How to Kill Fruit Flies
Use rotten fruit., Sacrifice some wine., Try apple cider vinegar., Make a dish soap trap., Make a beer trap., Use a bottle of soda., Try using yeast., Hang up some fly strips.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Use rotten fruit.
Your fruit fly problem probably didn’t start until you realized you left out some fruit that eventually rotted.
Use the method that gathered the flies in the first place to capture them again, but, this time, lead them to a more morbid end.
Place a piece of rotting fruit in a bowl, and stretch clear plastic over the top.
Cut several small holes into the plastic using a toothpick, and leave it near the site of the flies.
They will be attracted to the scent, but unable to get out. -
Step 2: Sacrifice some wine.
Humans aren’t the only ones attracted to wine.
Fruit flies flock to this alcohol as well.
Thankfully the perfect fly-catcher is ready made anytime you crack open a bottle.
Empty the bottle so that there is an inch or less of wine at the bottom.
Leave this out near where the flies are gathering; they will fly in, but the funnel-effect of the bottleneck will keep them trapped. , Apple cider vinegar is a great household product to have around, as it works in many ways around your home.
Included in its abilities is the capacity to kill fruit flies after an outbreak.
Pour some of the vinegar into a cup, and add a plastic or paper funnel to the top.
The funnel will block off most of the entrance, allowing a space large enough for the flies to enter but too small for the less-than-intelligent flies to exit.
For an extra measure, add a bit of dish soap to the vinegar to create a fly poison., When added to a sweet solution, dish soap cannot be detected by fruit flies.
The chemicals present in the soap will act as a poison and kill the unwary flies.
Fill a jar with a mixture of vinegar (any kind) with sugar
- it doesn’t matter in what proportion.
Add in a squirt of dish soap and mix the solution well.
The flies should be attracted to the sweet and sour scent, but will die when they consume the soapy poison. , Turns out fruit flies have a thing for lots of alcohol, not just wine.
Grab a mason jar and fill it halfway with any kind of beer.
Use a hammer and nail to puncture the metal lid several times, creating 3-5 holes.
Screw the cap back on and leave the trap where the flies congregate.
The beer can be dumped out every few days and replaced to catch more flies., If you already drink soda, then you’re in luck.
Grab a bottle of soda (any kind, although colas tend to work well) and hammer a hole through the plastic lid.
Empty the soda so that there is only an inch or less remaining in the bottom of the bottle.
Replace the lid, and watch the flies swarm! , This one may sound strange, but a concoction of yeast may do the trick in capturing and killing fruit flies.
Fill a glass halfway with warm water and 1 teaspoon of sugar, and pour in some active dry yeast.
Mix the solution (prepare for it to bubble!) and then cover the entire glass with plastic wrap.
Poke holes in the top to let the flies in, but make sure they are small enough so that the flies can’t get back out., Undoubtedly the least attractive of the trapping methods, fly strips work wonders on capturing fruit flies.
These ultra-sticky strips will attract flies and trap them the instant they set foot on the tape.
Try hanging your strips in a less obtrusive setting than perhaps directly over your kitchen sink for the most appealing set-up. -
Step 3: Try apple cider vinegar.
-
Step 4: Make a dish soap trap.
-
Step 5: Make a beer trap.
-
Step 6: Use a bottle of soda.
-
Step 7: Try using yeast.
-
Step 8: Hang up some fly strips.
Detailed Guide
Your fruit fly problem probably didn’t start until you realized you left out some fruit that eventually rotted.
Use the method that gathered the flies in the first place to capture them again, but, this time, lead them to a more morbid end.
Place a piece of rotting fruit in a bowl, and stretch clear plastic over the top.
Cut several small holes into the plastic using a toothpick, and leave it near the site of the flies.
They will be attracted to the scent, but unable to get out.
Humans aren’t the only ones attracted to wine.
Fruit flies flock to this alcohol as well.
Thankfully the perfect fly-catcher is ready made anytime you crack open a bottle.
Empty the bottle so that there is an inch or less of wine at the bottom.
Leave this out near where the flies are gathering; they will fly in, but the funnel-effect of the bottleneck will keep them trapped. , Apple cider vinegar is a great household product to have around, as it works in many ways around your home.
Included in its abilities is the capacity to kill fruit flies after an outbreak.
Pour some of the vinegar into a cup, and add a plastic or paper funnel to the top.
The funnel will block off most of the entrance, allowing a space large enough for the flies to enter but too small for the less-than-intelligent flies to exit.
For an extra measure, add a bit of dish soap to the vinegar to create a fly poison., When added to a sweet solution, dish soap cannot be detected by fruit flies.
The chemicals present in the soap will act as a poison and kill the unwary flies.
Fill a jar with a mixture of vinegar (any kind) with sugar
- it doesn’t matter in what proportion.
Add in a squirt of dish soap and mix the solution well.
The flies should be attracted to the sweet and sour scent, but will die when they consume the soapy poison. , Turns out fruit flies have a thing for lots of alcohol, not just wine.
Grab a mason jar and fill it halfway with any kind of beer.
Use a hammer and nail to puncture the metal lid several times, creating 3-5 holes.
Screw the cap back on and leave the trap where the flies congregate.
The beer can be dumped out every few days and replaced to catch more flies., If you already drink soda, then you’re in luck.
Grab a bottle of soda (any kind, although colas tend to work well) and hammer a hole through the plastic lid.
Empty the soda so that there is only an inch or less remaining in the bottom of the bottle.
Replace the lid, and watch the flies swarm! , This one may sound strange, but a concoction of yeast may do the trick in capturing and killing fruit flies.
Fill a glass halfway with warm water and 1 teaspoon of sugar, and pour in some active dry yeast.
Mix the solution (prepare for it to bubble!) and then cover the entire glass with plastic wrap.
Poke holes in the top to let the flies in, but make sure they are small enough so that the flies can’t get back out., Undoubtedly the least attractive of the trapping methods, fly strips work wonders on capturing fruit flies.
These ultra-sticky strips will attract flies and trap them the instant they set foot on the tape.
Try hanging your strips in a less obtrusive setting than perhaps directly over your kitchen sink for the most appealing set-up.
About the Author
Nathan Martin
Writer and educator with a focus on practical pet care knowledge.
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