How to Kill Fruit Flies

Is there any greater threat to the peace and serenity of your household than fruit flies? When you feel you’ve got the last of them, those little devils come back in more significant numbers. Well, not anymore because we’ve got the best tips and tricks for how to kill fruit flies right here.

The common fruit fly or Drosophila melanogaster is a persistent pest found everywhere there is rotten fruit and organic matter, such as in homes, restaurants, and agricultural operations. The reproductive capabilities of the fruit fly are immense; females lay nearly 500 eggs a day and live about 14 days.

Do you remember what it’s like to enjoy a coffee at the table without a gang of fruit flies bullying you out of your own kitchen? Let us help you stop this never-ending cycle. It’s time to enlist some (or all) of these excellent home remedies for killing fruit flies. Together, we can give those awful little pests the boot for good.

Discover the Best Way to Kill Fruit Flies

It’s time to reclaim your home. Learn how to kill fruit flies, fungus gnats, and drain flies with these terrific tips and tricks. Note that a fruit fly and a gnat are not the same thing but you can use the same techniques to eliminate them both. Banish bugs from hard-to-reach places and take back your living space.

Start with a Clean Sweep

An effective fruit fly fighting strategy and the best way to treat chiggers that have gotten inside starts with a thorough house cleaning. The smell of fermenting organic matter and overripe fruit is irresistible to fruit flies, and you must eliminate its traces.

Clean all sticky surfaces, give the floors a good mopping, and rinse empty soda cans before disposal. Wash new fruits and vegetables thoroughly, and avoid leaving fruit on the counter whenever possible. It may even be time to put away the classic fruit bowl and get those fruits into the fridge.

A Dab of Dish Soap

Do you know what kills fruit flies? Follow our ways of catching fruit flies with apple cider vinegar and dish soap. These traps are effective and non-toxic, and it’s easy to whip up multiple fly traps at a time if needed. Get a tall glass, squeeze a bit of dish soap into it, and add a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar.

Liquid dish soap cuts surface tension on the apple cider vinegar, so fruit flies fall in and sink to the bottom. The aroma of apple cider vinegar is very appealing to fruit flies, and when teamed with liquid dish soap, it’s one of the easy, natural ways to kill fruit flies.

Make an Apple Cider Vinegar Trap

People say vinegar fly traps are the best way to kill fruit flies, and that’s because they do work. It’s a great way to catch gnats and fruit flies and take care of the problem without a lot of mess. Here’s the recipe for that classic apple cider vinegar trap everyone always suggests when you mention a natural hornet killer or a fruit fly infestation.

We make apple cider vinegar from crushed, fermented apples, and it ticks all the boxes for hungry fruit flies. We’re confident they’d come running for apple cider vinegar if flies could run.

Pour the apple cider vinegar into a Mason jar or any glass vessel you don’t mind filling with dead bugs. When getting rid of fruit flies inside, seal the opening with a small sheet of plastic wrap, and attach it with a rubber band.

Poke a small hole or two through the plastic wrap – it’s a one-way trip for curious fruit flies. Distilled white vinegar is unsuitable for this recipe because it’s very acidic and doesn’t smell sweet enough to lure fruit flies.

Bait Fruit Flies with Rotten Fruit

The best way to kill fruit flies is with a bit of delicious bait. Adult fruit flies can’t resist the aroma of ripened fruit that’s about to expire or is already spoiled. If your fruit is on the way out, cut a few small pieces, and put them in a cup.

Pop some plastic wrap over the opening, seal it with a rubber band, and use a toothpick to poke some small holes. An adult fruit fly enters the trap easily enough, but it can’t get out. Who knew rotten fruit, an empty cup, and some plastic wrap could be so effective against a fruit fly infestation?

A Beer Bottle

The smell of yeast in beer is utterly irresistible to adult fruit flies. All beer is made with yeast, and it’s a good dupe for rotting fruit in the eyes of fruit flies. As a small bonus, the shape of the bottle acts as a ready-made fruit fly trap.

Leave about a quarter of beer in the bottom of the bottle and set it out near the sink or trash can. Fruit flies will definitely come calling and then be unable to escape. If you prefer, non-alcoholic beer also contains the same amount of yeast and works just as well against a fruit fly infestation.

Fruit Fly Strips

Fruit fly strips are great for the pantry, kitchen, basement, or other areas with potential fruit fly infestations. These strips release an odorless treatment that works on fruit flies, fungus gnats, drain flies, and many other typical household pests.

Fruit fly strips are inexpensive and have an efficacy period of up to 120 days for extra security. They provide 24/7 protection in outside problem places, too. The bottle storage area and compost bin are prime fruit fly territory.

DIY Spray for Fruit Flies

For a kill-on-contact method that’s non-toxic and made from simple ingredients, this spray works against all kinds of pests like fruit flies, fungus gnats, and drain flies. It’s easy to make this homemade mixture to get rid of gnats and fruit flies and it lasts a while.

