You never see fruit flies in grocery stores. You don’t see them in the grocery bags on the way home. But as soon as your room temperature fruit connects with the fruit basket, it seems like they all called Kid n’ Play over for another House Party movie. You may have already tried high-priced commercial fruit fly traps that are still not stopping them from partying away on your oranges and bananas. While it might be easier to refrigerate all fruit or chop it up to put in the freezer, a homemade fruit fly trap is another option. It costs less and may be just as effective. Here’s how to make one and other tips on keeping fruit flies away.

How to Make a Homemade Fruit Fly Trap

Most of the supplies to create a homemade fruit fly trap may already be available in your home. You’ll need the following:

Supplies

• Small mason jar, glass or cup
• Apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
• (optional) Dish soap
• Plastic wrap
• Rubber band
• Toothpick or fork

Instructions

1. Add about 1/2 inch of apple cider vinegar to the bottom of the container.
2. Add a few drops of dish soap to the vinegar.
3. Cover the top of the container with plastic wrap.
4. Use a rubber band to secure the plastic wrap around the rim of the container.
5. Use a toothpick or fork to poke a few small holes in the plastic wrap.

Place this homemade fruit fly trap near counter areas or tables where fruit flies regularly congregate. Fruit flies are attracted to the smell of vinegar already. They will make their way into one of the poked holes of the container. Although a homemade fruit fly trap can be effective with and without dishwashing liquid, the soap will create an elastic sheet in the vinegar. (Insects can walk on water without sinking down.) The dish liquid will break the surface tension so that the fruit flies sink down and drown.

You don’t have to change the vinegar every time one fruit fly drowns. Give it a few days, which should result in a collection of dead fruit flies and fly-free fruit, before changing the vinegar or discarding it.

How to Make a Cruelty-Free Homemade Fruit Fly Trap

The first homemade fruit fly trap may be a tough sell for vegans, who are in favor of cruelty-free options. Even if fruit flies are a major pest, vegan won’t want to drown them and see all those black spots all over the place in the vinegar cup as a reminder. But there is a cruelty-free homemade fruit fly trap option. The creation of the trap is similar, minus one ingredient: dish liquid. Skip the soap in place of a small piece of ripe fruit or fruit juice to lure fruit flies into the cup. Then, once they’re trapped, take the cup outside to release them. Make sure to check the cup twice to avoid bringing trapped fruit flies back to the same counter. Wash the cup out and repeat as needed.

Which Substitute Liquids Also Work for Homemade Fruit Fly Traps

If you don’t have apple cider vinegar or white vinegar handy, fruit juice (i.e., pineapple juice, orange juice), beer and red wine are also fair substitutes. For vinegar, sugar also enhances the scent of vinegar, making it two times as appealing for fruit flies. (This is also a reason to make sure your sugar jar is secure.) High-sugar content and fruity aromas are always a win, which explains why red wine works.

Then, there’s beer, which may not immediately remind people of fruit. However, the yeast fermentation, esthers, hops and malts do have a fruity smell that fruit flies recognize. Some malts even smell like caramel or toffee to fruit flies’ antennae and sensory organs. Like the other liquid options, beer (1/2-inch at the bottom of a cup) can work in a homemade fruit fly trap for a few days. You don’t have to worry about flat beer either. The carbonation of the beer doesn’t make any difference to fruit flies; they’re more intrigued by the fermented aroma.

Why Do Fruit Flies Appear on Fruit

It’s not your imagination. Fruit flies really do sneak in. Because of their size, it’s easy for them to get into open doors and open windows. While window screens have tiny holes, they’re designed to block fruit flies, mosquitoes and other insects from entering. However, if a homeowner has a torn screen, that window is fair game. Small gaps in doorways are also an easy entrance for curious fruit flies.

While they may be too small (or being still) in a grocery bag, sometimes there are fruit flies in the grocery store produce section. When you bag them up, you are bringing them home. Refrigerating or freezing fruits and vegetables, and disposing overripe or decaying produce, could decrease the odds of fruit flies hanging out in your kitchen. As fruit matures, it emits certain chemicals (i.e., ethanol and acetic acid), which fruit flies pick up on before you do. And overripe or decaying fruit is like a bird’s nest for fruit flies to lay their eggs. The larvae then feed on the fruit as they develop, making it a two-for-one reproduction deal.

For homeowners with a green thumb, the soil from indoor plants is also a magnet for fruit flies. It’s especially attractive when the plants have been watered, the soil is moist and it contains any amount of decaying organic matter inside (ex. sour or musty smell, white or green surface on soil, brown or mushy roots, soggy wet soil). The simplest way to keep fruit flies away from plants is to stop overwatering them. You’re not doing your plants any favors with this one either. Make sure the plant holder has drainage holes. Also, check lower stems and roots for decay if you’re starting to see fruit flies flying around, and remove visibly decaying plant matter. If necessary, repot the plant altogether with new soil.

Which Liquids Never Work for Homemade Fruit Fly Traps

Any liquid that doesn’t have a fruity smell probably won’t work in a homemade fruit fly trap. Although dish liquid traps the fruit flies, it’s the fruity smell on top that lured them in. Plain water, oils (ex. olive oil, vegetable oil, canola oil), and non-fermented juices will not work. Detergents and soaps alone will be ignored, even the ones that have fruity label marketing. And although there are highly processed drinks with artificial sweeteners, fruit flies are not fooled. They want natural sugars and nature-made fermenting aromas, not copycats.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you use white vinegar instead of apple cider vinegar for fruit flies?

Yes, both work.

What liquid attracts fruit flies the most?

Apple cider vinegar is inviting because it has a similar smell to fermenting fruit. Red wine and beer also mimic this scent.

What is the best homemade fruit fly trap? 

Like the trap described above, a cup with a liquid that smells like fermented fruit and a plastic covering works well to get rid of fruit flies.