Homemade Remedies to Get Rid of Fruit Flies
Get Rid Of the Attractions
The first step to get rid of fruit flies is to remove the source of their attraction. In my case, it was the ripe tomatoes. They also love ripe bananas, apples, mangoes, sweet drinks such as iced tea and Kool-Aid, and many other fruits and vegetables. (They love fruit and vegetable juices as well.)
Fruit flies also are attracted to garbage. When you’re looking for the thing(s) that’s attracting these flying pests, don’t forget to look for soiled sponges and dish rags, food and drink spills, and, check your kitchen drain. They sometimes hang around drains because it provides moisture and food scraps, two things they need to survive and reproduce. Fruit flies not only eat ripe and rotting food, but they also lay their eggs in it.
Homemade Remedy #1- Apple Cider Vinegar Trap
Besides getting rid of the basket of tomatoes (I made juice out of them), I searched my kitchen for any other food items sitting out that could attract fruit flies. Then, I made an inexpensive Apple Cider Vinegar Trap to get rid of them. Simply remove the metals lids off three or four empty baby food jars. Use a very small nail or brad and a tack hammer to poke several holes through the tops of the jar lids.
Next, fill each jar about half full with Apple Cider Vinegar- not White Vinegar. They’ll only be attracted to the fruit smell of Apple Cider. Then, replace the lids and set the baby food jars around your kitchen.
What will happen is this: Since you’ve taken away their food supply and breeding grounds, the fruit flies will be searching for more. The vinegar will attract the fruit flies to the traps. They’ll climb in through the holes located on the tops of the lids. Unable to get back out, the fruit flies will drown in the vinegar.
Once you have trapped a bunch of these flying pests in the baby food jars, simply remove the lids and dump the contents outside away from your house. Refill each jar with more Apple Cider Vinegar, put the lids back on, and set them out to trap more fruit flies.
Homemade Remedy #2- Wine Bottle Trap
Since wines are made from fruit, fruit flies are also attracted to this alcoholic drink. To use this remedy, you’ll need a few tall, near-empty wine bottles. An inch of wine in the bottom of each bottle works the best. Remove the lids or corks. Then, place some small pieces of plastic wrap over the opening of each bottle. Secure the plastic in place with rubber bands. Use a wooden toothpick to poke several small holes in the top of each wine bottle. Set these bottles around your kitchen to trap pesky little fruit flies.
Homemade Remedy #3 – Eradicate Fruit Flies From Your Kitchen Sinks
Finally, if you have a problem with fruit flies in your kitchen sinks, use this homemade remedy to get rid of them: mix up an eighth of a cup of chlorine bleach OR household ammonia into a half gallon of tap water. Carefully pour this mixture into each sink drain- be careful not to splash it!- and allow it to sit undisturbed for a bit. The bleach or ammonia will help remove food particles and the smells that attract fruit flies.
