25 Aug 2008

How to get rid of fruit flies naturally

Posted by UrbanGreenGirl

Eliminate fruit flies naturally

Ugh! Those pesky fruit flies that won’t leave your kitchen alone. They congregate around your fruit basket, your garbage and God only knows what they do on the fruit!! Well, never fear as I have a wonderful trick that will get rid of your fruit flies almost instantly!

 To eliminate fruit flies, you will need the following:

1. A little bowl (A ramekin used for crème brûlée works perfectly)
2. Apple cider vinegar (any sweet juice will do if you don’t have this)
3. Saran Wrap

Instructions:

1. Fill the little bowl with apple cider vinegar so that the depth is approximately 1in/2.5cm.
2. Cover with Saran Wrap (yeah, yeah, I know Saran Wrap’s not very eco but considering the alternative of using chemicals, this isn’t so bad).
3. Take a tooth pick and punch a bunch of holes in the plastic wrap.  Make sure that the opening is big enough for them to get in, but small enough that they cannot get out. Do not put them around the edge.
4. Place the bowl(s) on your kitchen countertop or under the sink; where ever they accumulate. 

This trap will start working instantly.  The flies will be attracted to the scent of the apple cider vinegar and enter though the little holes. Once inside, they will be trapped and not able to escape thus they die. They will fly around the perimeter of the bowl so make sure not to put holes here or they will get out. Within 1 hour of doing this, I had trapped 8 fruit flies and so far my fruit fly problem is gone! Anybody else had success in doing this?

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Tags: apple cider vinegar , bug problems , flies , fly problems , fly trap , fruit bowl , fruit flies , fruit fly trap , fruit juice , insect trap , kitchen , ramekin , saran wrap

13 Responses to “How to get rid of fruit flies naturally”

1. Easiest way to get rid of fruit flies is to avoid getting them in the first place. Don’t leave food in the drain, cover your trash, and don’t leave bowls of fruit out on the counter. Keep food in sealed containers, and if you compost, take it outside. I’ve never had any issues with fruit flies at home, simply using avoidance tactics.

    
   

   segacs

   August 26th, 2008 at 10:34 ampermalink

2. Fruit out out on the counter is the best way to ripen them (unless you use the brown bag method). I have very few fruit flies, maybe 2 at most at a time, since I only have fruit on the counter. Compost and trash is always covered and the sinks are always clean.

   I would feel bad killing the little guys with vinegar, even if I don’t particularly like them. Luckily I haven’t had a real problem! But I agree, this is MUCH better than chemical alternatives…it is crazy how many people just spray all sorts of insect killers around and in their house! Freaks me out!

    
   

   veganverve

   August 26th, 2008 at 5:54 pmpermalink

3. Where were you when I needed this technique, I had a bunch of fruit flies in the backyard not inside the house. Summer is over, but I will definitely keep this mind for next summer.

   Thanks

    
   

   nancysoffice

   August 29th, 2008 at 9:45 ampermalink

4. Also, I use apple cider vinegar for my hardwood floors.

    
   

   nancysoffice

   August 29th, 2008 at 9:46 ampermalink

5. You should add a feed so your viewers can keep up-to-date with your blog and/or posts.

    
   

   nancysoffice

   August 29th, 2008 at 9:48 ampermalink

6. Thank you Nancy…I’m was actually trying to add my feed yesterday but it would only let me add other feeds….for now add it into whatever reader you use…I used netvibes
   http://www.urbangreengirl.com/rss

    
   

   charmycarmy

   August 29th, 2008 at 10:04 ampermalink

7. What I do is take a 2l soda bottle, cut the top off about 34 inches down.

   Invert the top and put it in the open part then tape the edges.

   Pour a little cider vinegar in there and it will trap fruit flies like a charm

    
   

   Jason

   September 17th, 2008 at 11:03 pmpermalink

8. I tried and it works like a charm! It’s a great tip for people who are composting, I do not always feel like taking a trip in the backyard at 10pm just to throw some fruit peels in the compost!

   Apple cider vinegar will also make your hair shiny.

    
   

   Melanie

   October 6th, 2008 at 8:05 pmpermalink

9. [...] is a wonderful trick that will get rid of your fruit flies almost [...]

    

   Tip #74 - How to eliminate fruit flies naturally! » Daily Eco Tips

   November 20th, 2008 at 5:04 ampermalink

10. [...] please feel free to look around and enjoy what already exists from getting rid of fruit flies, to how to choose a healthy pet food, and how to avoid the top contaminated fruits and vegetables [...]

     

    Welcome CBC viewers « Urban Green Girl

    November 28th, 2008 at 1:49 pmpermalink

11. I love this rememidy, I just set up my trap and I’m waiting, they are deffinately interested, hopefully they will be goner’s soon. Thanks for the tip.

     
    

    Dr. Heather Prenger

    June 25th, 2009 at 7:49 pmpermalink

12. I just had to say that I tried this technique last night, and 24 hours later I had trapped 13 fruit flies (though one escaped when I picked up the jar to investigate).

    Thank you so much for this idea! Those fruit flies were driving me crazy.

     
    

    Adrianne

    July 30th, 2009 at 11:12 pmpermalink

13. Believe me when I say, sometimes keeping everything clean is just not enough. We had a record hot spell last week and some snuck in from outside and are out of control when one of my screens was compromised by the effect of the heat on the building. I have used apple cider vinegar w/o the saran wrap but the little suckers are too smart this time. Thanks for the saran wrap tip. It should get rid of the flies that the Darwin effect did not.

     
    

    melissa

    August 13th, 2009 at 11:36 ampermalink