My article Getting Rid of Fruit Flies the Frugal Way (1) explains in detail how the fruit flies get into your home and how their life cycle works. Now I’m going to share with you, the best ways to get rid of them and keep them out.
What you are going to do is create a fruit fly trap.
You will need:
Glass Jar
A jar that held jelly or pickles, mayonnaise, etc. is perfect. You are looking for taller jars, rather than wide jars, but any jar will work well.
Piece of Paper
Any paper will do, but a thicker paper will hold up a little better.
Masking Tape
The tape is only important to secure everything together, so if you don’t have masking tape, other tapes will work such as Scotch, Duct, etc.
Tablespoon of Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar works best, but I’ve also heard that it works just as well with other types of vinegar.
Piece of Decaying Fruit
Doesn’t matter which kind but bananas work especially well, since they are often what the fruit flies come in on.
What you need to do is to put the vinegar into the jar. Next, add some water so that the liquid is about an inch deep. Then add your decaying fruit.
Take the piece of paper and twist it into a cone shape, leaving about a 1/2 inch opening in the bottom of the cone. Set the cone into the jar so that the opening is at least one inch, but not more than two inches. Using your tape, secure the cone to the jar rim so that the only opening is the one at the base of the cone.
Typically placing it near where you see the most fruit flies is best, however placing it where there is some air flow will work as well, even when you haven’t spotted any in that area. The Fruit flies are attracted to the scent and the air will help them find it. When the liquid starts to fill with dead flies, pour it out and make a new batch.
Another clever trick we came up with was to cover the jar in a fancy decorative paper, first. The flies surely won’t notice, but neither will human house guests and it won’t look so disgusting sitting on the counter.
The reason that this works is because during their life cycle they spend the most time looking for the food right after they are hatched from the eggs, but before they are looking to lay more. So you can catch them and kill them before they continue to reproduce. Keeping one on a counter during the late summer and fall months is a good idea. Just keep reusing and you’ll never see a problem again.
Good luck and let us know if you have any other tips.