Most homes tend to get quite a few fruit flies hanging around the house, especially the kitchen in summer months, and the multiply quickly! Can you blame them? With all the fresh food, kombucha, compost, and vinegars we have around (and the occasional bottle of wine or pint of beer), our homes are bound to be a haven for them.
We don’t want to introduce harsh health-zapping chemicals into the home to kill these flies; yet, there are scary products out there including a Raid Fruit Fly Trap, the Insecticide Vapor Strip, or “Fly Punch. Yikes! Those aren’t necessary, especially for the risks they present. How about eliminating the problem with all-natural remedies? This can also be a fun project to do with the kids.
The Trick To Catching Fruit Flies
- Get a small amount (½ to 1 cup) of kombucha, vinegar, old wine or any other sweet liquid to which the flies are attracted. You can even use a piece of fruit, but this tends to rot more quickly.
- Pour the liquid into a mason jar or equivalent glass container and place foil or wrap over the top. Mason jars are great because you can omit the flat saucer part of the lid and use just the round part of the lid to securely fasten the foil or wrap to the top. Plus if you’re like us you’ll have tons of mason jars lying around, and they’re not an eyesore, aesthetically speaking.
- Poke a dozen holes or so into the foil/wrap. Make them large enough for the flies to get in but not so big that the flies have any real chance of escaping.
- Leave it in a corner or other out-of-the-way place that is close to where most of the flies gather, usually somewhere in the kitchen or in proximity to the trash.
- Wait a day or so then marvel at the flies that drank themselves to death 😉
- After 1-2 weeks you will want to change out the old liquid (and dispose of the flies)—these all-natural remedies often have a shorter lifespan unlike Raid, for a reason!