Pour the water, isopropyl alcohol, and dish soap into a clean spray bottle, and give it a thorough shake. Spray directly on live pests and eggs. The dish soap helps this DIY solution stick to the bugs while the alcohol gives a fatal blow. Sweep up and immediately dispose of pests.

Fly-On-In Fruit Fly Bottle Topper

This ingenious product is a one-way stopper that fits in the opening of most standard-sized bottles. Cut up some ripe fruit, pour some beer or add apple cider vinegar to any bottle, and then slip the topper on the opening. This topper turns anything around the house into a helpful fruit fly trap. It’s discreet, sustainable, and non-toxic.

Sink Drains and Garbage Disposals

Female fruit flies lay hundreds of eggs a day and choose inaccessible places like inside the sink drain or garbage disposal. Blasting boiling water down the pipes doesn’t seem to work to kill sink gnats, and it’s unhygienic to let the problem persist. A clean drain is the best way to repel fruit flies from the sink.

However, the plumbing in your home is sensitive, and we recommend using a professional product to avoid costly repair bills in the future.

Many different products are available for the DIY types who need to tackle a fruit fly problem in the garbage disposal or sink drain. Green Gobbler Fruit Fly Killer is highly recommended and has thousands of positive reviews from other people struggling with fruit fly eggs in the sink drain.

It’s nice to know you’re not alone and there is something to be done that doesn’t cost a lot or require a visit from professionals.

Fruit Fly Traps

The fruit fly’s life span is only about 14 days, but it feels like forever in human years because the eggs keep hatching. If you find yourself outnumbered and overwhelmed, why not consider some specialized fruit fly traps?

There are many super-effective fruit fly traps on the market; they’re reasonably cheap, and it’s easy to leave them around the house. Sometimes the best way to kill fruit flies lies in expertly designed solutions by pest control professionals.

Natural Ways to Kill Fruit Flies

People are more conscientious than ever; we all want natural ways to kill fruit flies over harsh, lingering chemicals. It doesn’t get more natural than a DIY fruit fly trap. All you need are a few simple things from around the house, and you’re ready to get started.

Cut the ripe fruit into tiny pieces and pop it in the jar. Add extra allure for the fruit flies and pour in a bit of left-over beer or apple cider vinegar; the jar must smell tempting to fruit fly receptors. Fit the funnel into the jar’s opening and seal the edges with tape so the flies can’t escape.

If you don’t have a funnel to spare, use a paper coffee filter with the bottom cut out or a paper oil funnel from the gas station. Place the trap anywhere for effective fruit fly control all day and night.

How to Kill Fruit Flies with Red Wine

Did you know that the last little bit of red wine in the bottle makes a very capable fruit fly trap? Wine is made from fermented fruit; the very thing fruit flies spend their entire lives looking for.

The sensitive receptors on fruit fly antennae pick up on red wine immediately, and they can’t help themselves. Uncork the bottle and leave it near your trash bin or the kitchen sink overnight. In the morning, the bottle should be full of adult fruit flies that are easily disposed of.

Molasses for Fruit Flies

It’s certainly true that we catch more flies with honey, or in this case, molasses. Blackstrap molasses comes from refined sugar beets or sugarcane and is most commonly used for baking; you might already have some in the kitchen.

The smell of blackstrap molasses is tempting to adult fruit flies, but it is also incredibly sticky and impossible to escape. Leave one cup of molasses on the counter or wherever you notice fruit fly activity.

Ultraviolet Bug Trap

You might have heard the term “bug zapper” used for pest control. Ultraviolet or UV insect traps have been around for about 75 years, and we still use them today. Modern UV fruit fly traps are created with aesthetics in mind and are more pleasant to look at than the version at your grandparent’s cabin.

A top-tier UV fruit fly trap costs about 50 dollars, and plenty of less expensive options are just as effective. UV bug traps are a long-term, more sustainable option, as nothing needs to be refilled or replaced, and it’s available for use as required.

Professional Pest Control

There’s no shame in asking for help from professionals. Fruit flies are tenacious invaders, and we must eradicate every last one to solve the problem and end the infestation. The best way to kill fruit flies is with the best tools and expert advice.

Many pest control companies offer a free assessment and provide valuable information for prevention. There’s probably a great local company in your community willing to help get rid of those fruit flies forever.

We hope you’re ready to put your foot down regarding fruit flies. Remember that fruit flies rely on receptors in their antennae to smell the chemical signatures of rotting organic matter, which draws them in from outside. All it takes to reclaim your life and take back your home from these awful critters are a few simple tips and some persistence.

Prevention is an essential part of a larger strategy for how to kill fruit flies, and a bit of due diligence goes far. Prevent future infestations by immediately storing your produce in the fridge and mopping up spilled substances before they set.

Sweet, sticky liquids from overripe fruit and organic matter attract fruit flies by the hundreds. Don’t give fruit flies a reason; clean surfaces mean a bug-free house.

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