Fruit flies are the plague of the existence of many owners. They have a short crazy life span, ranging from egg to adult in 8-10 days, which means they breed at a ridiculously fast rate. Read more about 5 Natural ways to Get Rid of Fruit Flies
They grow in humid and humid places such as waste sinks/drains and are attracted to fruits and other foods, especially those that ferment or rot (they obviously do not taste). To get rid of the nasty little buggers, try These 5 natural ways to get rid of fruit flies and methods to clean your home.
Table of Contents
1. Apple Cider Vinegar
Before you panic about your invasion of the fruit fly, start with a simple trap and a little apple cider vinegar.
Fruit flies can not resist the smell of fermentation, and since apple cider vinegar is fermented apples, it’s a dream drink for them. Heat the vinegar in advance to release more of its irresistible fragrance.
Ingredients:
-A jar of masonry or something similar
-A funnel (you can make one)
– Cider vinegar, about ½ cup
-A drop of dish soap
-A piece of ripe or over-ripe fruit (optional)
How To Use?
- Heat a half cup or more of apple cider vinegar and pour it into your pot, just be deep enough for the flies to drown and add a drop or two of dish soap.
- The dish soap breaks the surface tension of the liquid so that the flies can not just sit on top and fly away when they are made.
- Roll a piece of paper and insert it into the mouth of the jar to form an improvised funnel and ribbon in place.
- The flies go into the pot to get to vinegar, but will not be able to figure out how to get out and drown.
- If you find that you need a little extra temptation, drop into a mature piece of fruit and let it decay.
- If they do not drown, place them in the freezer for 20 minutes.
- It is not necessary to delete the old contents if you want to reuse this trap, although I do it because I find the view terribly unattractive.
2. Jar-Type Trap with Fruit
Fruit flies like fruit, so what better to lure them into a trap than…fruit?
Ingredients
A glass jar
-Plastic wrap
-A toothpick
– Very ripe or over-ripe products
-Saping water
How To Use?
- Place several pieces of very ripe or almost rotten fruit in the bottom of a glass jar, and cover with plastic wrap (using a rubber band to secure it).
- Drill holes in the envelope with a toothpick, and put these pots strategically through your home where you notice that the fruit flies seem to come or gather.
- Also put one outside the door on a sunny warm say. The flies will be drawn into the trap but will not know how to get out.
- At least they can enjoy a nice little party until you decide that the pot is full enough.
- At this point, dip the pot into a bucket of hot soapy water and leave it for about 10 minutes to ensure that the flies will not come back.
- Rinse, recharge and repeat! This is a great way to get rid of products that accidentally leave you too long.
3. Happy fly trap
A drunken fly is a strange thought, but they can get drunk as we can. They are very attracted to red wine and gather at it if none remains. They would either drown, or one can utilize the freezer or soapy water method to finish the work.
Ingredients:
Just a little red wine left in the bottle (you can use red wine vinegar or balsamic in a pinch)
How To Use?
- Leave some red wine at the bottom of the bottle and let it rest. The flies will flow, and die a joyous death.
- You can also put it in a separate container with plastic wrap and holes pressed into the top if you wish.
4. Trap tried and true
This recipe comes from the Almanac of the former farmer and has been transmitted and used since 1850 in New England to get rid of fruit flies. I do not know how anyone thought, but that’s a good thing they did!
Ingredients
1 pint of milk
-1/4 pound of raw sugar
-2 ounces of freshly ground pepper
How To Use?
- Mix all the ingredients in a saucepan and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Pour mixture into shallow dishes and place these dishes around the house.
- For a particular reason, the fruit flies are attracted to the mixture and suffocate quickly / drown in it.
- You can try adding a drop or 2 dish soap if they seem to be landing and flying away.
- Lemongrass Spray
- Lemongrass essential oil does not kill fruit flies, but surely keep them away (along with a number of other pests.)
Ingredients
Lemongrass essential oil: 10 drops
A clean spray bottle
Hot water: 2 ounces
How To Use?
- In a spray bottle add 10 drops of lemongrass essential oil to 2 ounces of hot water and shake well.
- Spray along the edges of windows and doors, directly on the flies when you see them, or anywhere else.
- It leaves a pleasant refreshing scent as well.
- Getting rid of these small pests should not be such a discouraging task.
- It is simple to make your own fruit fly traps at home, and although some of them may be fat to clean, they beat with horrible chemical sprays to kill the flies.
Fruit Fly Tips
- Fruit flies breed in drains.
- Pour a mixture of half white vinegar half boiling water into the daily drain to stop them at the source. Keep the area around the drain dry.
- Of course, keep all the fruits stored and do not let any food of any kind sit outside.
- Keep garbage covered.