How to Get Rid of Fruit Flies

If you are wondering how to get rid of fruit flies well, it’s easy. Easy to eliminate fruit flies with the use of apple cider vinegar. Yes, that’s right. Good old apple cider vinegar can help you eliminate those pesky fruit flies. 

WHAT CAUSES PESKY FRUIT FLIES?  

Fruit flies are attracted to ripened or fermented fruits and vegetables. This includes tomatoes, grapes, bananas, and many others. A nuisance pest that is found in kitchens, kitchen cabinets, and food storage pantries. 

These pesky fruit flies can even be found on cracked or damaged fruits and vegetables. Damaged fruits and vegetables create a moist, decaying environment where fruit fly eggs are laid. Not to mention that fruit flies can infest trash and recycle bins. Fruit flies not only lay eggs in discarded food containers but also in unwashed recycled bins. Wherever there is rotting produce, fruit flies seem to find.   

By the same token, many kitchen compost pails become a hotbed of fruit flies. A natural breeding ground where loads and loads of fruit flies multiply in great numbers. Using a tightly closed kitchen compost pail such as the Utopia Compost Bin, keeps fruit flies to a minimum. We know all too well. Since we’re a true believer of composting to reduce landfill trash, we compost every piece of produce that can be composted. You’ll be amazed at how quickly a handful of fruit flies multiply into an infestation if you are not using the right kitchen compost pail. This is especially true over the Winter months when trips to the backyard compost are put off.  

How to Get Rid of Fruit Flies – Effective Ways to Eliminate Fruit Flies 

Method 1 

Pour about 1 ½ cups of apple cider vinegar into a medium size jar or bowl. Add a drop or two of liquid dish detergent such as Dawn. Leave the jar or bowl in the infested area for a week or more. The soapy vinegar mix will attract bugs that fall into the bowl and drown. 

Although check the container every few days. As the container fills with dead fruit flies, pour out the old vinegar and refill  again with the soap vinegar mix. While the soapy vinegar mixture is collecting fruit flies, clean out the kitchen cabinets and pantry. Using dish wash detergent with water, clean the cabinet shelves or areas of infestation.  

Method 2 

Fill an empty clean jar with apple cider vinegar one half way. Take the lid from the jar and punch a few holes in the lid. Reattach the lid to the jar. Leave the covered jar with the apple cider vinegar where the fruit fly infestation is. Check the jar every few days and replace the vinegar after a week. Continue this until the infestation has been eliminated.  

Method 3 

In a similar way as the two previous methods, pour about 1½ cups of apple cider vinegar in a medium size jar. Using a sheet of paper, roll the paper into a cone shaped funnel. The top opening is wider than the bottom end like a cone. Seal the cone paper with a staple, tape, or paper clip so that it remains closed. Place the cone into the jar with apple cider vinegar. Be sure that the cone does not touch the vinegar. Allow enough room between the cone and vinegar for the flies to enter the jar. This method traps the files inside the jar where they eventually drown.   

 

These are three easy ways to eliminate fruit flies. With minimal work, you can be rid of the pesky flies. And you never have to call an exterminator to your home. The apple cider vinegar is organic and all natural. Place additional bowls of vinegar where you find fruit flies. 

 

How to Get Rid of Fruit Flies In Closing . . .  

As a money saving benefit, vinegar both distilled white and apple cider have many uses. White vinegar helps clean, soften, and eliminate bacteria in clothing as well as clean the home. And equally important, vinegar whether you are using distilled white or apple cider is cheap. It is a frugal family favorite.      

Interested in DIY cleaning? If you found this helpful . . .    

You May Also Enjoy some of our other DIY cleaning related posts.   

Vinegar Cleaning Tips for Laundry
DIY Shoe Cleaning Tips 
Home Cleaning Uses for Vinegar
42 Brilliant Cleaning Microfiber Cloth Uses   

We are sure you’ll enjoy these DIY cleaning tips for the frugal home. And if you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us. We always are ready to help you out. Thank you for dropping by.   

Mary