Need to get rid of those pesky little fruit flies? These tiny bugs can be an annoyance, especially when you’re stocking up on fresh fruit and vegetables for the season. It seems like no matter how much you wash your produce and try to keep it away from bugs, those fruit flies inevitably find a way to them. Lucky for you, getting rid of these bugs is much easier than you may think.

Traps you make yourself often work well in getting rid of fruit flies, even more than commercial fruit fly traps. DIY fruit fly traps also are more effective because the ingredients used are often sweet like fruit, which attracts them to the trap. Here’s how to make a DIY fruit fly trap.

How To Make A DIY Fruit Fly Trap

Method 1

For this DIY fruit fly trap, you’ll need soap, apple cider vinegar, and a jar. To a jar, pour about half a cup of apple cider vinegar. Then, add a few drops of liquid dish soap and combine. Cover the jar with foil or plastic wrap and poke a few holes at the top. Secure the foil with a lid or the top of the jar, without fully twisting it all the way. This DIY trap will attract the fruit flies to the jar versus your produce.

Method 2

For the second DIY fruit fly trap method, you’ll be using a water bottle. Drink a few holes into the water bottle cap. Take a pair of scissors and cut the top of the bottle about ⅓ of the way down. Pour apple cider vinegar in the bottom half of the water bottle. Attach the water bottle top to the top cut half and flip it upside down to place it in the water bottle. Watch as the fruit flies attach to the bottle rather than your fruit or vegetables.

Method 3

If you’re looking for another easy method to get rid of fruit flies, this one requires paper and a jar. Luckily, for this one, you can also put those fruit scraps you have to use. Take a piece of paper and fold and shape it into a cone, with a hole at the bottom. Make sure the cone fits perfectly into the mason jar. After making sure it fits in the mason jar, use tape to secure the cone and place it off to the side. Put those leftover fruit peelings and scraps to use and place them at the bottom of your jar. Lastly, put the paper cone in your jar and seal it with tape to secure it. The fruit flies can’t resist the scraps in the jar and will get trapped after finding their way to the scraps.