Sick of Fruit Flies in Your Kitchen? Here's How to Get Rid of Them ・ Everyday Cheapskate

Fruit flies are amazing and by that, I mean amazingly annoying! These tiny creatures can detect the smell of ripe fruits and vegetables from miles away.

If there’s a bowl of fruit on your kitchen counter, there’s probably a fruit fly or two looking for a way into your home to get to it. They’re so small that they can get in through window screens or crevices around windows or doors. Unlike houseflies, which may spread disease, fruit flies are harmless.

Crazy multipliers

Once inside, fruit flies reproduce like crazy. They lay their eggs near the surface of your ripe fruit and can lay up to 500 eggs at a time! About 30 hours later, tiny larvae emerge and feed on the fruit, eventually turning into pupae. A week later, they are ready to take to the air.

All it takes is one pregnant fruit fly to get in and before you know it, you’re dealing with a full-fledged fruit fly infestation. I know. I’ve been battling this problem, too!

Use it or toss it

If you’re tired of fruit flies taking over, start by tossing out anything fresh that is overripe. Next, clean the muck from your sink drains and eliminate wet sponges, mops, and the like. Then try one of these effective remedies to banish fruit flies from your home.

Those disgusting little flies are no match for these super easy traps and potent potions!

Make a Fruit Fly Trap

You can make an effective homemade fruit fly trap in several ways.

ACV and soap

The photo above is one of my fruit fly traps, so I know this works. To make this simple trap, assemble these supplies:

You’ll need:

✅ a small glass bowl

✅ unfiltered ACV (apple cider vinegar, no substitute, please)

✅ dishwashing liquid soap

✅ plastic wrap

Pour some unfiltered apple cider vinegar into the bowl. Add one drop of liquid dishwashing detergent. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap, pulling the wrap back just a tiny bit at one edge to allow for entry. (By the way, I removed the plastic wrap before I took the photo to provide for visual clarity.)

Don’t skip any of these steps. The ACV by itself has significant “surface tension.” That means the fly can actually walk on the surface, take a sip, and then use it for a runway to take off. The soap breaks that tension and the plastic wrap helps make sure that sucker gets hopelessly trapped.

That’s it. Just set the bowl out on the counter and go about your business.

Red wine

Fruit flies love the sweetness of red wine. Try leaving out an uncorked bottle with a small amount of wine left. Add a drop of liquid dishwashing soap to break the surface tension, then set it on the counter. The skinny neck will trap the flies.

Paper cone

Place a small amount of unfiltered apple cider vinegar, a chunk of very ripe fruit, or fruit juice in a jar. Roll a piece of paper into a cone and stick it in the jar with the narrow opening downward. Fruit flies will be drawn in but they can’t get out.

FlyPunch!

I’ve had reports from multiple readers who say that Aunt Fannie’s FlyPunch! works better for them to attract and eliminate fruit flies than any other remedy they’ve tried. This non-toxic formula that contains sodium lauryl sulfate and malic acid is fast, powerful, and easy to use. And it is reported to last up to 30 days.

How to Prevent Future Infestations

Eliminate breeding grounds

The way to prevent fruit flies is to not attract them in the first place. Keeping your kitchen and dining area clean and free of potential fruit fly breeding grounds will go a long way in stopping an infestation before it begins.

Instead of leaving ripe or damaged fruit out on the counter where fruit flies have easy access, refrigerate or throw it away.
Make sure you regularly remove garbage from the house and make sure you have a tightly fitting lid on your trash can.
Clean up any spilled fruit juice, beer, and wine quickly before fruit flies catch a whiff of their favorite food, and don’t leave half-empty drinks out.
If you have any slow-moving drains in your house, there may be enough organic matter hanging out inside your pipes to support a breeding population of fruit flies. You can tape some plastic wrap over suspect drains for a few days to check for fruit flies. If you see adults on the underside of the plastic, you’ve got some breeding in your drain.
To fix any drainage issues, pour boiling hot water directly into the drain (boiling water could crack porcelain, so be very careful when using on that type of sink to pour the boiling water straight into the drain) to help loosen accumulated deposits. If accessible, you can also use a firm brush to scrub the inside of the pipe and free debris.

First published: 11-11-13; Updated 4-12-23

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