Vinegar and dish soap trap If you find your fruit flies impervious to your plastic wrap or paper cone traps, try adding three drops of dish soap to a bowl of vinegar and leave it uncovered. The soap cuts the surface tension of the vinegar so the flies will sink and drown.
White vinegar can be used to catch fruit flies, but they'll be MUCH more inclined to fly into a trap if apple cider vinegar is used.
Pour apple cider vinegar (ACV) into a small bowl, then mix in a few drops of dish soap. Apple cider vinegar works better than white vinegar for fruit flies because it smells like fermenting fruit.
Actually, the vinegar is not what kills the fruit flies. Vinegars like balsamic or apple cider work as bait to attract them, but you have to add something like alcohol or soap to the bait solution in order to kill them. This homemade fruit fly trap and bait mixture is the perfect solution to a common problem.
For this DIY fruit fly trap, sweet apple cider vinegar (ACV) is more effective than white vinegar. They can't resist the scent of vinegar, and they won't be able to exit once they're inside!
Vinegar attracts, not repels flies; however, a container with vinegar and dish soap will function as an attractant trap as the vinegar lures flies to enter the trap and the dish soap will cause the flies to sink and die.
Simply pour some distilled vinegar into a bowl and add a couple drops of dish soap. You can leave the bowl uncovered on your counter or any surface near where you tend to add fruit flies. The flies will be attracted to the vinegar, and the dish soap will cause them to sink so they can't escape.
Mix a half cup of salt, half cup of baking soda, and one cup of vinegar, and pour the mixture down the drain. You can follow that with boiling water a few hours later.
Bowl and Soap Trap
Fill a microwave-safe bowl with apple cider vinegar and a few drops of dish soap. Microwave the bowl so the mixture becomes even more aromatic. Leave the bowl out uncovered as fruit fly bait. The soap will reduce the surface tension, causing any fruit fly that lands on the surface to drown.
Combine apple cider vinegar and a few drops of dish soap in a wide, shallow bowl and place it on the counter uncovered. The cider will lure the flies into the bowl and the soap will break the surface tension, causing the fruit flies to drown.
If the fruit flies (or gnats) are attracted to the trap but are not going in (walking all over the top of the plastic wrap), it means your holes aren't big enough. After a few days the vinegar loses it's drawing power, toss out, wash the bowl and start over again. You'll be surprised at how many you catch!
When it comes to bait for a science project to attract flies, you want to reach for anything sugary or sweet. Therefore, sugar, honey, syrup, and old fruit work perfectly to attract in the flies. For example, a cheap and easy fly trap bait is a bit of sugar in water.
Fruit flies can't stand the smell of basil, peppermint, eucalyptus, lemongrass, lavender and clove. If you've had a fruit fly problem in the past, try placing these fragrant herbs in muslin sacks or tea bags and hanging them around the house. You could also buy them in essential oil form and use them in a diffuser.
If your kitchen counters are spotless, your floors are promptly cleaned from any spills, your fruit bowl is filled with only the freshest fruit, your garbage disposal and sink are clean, your trash can remains free from goopy sludge, and…and…and, then, yes, fruit flies will eventually die on their own.
While a fruit fly's lifespan can vary widely based on environmental conditions, two to four weeks is a good rule of thumb, Baldwin says. However, your problem won't go away when the adult flies die away.
Choosing The Right Vinegar
The white vinegar is too pungent, and lacks sweetness, to attract fruit flies. However, apple cider vinegar brings in fruit flies by the dozens. It's crucial to have a sweet temptation to make the fly trap work. Otherwise, the flies flock to nearby fruit bowls and other kitchen treats.
Just as gnats are attracted to the smell of apple cider vinegar and rotting fruit, they love the smell of red wine. Mix half a cup of red wine with a few drops of dish soap in a cup or bowl, or leave the dregs of an old bottle of red wine, add some dish soap, and put where the gnats are a problem.
But if you put a cup of apple cider vinegar out on your counter—a common trap tactic—you won't kill the pests. You will only make the problem worse, since fruit flies can actually breed in the cup.
Methods for Getting Rid of Fruit Flies
Start by filling a small jar with cider vinegar, and cover it with a piece of plastic wrap. Poke some small holes in the plastic to let the flies and gnats get in; they will drown in the vinegar.
How do I get rid of fruit flies quickly? A fast way of getting rid of fruit flies is by pouring boiling white vinegar or boiling water down your drains. Fruit flies like to live in moist and hidden locations, such as drains and garbage disposals.