perfect scent for everybody to enjoy while the flies die off.

Perhaps the most effective way to rid your house of fruit flies is to use Apple Cider Vinegar. It's easily one of the most popular ones. Add it to a bowl, cover it with plastic, cut some tiny holes, and watch your fruit fly collection grow.

You want to kill these buggers, right? While someone cruel, you can broil the fruit flies alive! Slice a lemon in half, turn your oven to bake, and put the lemons in. You'll have to leave the oven door open, but the roasted lemons will attract the flies. Once there's enough in the oven, close the door and set the oven to broil. I think you know what happens next!

A farmer's almanac is useful beyond it's weather predictions. An old belief is that a strange combination can lure the flies. Here's what you need:

• 1 Pt. Of Milk
• 2 Oz. Ground Pepper
• 4 Oz. Sugar

Cook this combo in a pan on the oven, letting it sizzle and simmer for just about ten minutes or so. Add the liquid to a heat-proof bowl and watch the flies get trapped in the concoction!

What kind of flies are we dealing with? Fruit flies. It's no surprise that they crave fruit. Fruit flies especially love fruit that's extra ripe. You can add the fruit to just about any container. Some will use a piece of paper and make it into a cone or funnel, which the flies will use to enter the container. Basically, anything you can make that has an entry way for the flies, but no escape, is a surefire way to trap the flies in the fruit container.

There are countless fruit fly products out there that rely on a sticky, tape-like strip of material that's saturated in fruit fly bait. They hang from anywhere you choose to put them, sort of like a vine streaming from your ceiling. They don't smell like anything, and the flies stick right to the material.

Obviously, some people find value in life--even if it's the life of a fruit fly. You can buy your own lemongrass spray, which fruit flies will avoid if it's sprayed throughout your house. Or, you can make your own. You'll need:

• 2 Tbsp. of Rubbing Alcohol/Vanilla/Vodka (you pick)
• Lemongrass Fragrance Oil
• 3/4 Cup Water

Add this to a spray bottle and you're set!

Which one of these fruit fly traps are you going to try first? Let us know in the comments and pass this on to your friends and loved ones so their homes can be fruit fly free too!