How to Get Rid of Fruit Flies

Are you pulling your hair out wondering how to get rid of fruit flies taking over your house? You’re not alone! Check out these 10 tips to banish the little buggers for good.

Living in the South, every summer I deal with an onslaught of fruit flies. I’ve heard it’s the bananas I brought home from the grocery store, that they’ve bred on them (what a lovely thought!)  But I’ve also seen a room devoid of fruit still harbor an army of these pests, seemingly coming from potted plants or just the drain. Whatever the cause, I’ve done my homework on this area and I want to share with you alllll the ways I’ve learned to get rid of fruit flies for good!

Vinegar & Dishsoap Trap

My favorite tried and true way to catch and kill fruit flies is this trap. I’ve used it for years and every time I catch dozens by morning. Here’s how:
Pour a little bit of apple cider vinegar into a shallow bowl or jar (or coffee mug, or whatever). Put one dot of dishsoap in to break the surface tension. Set out overnight near areas you’ve seen them. They will be attracted to the fruity vinegar and then when they land on it they’ll sink.

Bleach the Drain…. Often!

Even if your entire kitchen is ocd-level clean, these guys find places to eat and breed. Namely, your drain. Keep the breeders at bay by daily pouring a little bleach down the drain. This will kill any larvae as well as adults.

 

Cover Houseplants with Sand

The moist soil of houseplants can be a perfect breeding ground for fruit flies. Keep them from laying their eggs or hatching and flying out by covering the soil in your house plants with an inch or so of sand. Another solution for houseplant gnats are these sticky stakes.

Rotten Fruit Trap

Put a piece of overripe fruit in a mason jar and cover the lid with saran wrap. Tape down the the saran wrap so that the lid is airtight, and then poke some holes in the top so that fruit flies can get in, but will have a hard time getting out. Or if you don’t want to deal with the smell of rotting fruit in your kitchen, this Fruit Fly trap gets great reviews.

Throw out Rotten Fruit

Sometimes the culprit is hiding in your kitchen without you knowing. A rotting onion that fell behind the bin, or an old apple in your fruit bowl. Getting rid of the these will help you get rid of the flies.

Vacuum and Destroy

Put some cotton balls soaked in alcohol into your vacuum canister or bag. Vacuum up the fruit flies every time you see them, and the alcohol fumes in the canister will speed their passage to the afterlife 😉

Fruit & Funnel Trap

This trap is exactly like the first one with vinegar, but just add a piece of overripe fruit to the vinegar (for extra bait) and roll a piece of paper into a funnel to act as the entrance to the jar. They can fly in and eat, but they can’t figure out how to get out of the little hole at the bottom of the funnel.

Vinegar Fly Paper Strips

If your situation is turning dire (aka – company’s coming!) hang fly strips around the area and dot apple cider vinegar, fruit juice, etc. on it to lure the flies to their sticky demise.

Hairspray the Heck out of them 🙂

If you can just see them swarming, en masse, over your kitchen sink and you can’t stand it another minute…. it’s time to grab the aquanet. Spray them directly with aerosol hair spray to bring them down and make their wings sticky.

If none of the above works for you – these fruit fly traps are the #1 best selling trap on Amazon and get tons of good reviews. It’s worth a shot of your particular flies are too smart for any of these home remedies!