Fruit flies were taking over our kitchen, so I started thinking about how to get rid of them. Here are all the fruit fly traps I made myself, plus some items I bought to keep them out of my home.
Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Lowe’s Home Improvement.
Last month, I noticed a lot of fruit flies in our kitchen, especially around the fruit bowl and kitchen sink. These little bugs were so annoying that I had to keep them away from our food all the time. At first, I figured we were leaving the door open a lot, with the kids coming in and out of the backyard during these warm summer days. But no matter what I did, the swarm of fruit flies just wouldn’t go away!
Asking for advice from my community
At that moment, I turned to my amazing Instagram community for help on how to get rid of these pesky bugs in our home. I received hundreds of messages advising me on how to get rid of these tiny little bugs specifically. Some encouraged me to leave whiskey on the kitchen counter, others described how to make the perfect apple cider vinegar trap, and many included links to products that promised to completely eliminate these bugs.
I’ve written down all the most common recommendations and have started trying them all in my home. But before we get to those solutions, let’s back up a bit.
What are fruit flies?
Fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) look like little specks with red eyes flying through the air. They don’t bite (thankfully), but they do carry bacteria and reproduce quickly. A female fruit fly can lay up to 50 eggs a day! That’s why getting rid of them once they’ve made their way into your home can be a real pain.
I assumed that fruit flies were entering our home through an open back door, but after doing my research, I learned that they typically enter your home through fruit you bring in from the grocery store. Since we often go to the grocery store three times a week to buy more produce (those kids eat a lot of bananas!), this was a more likely scenario for a fruit fly infestation in our home. Additionally, they are typically most active during the late summer and early fall.
Side note: The gnats flying around your home may not be fruit flies. Fungus gnats are often confused with drain flies and fruit flies. Fungus gnats are typically found around the soil of houseplants where they lay their eggs. Drain flies are found around sink drains and garbage disposals. They have larger wings and can look like tiny moths. Fortunately, the same types of traps we’ll discuss below will work on these insects as well!
First, get rid of the affected products.
We often keep all the fruit we have on the counter in a wooden tray or marble fruit stand. As soon as the pesky little flies started buzzing around, I immediately got rid of anything that was on the counter, especially any rotten fruit.
I put any new produce brought into our home in the fridge instead. I also wiped down countertops and trash cans because any spills or leftovers could feed fruit flies.
Don’t forget your sanitation.
If the pesky little bugs are congregating near your kitchen sink, as mine did, they may have laid their eggs in the drain. It’s a moist environment filled with rotting food waste, so it’s the perfect breeding ground for them. In this case, you’ll need to give your garbage disposal a good cleaning. I’ll walk you through all the steps needed to remove dirt from your garbage disposal in this blog post.
If you’re concerned about fruit flies laying eggs in your kitchen sink, several readers have recommended this product from Lowe’s. You pour it down the sink and it will coat the inside of the pipes, cleaning everything down there. It definitely sounds like a product worth keeping under your kitchen sink.
Handmade Fruit Fly Traps
Now that we’ve gotten the infestation under control and removed the breeding site, let’s talk about how to catch the fruit flies that are still lurking around. Here are some home remedies for fruit flies that have been flooding my inbox.
Try apple cider vinegar
Apple cider vinegar (or ACV as many people call it) has the perfect amount of sweetness to attract the little pests. But you need to mix it with a few drops of dish soap to change the surface tension of the liquid. This causes the pests to come in close and drown. I’ve received a lot of conflicting advice on how to set up these DIY traps, so I ended up trying all three combinations to see what works for me.
Place apple cider vinegar and dish soap in a small bowl filled to the brim. Keep it near fruit or the sink. Place the apple cider vinegar and dish soap in a small bowl and cover it with plastic wrap and a rubber band. Poke a few small holes in the plastic wrap. This way the flies can get in, but they can’t get out. Place the apple cider vinegar and dish soap in a glass jar with a funnel or paper cone. The flies will fly into the mixture, but they won’t be able to get out through the narrow opening.
To be honest, none of these homemade traps have been very successful for me. I managed to catch a handful of fruit flies, but I would wake up every morning expecting to see a whole lot of them floating around, but that didn’t happen. I’ve heard good things about the apple cider vinegar method, so it’s worth a try!
Another tip: A common recommendation was to leave a little white wine or whiskey in a glass overnight to attract fruit flies. One person even mentioned beer cans with a small amount of beer in them to catch fruit flies. It seems like I need to throw a big party and postpone cleaning until the next morning and suddenly I can catch them all!
Try insect traps.
After my home remedies failed, I ended up driving to my local Lowe’s to buy more supplies to get rid of these bugs. I searched the aisles and came out with a bunch of items. I was determined to get rid of the pests and find the best way to keep them away!
I have a few of these Terro fly traps around my kitchen. They are super easy to use. Just lay them out and the scent attracts and traps the insects. This has worked for me. I have been able to catch a lot of those pesky flies with this handy gadget. They also last for 45 days, so I think I may have one of these in my kitchen at all times.
UV traps
I also purchased the Zevo Insect Trap. You plug it into an electrical outlet, and the blue and UV light will attract all the flying insects, including flies, midges, and fruit flies. Since we also have a fly problem during the summer (again, the back door is always open with these kids!), I figured it would kill two birds with one stone. The light attracts the insects, while the sticky surface traps them.
No kidding, my daughter found this new household gadget the most interesting. Every morning, she would happily run into our kitchen to see how many bugs we had caught overnight. Can you tell she loves science? Even if she didn’t catch a single bug, it was worth it just to see the joy this gadget brought her! But luckily, she did catch a lot of mosquitoes, house flies, and fruit flies! Yup!
Since it worked so well, I ordered the larger Zevo product. It is twice the size of the other one and comes with a cord. I plan to place it in the center of our home to catch any critters that fly by!
What should you buy to keep your home pest-free?
Here is a summary of all the items I found at Lowe’s for this project.
Labor Day Deals at Lowe’s
While shopping at Lowe’s, I also noticed some amazing deals for the upcoming Labor Day weekend. This matte black ceiling fan is on sale for $119. If you’re looking to organize your garage before you head into the fall, these heavy-duty bags will work well with this metal shelving unit. Plus, this black faucet is only $69 if you have any bathroom renovation plans on your agenda.
Here are some other summer sales that caught my eye…
Prevention tips
I am happy to announce that after all the traps and methods I used, there are no more fruit flies flying everywhere! To prevent future infestations, I will now follow these preventative tips.
Wash all produce that comes into our home. I love this wash for fruits and vegetables. Keep fruits and vegetables in the refrigerator when possible (fruit flies cannot survive cold temperatures). Throw out overripe fruit promptly. Clean the garbage disposal regularly. Keep trash cans clean. Place wine corks near the fruit bowl (fruit flies do not like the smell of corks). Place cinnamon sticks near the fruit bowl (they do not like the smell of cinnamon).
Fruit fly problem, go away!
I hope you learned a thing or two about how to get rid of fruit flies in your home. I’d love to know what method worked for you. Let me know in the comments below.
Need more help maintaining your home? Check out my digital guide, Your Home Playbook.
