A Homemade Fruit Fly Trap That Works

Finding a homemade fruit fly trap that works wasn’t easy, but this one works.

This fruit fly trap isn’t particularly attractive, but it’s a lot more attractive than those twirly sticky papers. And if you put it somewhere discreet, you may not even notice it at all. Plus, it’s all natural, and you probably already have everything you need to make it.

This is the only thing I use to control fruit flies, and it works like a charm. I hope this post allows you to drink a glass of wine in peace!

DIY Fruit Fly Trap Materials:

• Jar
• Funnel 
• Ripe banana
• Apple cider vinegar
• Dish soap

Why it Works:

• A ripe banana is very fragrant and appealing to fruit flies. They’ll be able to pick up on the smell fairly quickly.
  Apple cider vinegar mimics the scent of rotting fruit, which is also appealing to fruit flies.
• The narrow neck of the funnel will ensure the flies won’t be able to find their way back out of the jar, and the dish soap will kill them.

How to make your homemade fruit fly trap:

• Put some banana in the jar.
  • Break the banana in half and put one or both halves into the jar (one half for a small jar, both for a bigger jar.)
    You may have to smoosh the banana down a little bit to make room for the funnel.
• Add dish soap.
  • Add 3 pumps (or about 1 Tablespoon) of dish soap on top.
    (Don’t worry about covering the banana, just put it in there wherever.)
• Add apple cider vinegar.
  • Add enough apple cider vinegar to cover most of the banana (but if some sticks out that’s fine.)
• Put the funnel on top of the jar.
  • Position the funnel so that the flies can enter the jar. So, don’t stick the funnel right into the banana. (That’s why my funnel is tilted.)
• Watch the flies pile up inside.
  • This may take a day or two, but I usually see at least one in there by the end of the first day.
    For extra efficacy, place the trap somewhere near where the flies are being naturally drawn to.

Final Thoughts:

• I usually let the trap ride until it stops being effective, which is after about a month. Change it whenever you want and make a new one! 
  
• If you’re having an issue with flies going for your fruit instead of the trap, place the trap near the fruit and cover the fruit with a breathable dish towel for a day or two.
  
• Another fruit fly tip for good measure:
  if you have a garbage disposal, make sure to run it everyday. If you don’t have a disposal, pour boiling water down the sink to kill any flies that might be hanging out in there.
  

I hope this post was useful! Go forth, and be fly-free.