A sign that it is time to throw out some of your Fruit in your kitchen is when you begin to see fruit flies flying around. They are quite tiny and they tend to be very annoying. If you have guests in your home, it can also be embarrassing. They may be wondering why there are fruit flies and whether the food you are serving them is ok. You need to know how to make a Fruit Fly Trap.
What Causes a Fruit Fly Infestation?
Fruit flies can come home with the groceries or they may enter your home from outside. They are attracted by fermenting fruit and lay their eggs on the surface or skins of many different kinds of fruit. You probably have seen fruit flies on fruit outside that have fallen from a tree. You may have even seen fruit flies at the grocery store, especially if some of it is beginning to go bad. Just don’t buy it if you see any fruit that looks over ripe, even if it is discounted if you want to avoid fruit flies.
How to Make a Fruit Fly Trap
The good news is that it is relatively easy to get rid of fruit flies. There are a couple of different types of Fruit Fly traps. All of them are easy to make from materials and chemicals that you have around the house. There really is no need to spend money on this problem.
Apple Cider Vinegar and Soap as fruit fly trap
One trap that is our personal favorite is to use vinegar and soap. Take a small bowl and pour half an inch of apple cider vinegar into it. Next add two or three drops of dish soap. Fruit flies are attracted to fermenting fruit, to wine and also to vinegar. Normally fruit flies can stand on the surface of many liquids since the surface tension will support their miniscule weight. The soap decreases the surface tension of the vinegar. The fruit flies will sink to the bottom of the dish and drown. You probably want to change the vinegar once a day depending on how many fruit flies you catch using this method.
Empty Red Wine Bottle as fruit fly trap
Leave a small amount of red wine in an otherwise empty wine bottle. The fruit flies will be attracted by the smell of the red wine and will enter the bottle. Once they are inside, they seem to have a difficult time getting out due to the narrow end of the bottle. Use a clear glass wine bottle if you want to be able to see if your fruit fly trap is having any success or not. This is actually a great solution for your garage if you have a fruit fly problem from decaying fruit while waiting for garbage day.
Narrow Tall Glass as fruit fly trap
Place some fruit that is beginning to ferment in the bottom of a tall narrow drinking glass. Next, roll a sheet of paper into a cone shape and place the cone into the glass with the narrow end inside the glass. You will want to make sure that the opening is wide enough for the fruit flies to get inside. After a day or two, you probably will want to clean the trap and create a new fruit fly trap.
With all of these fruit fly traps, take care to properly dispose of the contents. You do not want to create another fruit fly problem by placing the contents of your traps into an unsealed garbage bag or container. There are also commercial products available at local stores, however why spend the money when you can build your own fruit fly trap for next to nothing?
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