Whole fruit on a white platter. Pineapple, bananas, pomegranates, clementine

A Trap to Get Rid of Fruit Flies that Really Works

It’s that time of year when those pesky little bugs can take over your kitchen. These traps will help you get rid of them quickly.

So tiny and yet so annoying! When you get hit with a fruit fly problem, you can take care of it before it really gets out of control.

Last summer I did some research and tested a few different DIY traps. This one was the most effective and the fastest.

Chances are you already have the components in your kitchen.

Palmolive dish soap, apple cider vinegar, empty Ball jar and cover

You’ll need a container with a tight fitting lid (small Ball jars work well), something with which to poke holes in the lid, apple cider vinegar and dish soap.

apple cider vinegar in a Ball jar

Pour about an inch or two of apple cider vinegar into the container and then add a small squeeze of dish soap.

Ball jar

Seal the container and place the trap close to the source of the problem.

punching holes into the lid of a Ball jar

Simply punch a bunch of holes in the lid of your container. (I used the back of a screwdriver to bang on a nail.)

mason jar

You can sit and watch as the flies go into the jar – it’s so satisfying! Or just walk away and you’ll be so impressed to come back and see that it worked.

holes in the lid of a Ball jar

If you make two or three traps and place them in different parts of the kitchen, the problem will resolve faster.

v

Not a DIY person? Renee discovered these traps on Amazon that work exactly the same way. They’re cute, too!

Whole fruit on a white platter. Pineapple, bananas, pomegranates, clementine

Whichever route you go, say goodbye to those little critters once and for all!

Are there other bugs bugging you? Check out 6 ways to get rid of bugs this summer.

Esti Waldman

Esti’s career has brought her behind the lens of food, fashion, books, and families as a leading photographer. Her talent and technical know-how make the photography you see on the site so appealing.

11 responses to “A Trap to Get Rid of Fruit Flies that Really Works”

  1. Libby Avatar
    Libby

    This really works! You could also cover the jar with saran wrap and poke a few small holes in it.

  2. Ruthy Avatar
    Ruthy

    When you uncork wine, place them around your fruit or potatoes or onions – whatever is out on the counter … buh bye fruit flies! Easy peasy

  3. YK Avatar
    YK

    Highly recommend Dr Killigans products, non toxic and works really well. They have different traps for different bugs/flies. Amazing for moths and fruit flies!
    https://amzn.to/4c4lHYB

  4. Shoshana Gifter Avatar
    Shoshana Gifter

    I have two of those apple traps, they work pretty well. Someone told me that cinnamon repels fruit flies. I put a cinnamon stick near my bananas and there were no flies – even thought the kids pulled the bananas from the stem and there were open bananas on the counter!

  5. Sima Avatar
    Sima

    I just saw, haven’t verified it yet, that if you put cinnamon sticks together with your fruit it will stop fruit flies from coming to start with.

  6. Devorah Avatar
    Devorah

    This works perfectly fine with a regular plastic bowl open on the counter no need for a fancy jar!

  7. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    I heard pouring down apple cider vinegar in the sink drain at night helps. I did it before going to sleep and the next day I saw a huge difference.

  8. Fruit flies Avatar
    Fruit flies

    All of these tips are great, but I found that if you have an infestation that you just can’t get rid of, it means that there’s a source hiding somewhere in your house. It’s usually an old moldy fruit hiding in someone’s briefcase, or a rotten potato sitting in the back of a cabinet somewhere : ) . Using any of these hacks might help keep it somewhat under control, but you really have to get to the source. Get rid of the source, and then use these tricks to get rid of the rest of the bugs.

  9. Sara Avatar
    Sara

    I do this ACV & soap “recipe” in schnapps cups, with no cover, all around the kitchen. Works like magic 🙂
    It’s so gratifying to have found a trick that actually works!!

  10. Leora Avatar
    Leora

    If you put your produce in the refrigerator for an hour when you bring it home from the store before you put it on your counter, the cold kills any fruit flies that might be hanging out on there. (An hour in the fridge is not enough to damage your bananas, etc.)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Contact Us

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

FREE GIFT!

Close the CTA

Get our BCP Lifepages Planner by signing up to our email list!